Sabbath Devotional :: Lucille, Martha, and Amanda

This month I am especially drawn to examples of historical Latter-day Saint women who have persevered in faith and who demonstrated by their actions and gumption ways to improve society. Allow me to introduce you to three remarkable Saints. These brief sketches are taken from BlackPast.org which defines its purpose this way: BlackPast exists to weave the truths of the black American experience into every American’s identity, in order to make our union more perfect and our society more just.” That is a sentiment that should resonate with every MWEG sister.

First meet Mary Lucille Perkins Bankhead (1902–1994)

“Lucille Perkins . . . was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Bankhead maintained a close but complicated relationship with the LDS Church throughout her life. Her father and husband were Mormons, but both had refused to attend church. Her husband participated in social engagements and charitable activities sponsored by the church and accompanied Bankhead to meetings. However, rather than attend these meetings, he would wait for Lucille in the car in cold weather or in storms. Lucille Bankhead believed that people, rather than God, were responsible for the priesthood restriction.

“Bankhead challenged the legitimacy of white supremacy on several fronts. In 1939 a Utah state senator proposed to relocate Salt Lake City’s black residents to a different side of the city in an effort to obtain black-owned real estate. Bankhead and members of her arts and crafts club went to the capitol and sat in the gallery for several hours. She and her group were able to stop this land repossession. When Bankhead served as secretary for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, she was set to deliver a speech. As she approached the entrance of the meeting hall, the doorman closed the door. He expected Bankhead to enter through the kitchen, but she managed to have the door opened for her and delivered her speech as planned.” (https://rb.gy/nkj5cy)

Next is our sister Martha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell (1875–1954)

“Born just ten years after the Civil War ended, Martha cared deeply about literacy and the empowerment it would bring to her family. She insisted that her children visit the library weekly and help their illiterate father learn to read. She and Sylvester owned a large farm in the Millcreek area of Salt Lake City.

“Martha’s mother, Lucinda, had ceased activity in the Mormon Church after fellow members in Idaho Falls, Idaho, declared that they would not attend if a black person was present at church services. Martha, however, was actively LDS, though her life was lived during the years when the church did not allow black men to be ordained to its priesthood or to receive its exclusive temple ordinances . . . .

“Martha became a widow on March 9, 1934, and married Abner Howell in 1945. The new union led her into some prominence. . . . The two were asked to go on a mission trip to the southern states to investigate the possibility of establishing black LDS congregations there. Church leader LeGrand Richards provided the couple with a letter to take to bishops of any congregations they might visit, asking that every courtesy be extended to them. Though no black congregations were formed, the trip afforded Martha the opportunity to visit Nauvoo, Illinois, an early Mormon settlement, where her grandfather, Green Flake, had once lived.” (https://shorturl.at/cwHTU)

And now I introduce you to Amanda Chambers (1840-1925)

“In 1858 Amanda Leggroan, the daughter of Green and Hattie Leggroan, married Samuel Chambers. They all were slaves, the property of David Lagronne of Mississippi. Samuel and Amanda did not have children. With the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, Samuel and Amanda gained their freedom along with nearly four million other African Americans. . . . Although [the] Chambers had scant contact with other LDS Saints for nearly a quarter of a century, Samuel remained steadfast in his faith. In 1870, without support or encouragement from fellow Mormons, the Chambers began their overland journey to join fellow Saints in Utah Territory. . . . The Chambers/Leggroan families arrived in Salt Lake City in April 1870 when the territory had 83,336 non-Indian inhabitants including 118 African Americans.

“Upon arriving Samuel and Amanda quickly became involved in LDS activities. . . . By World War I they had acquired a 30-acre plot of land; they received wide recognition for the quality of their produce, especially their grapes and currants. Samuel was awarded first prize in several agricultural fairs. Amanda was recognized for her cooking abilities, especially the cakes and pies prepared for LDS social functions. . . . Samuel remained illiterate, but Amanda utilized a Guffey speller to teach herself how to read and write.” (https://rb.gy/pisdwk)

In the few lines of each of these short biographies are hidden layers of trials, grief and hardship many of us have never had to face. While we may think our current political challenges are daunting, honoring the memories of these remarkable sisters both humbles me and gives me courage. Their ability to see beyond the shortcomings of institutions and their fellow humans to embrace higher truths makes me want to fall on my knees. Their lives of service and persistence remind me to focus on eternal values and the reason behind what we do as members of the Church and as members of MWEG in our efforts, like B lackPast.org’s, to “to make our union more perfect and our society more just.”