U of A students chanted anti-Morman insults following the basketball game with BYU recently. U of A fans, BYU fans, members of the LDS Church and others denounced the display of rude and vile chanting by some in the U of A student section. Everyone agreed that it was a terrible thing to witness but not one letter to the Star asked the obvious question, "Why would the students do such a thing?"
The reason for the behavior is racism in the scripture of the LDS Church and the application of that racism in the early athletic programs at BYU. It wasn't until 1978 that LDS scripture finally reversed the belief that black people were cursed by God and thus not equal to whites within the Church. Black men were not eligible for admission to the priesthood due to the curse. That fact bled into BYU athletics prior to and after 1978.
University students are notoriously less forgiving about subjects such as racism and students are much less likely to forgive and move on.
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James Gilbert
Green Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
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