Get ready for an explosive and unfiltered look at life as a Black student at BYU! Sebastian takes us on a wild ride as he dishes about the viral rise of his "Black Menaces" group, a provocative movement that fearlessly called out racism within Mormon culture. From protests that sparked national headlines to tense confrontations with horrified church leaders like Brad Wilcox, Sebastian holds nothing back. He delves into the trauma of being constantly stared at and "othered" on BYU's overwhelmingly white campus, receiving vile racist abuse and death threats just for daring to speak truth to power. Sebastian's story is a raw, unsettling wake-up call about the insidious persistence of racism, even in religious communities that preach love and equality. Get ready to have your perceptions shattered by this bold revolutionary's refusal to stay silent in the face of oppression. Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/portfolio-items/sebastian-stewart-johnson/ https://theblackmenaces.org/ @blackmenaces Other Black Menaces Interviews: Rachel Weaver: https://youtube.com/live/6-RYnZRbamM Nate Byrd: https://youtu.be/DPdPe33zFe0 Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:40 The beginning of Sebastian’s Mormon Story 00:10:45 They got help from the Bishop’s storehouse 00:12:15 He had zero desire to get baptized when he turned 8 00:13:50 The valuable parts of the church 00:20:25 His Joseph Smith moment 00:24:00 Basketball was a distractor, people thought he was crazy 00:33:25 The only time his debate teacher said something about the church being racist 00:40:00 Seeing the church as a business 00:47:20 All organizations have been racist, it’s a religion 00:51:10 The Truman Show 00:56:00 Not taking the sacrament 01:00:15 Knowledge of US History and Civil Rights Movement 01:07:40 He was called to the Dominican Republic mission 01:10:05 He loved the MTC 01:15:04 He got sick on his mission and he was sent home 01:22:25 He prayed that God would tell him NOT to go back on his mission 01:24:55 He went back on his mission 01:34:00 Racism on his mission 01:38:55 Homophobia on his mission 01:47:50 On his mission the church reversed the November 2015 policy 01:52:00 He started experiencing pain, hernias caused from walking 01:53:30 He was sent home again and didn’t have to go back 01:54:00 How was his testimony at this point? 01:58:20 He attended BYU 02:04:40 The problem with Utah Mormons is they don’t understand other cultures 02:09:55 People that were murdered by cops or white people 02:15:00 How racist was Utah in 2020 02:18:20 58% black graduation rate at BYU 02:19:23 What is racism? 02:24:00 What is reverse racism? 02:26:20 The academic study of black dolls vs white dolls 02:37:55 What brought him to start Black Menaces? 02:44:20 White people don’t know how to interact with black people 03:00:45 Black Menaces went viral 03:30:40 Administration’s response to Black Menaces 03:59:10 Plans for Black Menaces 04:01:00 Lightning round of questions 04:01:25 Curse of Cain 04:04:15 White Jesus or Brown Jesus? 04:06:05 Lamanite curse in the Book of Mormon 04:09:15 Joseph Smith giving priesthood to black people 04:12:38 Brigham Young 04:17:50 Fence sitters in the pre-existence 04:30:40 The Church’s growth in Africa 04:43:30 What are his beliefs now? 04:52:10 Encouraging students NOT to go to BYU ___________________ 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 as well as 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 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝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 Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join 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&nd=1 🍎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