Nate Byrd discusses his experiences as a Black Mormon navigating his identity in a church with a history of white supremacy. He talks about being the only Black family in his wards and the pressure to conform to white norms, including attending BYU and marrying a Black Mormon. He also shares his experiences with racism at BYU, both from white students and from the church's teachings on race. Nate discusses his journey of self-discovery and how he channeled his anger into making things better for Black students at BYU, including starting a Black Student Union. He also talks about his TikTok channel, where he discusses the cringey and racist things he experienced at BYU and his intentions to help others in similar situations. Nate concludes by reflecting on the challenges of reconciling his faith with the church's history of white supremacy and how he continues to grapple with these issues. Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:00 Convert parents, raised in the Church 00:16:00 Being the only black family in wards 00:36:00 Growing up black surrounded by whites. 00:47:00 High School years 01:12:00 Early experiences at BYU 01:36:00 Mission in Houston 01:51:00 Mormon apologetics regarding race. 02:06:00 Mormonism and White Supremacy 02:13:00 Returning to BYU and creating space & community for black students 02:16:00 How the Church currently handles race 02:26:00 How Black Menaces was started 02:36:00 Brad Wilcox fiasco & trying to make BYU better for BIPOC students 02:53:30 Nate’s deconstruction and deprogramming stepping away from church 02:57:00 Mormon church isn’t a healthy place for black americans 02:58:00 What the church could do better. ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also occasionally interview scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1) Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology, 2) Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Blackmenaces #byu