LDS Grammy Winner Reconciles Painful Past in an Unexpected Way | E0018

we haven't told stories of enslaved black members of the church before is this even allowed malie boner mie boner my dear friend singer songwriter and filmmaker best first time director grmy awardwinning artist one the most sought after vocal directors in the music industry me and my family are backstage at the B1 celebration I'm hearing things that I never heard before I'm like wait a second there were black members of the church that were enslaved how come I didn't know does everybody else know but me it was heavy and it was traumatic for me the way I was processing it was making music I would just reading and writing as I'm gathering up all these sheets of paper I said to myself I think this is a movie and then right then it was like exactly this is a movie guess I'll got to make it green flake was a black man and a Slave at the time he entered the Valley now there's a movie about his story everything changes from there there needs to be a monument and that can't happen unless I prayed and I was like Lord are you asking me to go back to Salt Lake again tomorrow Friday I'm sending someone to you and a man gets out and I get up to him I was like hi um hi I'm here for you and he says anybody hear me me and my family are backstage at the B1 celebration it hasn't started yet but there's a huge monitor back backstage where you kind of just look up and see as the program's running what's happening and as I'm listening I'm hearing things that I never heard before I'd heard of Elijah Abel right I knew Jane Manning James but green flake I'm like green flake what is a green flake you know you know what is that and it's like oh it's a man okay black man oh okay enslaved I'm like oh they messed up they just said he was it's like oh wait a second I thought they messed up it's like somebody misspoke like enslaved why would they say he was enslaved enslaved member of the church green flake and the I'm like wait a second there were black members of the church that were enslaved and that was like then my wheels are spinning I can barely even focus on the show on what we're supposed to do and cuz I was just tuned in to some of the stories I'd never heard before and as I was listening now I felt if I'm going to be honest I felt embarrassed I felt like am I supposed to know this stuff I should know these things like I'm we're going to come out here and sing and stuff and I don't even I don't know this and when I'm ask questions about black history in the church and me being a bishop you know how like the youth we're with the youth all day you know that that's our lives the youth and they pull me aside ask me questions and there's stuff I didn't know and um I felt stupid um more embarrassed than anything else and then that turned into a deep curiosity and a desire to know more and so after that B1 celebra celebration was complete and it was awesome it was a great event um but I kind of of put my life on pause and dove in to learn as much as I can learn yeah and so I mean that that just turned into me hitting up historians and they were so generous with their time the biggest thing that it sounds like you're saying that really caught you off guard was you knew that there was history elble green flake but then you're like wait he was they were slaves right tell me more about what's St how that stirred in you why did that stir in you it it felt like well that doesn't makes sense because they're members of the church so no they they didn't own people they didn't own other members of the church but no they did and so I was my my head was trying to wrap around the concept of how how does that happen like did did the leadership know did they like how so questions start Rising so many questions give me some of these questions so the questions for me were were they being defiant to what the church said wait did the church initiate it and when I say church I mean leadership did they say yes it's fine it's good um how come I didn't know was a big question like why did I not know does everybody else know but me and that's why you felt embarrassed yeah cuz I'm like am I the one just sitting here stupid and everybody's just talking about the history that they grew up on and somehow it escaped me so I thought it was personal for me I thought I was just the one who just didn't know and so I I had to know more I I felt like it was a responsibility and um what's interesting is I was doing the score for Jane and Emma oh the film yeah the film for Jane and Emma I was doing the score for that and so I'm working on that score and so that was kind of like a double whammy for me because I'm like I'm I'm doing the score for a piece of history in the church that really is part of black history as well in the church and I don't know what talking about how did you not how did you not get in that research how did you not catch that is that what you're saying yeah and so you're you're working on another project which kind of opened the door to potentially maybe even consider but I'm saying you're now at the point where you're like I want to know more I'm going to learn more and then what do you do so I hit up historians because um like I asked my dad I was like do you know anybody and he told me Amy theot was this incredible historian and so I hit up Amy I got her email I emailed her and she was so generous with her time like gave me so much time and resources I would have like literally over a 100 questions and she would sit with me some guy named Maui hit her up and she cut time for me and I had reached out to other historians and Paul reev and asked some questions as pertains I think it was more so to Elijah Abel as I was learning more about him I knew of Elijah Abel but I didn't know he had the priesthood in 1836 and and like wait so he had the priesthood so 78 wasn't the beginning of it all so there was all of these mindblowing new pieces of information and you know my my background is in music right and so as I'm learning all of this I got to tell you it was it was heavy and it was traumatic for me yeah and the way I was processing it was making music so I would just begin writing songs and and and making music and writing and reading and writing and reading and writing and creating stories it was just to help me process what I was learning and for it to not be too overwhelming so you're going through the process of trying to learn it you are learning it and now the way to kind of since it is heavy you're the way to like to get it out of you is to make music is that what you're saying yeah that was my therapy that was your therapy yeah so I was just I I wasn't trying to create anything I was just trying to not let it all build up inside of me as I was learning more and learning more and you know over the next four five weeks you know I had like 200 pages of of lyrics and and scenes and stories and songs and take me back to before that I want to I want to go deeper in this like what's going through your mind whenever you're so you are talking to the historians tell me more give me more details of that like how's that what's that experience like to where you re end up with 200 songs um it was what was the one that just hit you like what what uh the the thing that hit me the hardest was when I learned that green flake uh after he came into uh the valley and um they I guess the valley wasn't it was undecided whether it was a free uh territory or a slave territory and for the enslaver Agnes flake to write a letter um or have a letter written on her half to sell him and this is after I had learned all that green flake did Green flake drove the first wagon on this Piner trick like we pioner trick is like that is our story right our strength and he drove the first wagon and she's going to say sell them I need some money and that was like heartbreaking for me and so I had to dig in more to find out what are other stories of the enslaved people because I was thinking after they did this maybe life would have changed when they came into Utah and knowing that that did not change that really made me dig in deeper than just surface level you know give me a little bit more so so I know who green flake is just for the audience like who is Green flake yeah he's and what's he doing driving this wagon you know yeah I mean so green flake was an enslaved young man on the Jordan flake Plantation Mississippi in North Carolina and by the age of around 16 they make their way into navoo and he builds a house for his enslavers there at the age of 16 and then after that um Joseph Smith is murdered and Brigham Young becomes the next leader not necessarily established Prophet but the next leader and he says we're going to Utah and Brigham Young puts together a Vanguard company you know and there were some enslaved people that were sent from their enslavers to be a part of this Vanguard company they sent their yeah yeah said so they sent their best enslaved uh members cuz they were also baptized um many of them and green flake was a part of the company that would end up driving in that a couple days ahead of Brigham Young so on July 22 PR way yeah so they would carve the trail and make sure other the wagons could come through green flake was a part of that group that Orson Pratt LED and he drove the first wagon and so it's it's not like it was a race you know so whoever's in the front is there because they trust him yeah to be carving the trail yeah and so green flake drove the first wagon at age 19 so when you think of missionaries and our brothers or our sisters or children who are on missions that's this 19-year-old enslaved still not free driving the first wagon to lead this church that carries the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ into this new land and so you're learning this yes he is like if there's a hero to have he's it during this time you know and so it was really awesome to know that um despite his circumstances that he could play such a big role in something so important um and and um and you never heard that before I didn't know it like people should know this this would Empower people you know I'm I'm empowered by people that aren't aren't black Ed by people that aren't white you know so why are we not telling it you know and so I I definitely was a bit naive you know in it because I do think when you're talking about history and slavery it's difficult it's sensitive history but it had to be told so that but green flake was was the one for me so that's telling you a little bit more about green flake he comes into the valley 1847 19 and then a few years later like I said Agnes flake writes a letter to briam Young because she goes on to San Bernardino and she writes a letter or behalf on in her behalf uh um I think his name was uh Lyman was was the man who wrote on behalf of Agnes to sell green flake thankfully uh he wasn't uh sold as far as we can tell obviously historically right and he later would find his freedom in Utah so you're reading this you're learning the story of green flake yeah you you really like it's like magnetized right you're just like man I got to know more about this guy you learn more and more about it you talking to different historians you learn about this journey across the Plains and this is stuff you never heard of before and he becomes this hero to you yeah you start writing lyrics to help kind of just get this off your chest kind of as therapy what's the first song that you wrote I don't even remember really I don't even remember somebody asked that to me before and I'm like I I don't remember cuz the songs I wrote were like uh they weren't like I'm sitting down and spending a few days going through lyric in my lyric book just things come to you it was one yeah they're one takes so like the the soundtrack um most of the songs were just me freestyling one take wow yeah are you serious yeah so I was just what do you think that is I mean that's got to be such a gift not that you that you have and also to receive yeah it feels like um I was remembering something you know it didn't feel like I was writing something or creating something I was remembering something that was already written already done already sung and so I would just literally be in tears half the time when I'm recording these songs and I would just I was just singing freestyling it you know I didn't even write down the lyrics until like way later then I was like let me listen back to that recording write this stuff down because it's just part of the story can you give us one you could sing it or say it um what are some of the lyrics kind of kind of tie to the stories that you're learning okay well I'll give you a piece of one of the songs one of the songs um it had to do with um Joseph Smith after his death um because I learned that their Joseph's views were to free anyone if you had oron Orson Hyde of the twel Apostles asked uh Joseph what should a man do if he has a hundred slaves and Joseph said he should free them and follow the church you know m and so to know that that's who Joseph was um that he was known to be wrestling around he would wrestle with black men this is not you know you know he was going to run on an anti-slavery platform um knowing that that was our Prophet during a time where that was not popular Behavior right at all no um and for him to die I was thinking I was mourning his loss from the perspective of an enslaved black person what are they going to do to us now that you're gone and um I was so one of the songs it says um broken glass walking on broken glass there's just no getting past the way I'm feeling inside um I don't even know it I don't even know the lyrics CU I literally just freestyled it yeah yeah I remember the song aiah Rose sang it yeah she was saying it so this gets us into the the the the where I think that we're right now naturally is just you writing these songs and then you like from what I understand from the story is you're like this is not just songs yeah this is a this is something more yeah yeah it just felt like I was like I think this is a movie because I because just because in my mind I've seen their lies so cool like you wrote the soundtrack you're like it's a movie I love it literally I never like thought I'm gonna be a Movie Maker one day and film and no I just I'm I'm like anybody else I go to movies and I'm pretty easy if it's bad I still love it because I love going to the movies so how good as bad is this GNA be I don't know but I I know that I wanted it felt like it was a movie yeah so you get what tell me about was it were you like when was the day and tell me about the day that you're like I gotta make this is a movie you know and I know your career was more kind of more freelance esque right yeah what are you what's at stake for you you know what I mean like what are you going to do like when was the day that you discovered I'm going to be all in and how did you get to the point to be all in yeah it was it was September it was September 2018 mid-september 2018 uh I want to say September 28th um but um it was that feel feeling as I'm Shuffling through all these papers of like what am I going to do with all this cuz I had it all laid out in my living room so if you can just imag all the lyrics I had all the well it was like lyrics and stories and and meetings that I heard in my head as I was reading the history and and letters from one enslaved person to Brigham Young and making a scene out of that anyways it's all spread out all in my living room and I'm like okay I think that's I got to go back to work this is turned into Crazy Town this really what I was thinking like what did your wife think you know what's people ask me that and she's just open yeah she's like cool yeah makes you happy so are you gonna how much longer are you going to be doing I like I don't know like all right she's so easy so her support is like long leashed for me to do whatever I need to do you know so but you so you're grappling with this like is it what what's the worry are you to do it are you worried that you'll be able to do it like how did you know that cuz there's a lot of stuff that goes into making a movie you know you know what's funny is so in that moment when I was like I think this is a movie as I'm looking at as I'm gathering up all these sheets of paper on the floor in the living room yeah I said to myself I think this is a movie and then right then it was like exactly this is a movie I was like oh H how are we going to I don't know any movie people to make it m guess I got to make it and then I was like yes I was like oh huh when should I do this this year huh you know and this is September you know and so I'm like this year that's like September October it's like three months you know but as I was thinking through that it was like yes September yeah September was when you decided to discover you were going to make it yeah really yeah so then I just I hadn't even thought that I didn't know what to do or how to do it it was like oh okay I got to do it okay and so I organized the papers and then I I looked up online what a script looks like so I'm like I I didn't have like an app or a a program that writers are supposed to use so I was just like looking at something like so I was using space bar like space bar space bar space bar that looks like far enough over next line bum I was just mocking what it's supposed to look like instead of using yes they have a program I didn't even know that fonts and like the different like transitions whatever dud I'm telling you I literally I was like thinking how do they do this just ping all because that's literally the margin yes and it didn't quite look right so I sent it to you know I sent to some yeah you're this musician in the music industry making this music and then you get to the point where you're like I'm going to make a movie and then you're like I'm going to make the movie yeah and so you never done it before all of this is novice to the to the to the utmost degree and here you are writing a script what happens next yeah so wrote the script and you know it was done pretty quick I mean because it was it was all there I just kind of pieced it together and um I sent it to a a a a friend of mine who does film and I and he was like I don't have time to read this but here here's a couple producers send it to them they'll let you know if they I was like cool I sent it to the producers and they were like well first of all I don't know what program you did this on cuz some of the things are off and I was like oh I just used what program do you use I'm like they're on to me this is not the right I was like oh my gosh so then but then they would go on and say so what's your plan when are you and and what what's your marketing plan and what's your budget and I was like oh um I don't know but I do know we need to be shooting it in just about 3 months from now and they're like they just bust out laughing and I was like I was caught off guard like what is like is the film not supposed to shoot in December cuz it's se you know it was it was September October it was October so it was literally Less Than 3 months it was less than 3 months bro and so I'm like December and they bust out laughing and I was like uh I'm sorry I don't understand they're like no no no it doesn't work like that they're like well it takes like maybe a year of development and then maybe another year of blah blah blah and I was like oh yeah yeah I don't have time for that I don't have I got I got to get to work but said so December and they they laughed again and I was like maybe I'm asking you the wrong question are you in or not and then they were just like yeah no this isn't going to work and I was like oh okay okay right then I went to another person same thing they started laughing another person and then I finally was like I hit up Jesse Renee I remember Jesse Jesse Yeah Jesse did Jesse did the music video for child of God U from the Bonner family it was like the theme song for The Jemma movie mhm and I sat him down and I was like I'm going to make this movie um it's just and by this time we were late September probably oh no it was way later than that this is November when I talked to you already cast it everything I casted everything I know I'm saying you had already had the you already casted everything okay okay okay yeah I J this is November and I was like Jesse I'm making this film in a month and I would love for you to be a producer on this and pull pieces together things I'm not seeing things I'm missing and he was like what do you have and I was like well nothing that's why I'm meeting with you Jesse that's what you're supposed to do yeah I was like it's like the bottom line is like I'm going to shoot the film whether it's on my phone or whether it's on film cameras the the movie is going to be made um and so my question to you is do you want to be a part of telling the story wow you know it's going to happen and then he's like yeah if you could just give like another half year because I like no no no I'm that's what I'm not asking you I'm not asking um I'm I'm not even asking you how you can figure out how a month are you in or not cuz it's going to happen and then he was like all right I'm in you know and he pulled crew people together and and and that was that was there's so many stories even before that but that was when I had like legit film people come on board to do uh what I had been trying to whole piece together so you're going to make this film like it seems like in the music industry this is unheard of to try to pull it off what was the what was the what was it for you that you think made it so urgent it it's it's tough to explain like I I felt uh the urgency but didn't quite know why but it was of the spirit you know and it felt like got to go You' got to go and I'm like okay okay I got to get the Tim needed to be a absolutely it was so important and uh I knew it was important to get it done soon just because what was happening in our world surrounding race was really impacting the younger generation and their faith and I'm like if they hear this story the wrong way I don't know how they'll come back from it I don't know they need to hear it with love and transparency and unity like they need to hear it in the right Spirit give them a shot at knowing the history without it being traumatizing and feeling like they were blindsided and so for me making the film was for the younger generation and so so you're thinking time is at the essence the longer we take the less people I don't know maybe more spiritual casualties to a degree you didn't say that but you're just feeling the urgency is from I don't want people to learn this in a un uh without without care and love okay and you thought that this film would be a way for them to learn of it yeah in a very uh uh I don't want to say charitable way just like just with with more care right absolutely absolutely because I I I feel like if they if they learned it the first for the first time the wrong way it's hard to undo that you know it's hard to undo that moment you learned something and it was in an argument or online and not through the appropriate channels meaning like we should learn our history from us yeah you know yeah and so uh I was hoping to beat people to their moment where they learned yeah oh any stories of anybody that's not too I obvious going to be personal of anyone uh anything that you want to add to the story you think is important to consider up to this point a leading up to well I mean the the only thing was is that um the the truth is I didn't know how I was going to do this whole film thing you know and I had this client in the Republic of Georgia who I go and I do music for and when I would work with him we would just talk about life and everything and and he's super successful like he owns a television station out there and whatever else and I was telling him about the the film and the story and he was like come shoot it here shoot it here in my country and I was like oh I guess this is possible I can do this you can use my cameras my equipment my people I'm like done and so I just raised enough money $27,000 to fly everybody there I just raised just enough to fly everyone there and so it's now November and it's time to book the flights to fly everybody to the Republic of Georgia right by Russia and Turkey other side of the world but at least I have the locations I had I had the things I needed and I was like well let me just call them real quick just to double check everything's cool before I Dro this load of money you know and I hit him up and and I was like hey I'm about to book these flights uh we'll be up there in 2 weeks and or I'll be up there in two weeks and the cast will be coming in he's like yes yes yes wonderful wonderful but um listen um yes um it's frozen in the caucus mountains it's frozen and I'm like what do you mean it's like the gas lines there's no gas lines it's frozen in the mountains so I was like I I don't understand why you're telling me this though I don't I don't what does that to do with the film um people might freeze I'm like what do you mean like my people he's like yes but I think we should do it I think we should do it like russan Hollywood you know like oh my gosh and so I literally started considering like how can we do this how can we do this can I afford to lose anybody would that be a you know I'm making this movie cuz I'm making this movie yeah yeah it would have been frozen three so you don't have a place to shoot the movie yeah I called them back and I was like I can't I can't do this and he's like okay I understand and that's when I was like now what are you going to do yeah so that's when I hit that that's when I called Jesse that's when I called Jesse you know cuz I already been through other producers and they were going to produce it there and now you're like I got to do it now so you called Jesse and then from there you don't you still don't have a location yeah what are you going to do yeah well I my mom had gotten sick right around the same time and I I flew to to uh Utah to get her to the doctor and she had the uh a blood clot in her heart oh my gosh yeah it was we thought we were going to lose we thought we were going to lose her and um anyways I'm on this flight and there was a guy on the flight who was like Hey Hey so um he's just a nervous flyer one of the talkative types and I'm not I like peace and quiet you know like if you see me don't talk to me but he's just one of who likes to talk you know and and so he's just wanted to talk and small talk about things and whatever and I and I give one word answers little short stuff and like yeah and then turned back to my mom like I'm talking to my mom but she's sleep and I'm like yeah acting like I'm talking to my mom but I'm not and he just was keep going and I started talking about well I'm making this film and he's like oh you should shoot it here there's a place here in Ogden uh Fort bonaventura it's historical it's been here since 1847 and briam young even walked the hills of the of the fort and and I was like yeah thank thank you uh but I have a place I'm shooting in the Republic of Georgia Russia so I'm good thank you though you know it's so that was that that was before that was before that was before you already you had already had the place in Georgia and then you just bumped into this guy just bumped you should you should film it in in Ogden yeah he's said you should film it in a I'm like yeah yeah no I'm not I'm not doing that I'm I'm that's going it's going to be this big beautiful place in the caucus mountains anyway so our flight ends and he was ask me for my number and I was like um and I was like I typically don't don't give my number I was like I'll give you my email so I gave him my email and and that was that and then when things fell through with my guy in the Republic of Georgia I was like wait there was that guy on the flight who was talking about a location I was like I didn't give him my number oh I was like dang it I wish I would have given so you didn't have his number or his email he only had your email well we had emailed back and forth a couple times and so I emailed them and I was like like hey this is but it it wasn't like back and forth back and forth it was literally like got your email nice meeting you you know so I was like hey there's a guy from the flight and and just wanted to reach out to you about something he calls my phone rings did he get your number I don't know he was like I love well here no here's here's more to the story I don't know I just I don't want to drag him because I'm like because he's my friend I love him dearly um but this is what happened after the flight before I but after our flight when I gave him my email and whatever else I go to get in the car my little brother OB is going to pick me up and he's in the car and I'm like oh what are you what are you doing you know he's like I don't know I don't know I saw black guy and I was thinking maybe he's your brother I hate yeah I just hate that he was right you know about that yeah so I was like he's like and it was your brother he said he give me a ride I'm like oh that's great thank you om you know so yeah like he wouldn't go away you know he wouldn't go away and we drop him off and um the emails back and forth so now I I hit him on the email he calls me hey and I was thinking I didn't give him my number and he said uh um oh these are his lines um I keep track of all my friends I'm gonna die I know he's great he's great I was like okay I'm going let that slide great well um remember you were talking about Fort bentura there's a place to to shoot the film and he was like yes yes you should do it here I was like I I remember I got to get there and check it out he's like well when can you come in I said tomorrow so I flew there the next day he picked me up we went to the Fort walked around the fort and it was like every scene everything everything like I saw the whole movie there I was like was this made for the was everything how cool is that man it make this stuff up no it was like it was divine man yeah he was such a gift for me and and we're we're close now and so I hate talking about him CU I feel like I'm making him seem like a creeper but he's so cool but that's just him man if you if you know him you know him and it's not yeah he's right so that that's I mean I know I've jumped all over the place but all that was leading up to now I have a place to shoot in December all that so you have your you have everything lined up you you know who's going to film you know who's going to produce and you're going to do this thing in like a couple weeks yeah and so any experiences during the filming that were significant to you on this journey that you think um highlights or that would benefit the idea of um making sure that people get this story out and understand it well there's there was just a number of Miracles just to get to where we had a place to film um and to get that location for it to be available in that 10day slot that I had because the film uh I said was going to we're going to film from December 11th to December 21st and same schedule same schedule I didn't change the schedule cuz I didn't want to throw off the actors i b everything and and um and so when we when we got there you know everything starts to change every day because of the snow and the freeze and and in one of the scenes in fact one of one of the scenes there was a a frozen uh oh it was supposed to be a river that green flake goes into you know he's supposed to go into the river and pick up his his uh necklace and just pull it out of the river but it temperatures dropped the day before and the lake froze and so uh we were like okay how are we going to do this and I was like well we could throw the necklace on to the frozen lake and my little brother yoses who a little big brother play Green flake and I was like you could walk onto the ice to get it and he was like have you been on the ice I was like I have not I didn't want to mess it up for you what if it broke but but that was cool honestly I was like it's up because we I mean I never should have done this but I was like listen if you'll do it then let's shoot it if you go in then I'm jumping I'm jumping in after you we both going down and he was and everything I asked for he was like done let's do it you know and so we do this scene where he's walking on this thin sheet of ice and he's well over 200 lb of muscle and just like you can hear it just m yeah you can hear it cracking and making these like bellowing sounds underneath the ice it was such a stressful scene because it really was life or death you know we we shouldn't have done it but we were doing it and we deep was it um I don't know right all I know is I threw the threw the necklace out there and I was like go get it you know so you didn't place it like now we got to get cuz we didn't want to risk somebody going out and if if it's someone's going to fall it's got to be green flake and we'll get them back in we're going to film it you know and so they had this whole stick off this you know I mean your your viewers have to see this scene we got I mean I got I got to it I gotta give it to you we'll figure it out okay um anyway we had this poll and we had to tell the cast like you are his Lifeline you know and so he did he went out on there on that ice and you could hear it cracking Underneath Him and made it back and um there was just a number of um instances where um we just got fortunate and blessed you know uh we we didn't have all the expensive like uh uh cover to like make the lighting the way it should be for a cinematic film so there was like this that Sun never broke through for us which is perfect so we had this nice gray filter over our whole scene set anytime we're filming it would break through when we were done cut and the sun would break through it was like Wow and this was constant constant and so there was just Miracle after miracle any opposition to anybody saying you shouldn't make this I mean yeah but honestly I didn't hear it there were some people it wasn't like you shouldn't make this it was like what's your angle what are you getting at and I was like the truth I'm just telling but what happened our history I was thinking our history no I'm just telling our history this is like yeah Pioneer history you know and so I there there were people that were nervous about it and it yes it it was it was hard to gain the funding for the film because I think people didn't know if they were allowed to can we do this cuz we don't we haven't told stories of enslaved black members of the church before and so is this even allowed it was kind of the feeling that I was getting and so even still I mean none of that changed the fact that it was going to get done I knew it was going to get done um the how I didn't know I just knew when and I knew who yeah Alex was my first who Alex you know and um um yeah so you you you film it and then uh what's the next plan from there what are you going to what's the next move what's the next step once it's actually out you have it in the camera you know you got the footage you upload the footage what's the what are you going to do next I didn't know what I was going to do next because I didn't have I didn't have money for it and I knew that I had not been working for the last few months and I needed to get back to work and get with my clients and and and whatever else you know you know my job is in the music industry it was developing pop artists you know and so if you say no to a job they find someone else and you're no longer that person's person you know and my job is to prepare recording artists for their tours and for their shows so I was like I got to get these clients you know and so I put that thing on a hard drive and started working so you have to provide for your family yeah started working and I didn't know when I was going to get back to it because the first prompting was get it get it done and film it now and I was like K did that and then I felt like this lull of urgency so I was like okay I'm going to go back to work now and so I did that and then the pandemic happened oh my gosh and it was really a gift because the music industry shut down and I was like so I'm going to get back to this film then you know and so now I was able to film a little bit more because we needed to film some some spring shots and you know cuz we just filmed in the winter so we able to film some spring shots and begin editing and so um over the next year and a half it was filming little bits and pieces and then editing and um so that was from 2019 into 2020 goes into 2019 now you're in 2020 yeah so so 2019 was really when I was doing the editing and picking up uh filming for different seasons and then I threw it into film festivals because that's what I heard you're supposed to do you know and um threw it into film festivals I didn't I didn't put it in any Utah film festivals though yeah I I well gosh I don't know how to say this without it sounding bad do I just say it just say it we can it just say it I'll make sure you hey so I I didn't want to put it in any Utah film festivals cuz I didn't know how much racism there was in that environment and what I didn't want is for the film to be suppressed because people are uncomfortable I already face people who are uncomfortable and what if that's in the film industry in Utah I didn't know so I'm not saying that there was an issue but I didn't know and I didn't want to risk it so I went everywhere else but Utah you know so la London isul Rome everywhere U Tampa and um then we started getting uh feedback and they were falling in love with the film and it won best film in London and it won best film in Rome and it won best film in LA and and I won best director and Yos won best actor and this is the funny part about me being best director is I wasn't supposed to be the director it was I just he just gave nobody else to do it no I I forgot man it was the day before we were supposed to film and I cuz I had been wearing all the hats and what I now know is producing right putting it all together and so you know I got the contracts they got their hotels okay cool we have that the crew call times call she out all right I go to lay my head down and it's just after midnight before our first day of shooting and we're supposed to be on set at 4:30 so just a few hours of sleep and right before I lay my head down I was like wait who's the director who's the director and I was like no no no I forgot to book the director I'm like of all the things I booked everything except for the director and so I I did what um I believe all the young people do I pulled up YouTube and took my master when say action when to say cut so I just watched this 30 minute video on film when to say action so it was like rolling Sound Speed and I was like okay I got it R C I went to bed next morning we get up there for our first shot and I hear rolling and I'm like yes I remember that sound speed and then it was quiet and I was just waiting there nobody moving moving and I remember nothing and then Mario no no no it was um gosh was it Mario I think it was Mario second he tapped me on the shoulder was like sir it's on you sir and I was like oh I was supposed to say action I was like oh my gosh my War job and so I was like okay this isn't going to work I was like you say action I'll I'll say cut and so he's like okay sir but can you tell the crew that I'll be doing that in the cast I was like he's going to say action I'm going to be saying cut like okay I guess it's okay yeah so it just helped me get going and but the thing was I knew every scene in the film like I had seen it Stephen I would dream about every night every night my wife would wake me up you're not in a movie really I don't know if I was talking or what like she constantly waking me up be quiet you're not in a movie so I saw every scene over and over again and so to see the Awards come back and we win and that these stories mean something to people yeah it meant so much to me it just told me like oh this is good important yeah wow so the response is good the response is great and you've never directed before you become you know you're getting these awards for best director this is obviously something that was not just a coincidence this is something that needs to happen and you put in these film festivals uh what happens after that it seems like there was if I'm if I'm remembering correctly the focus started to shift yeah well it the focus went from oh my gosh you put in festivals but it's not released specifically right right it wasn't released yet but I put it in festivals and I you know I'm just in tears over feeling like yes these stories are going to be received well and oh my gosh I'm going to be rich be so rich stepen so I was like oh my gosh Lord you haven't forgotten me I just knew I was like that's what this was about I get it urgent yes finally you wanted to bless me right exactly and so I literally started looking up um like uh black monuments in in Salt Lake uh nothing there okay black well because I wanted to have the cast and the crew get together to take like a picture celebrating our awards were winning yeah so I was going to hit up all the cast and crew be like meet me here we're going to celebrate we're going to do like I was just going to have a whole thing monuments where than Salt Lake nothing I was like oh maybe they didn't do it in Salt Lake um cuz I live in LA you know and I just started looking different erab Provo black monuments um enslaved black people commemorated nothing I couldn't find anything and then that's when I was like oh that's what this is about representation because we believe what we see you know and so there's no images there's no monuments there's no way for someone to walk by and say oh there's green FL green flake keep drove the first wagon and that's what this film is about is being able to raise awareness by having representation and um everything changes from there so then I was like okay so then uh Monument okay going to get a monument who's going to do it I'll do it okay you know it like the process just started over all over again so I was like okay but this is a Church Monument there's no way you're going to be able to do this just like I'm going to put a monument up right Prett pretty technical honestly I never even it's the same thing film I don't know whatever technical things we're going to get it done so I just didn't spend much time in the what wasn't possible and how is this even going to it was is kind of that's actually probably a benefit honestly it was because with the film it was like we're making the film on this date it's going to happen um how not sure figure that out on the way same thing with a monument there will be a monument and it will be dedicated on Pioneer day is what I want I wanted it dedicated on the 175th anniversary that the the black Pioneers came through in that vanc card company wow so so you're going to make this you're going to try to that's so it shifts it shifted I'm rich to I'm poor I'm poor I'm going to put all the resources to make this Monument 100% yeah so everything all all everything that was made from the film everything is going to go towards this mon Monument but then it was like it was like okay so how am I going to get um cuz I I was like there has to be a monument at This Is The Place Heritage Park because that's where all the P because I was was doing my research that's where all the monuments are most of them you know that's where when when uh Brigham Young came and said this is the right place because he came that's the place yeah yeah he came through through two days after green flake and the others did that was where he said it so I was like that's where it has to be and Temple Square so Temple Square two monuments two different places so when people come and see when they want to come and get to know us they can see us telling our full history and I wanted that for our church you know I wanted that for our community for Utah like we maybe we didn't know we know now and we're going to tell it this is our history and so um um I put together this whole package and did a screening with uh different departments in the church and screenings went well and uh with the history department and uh Communications and that it went really well and great conversations about more information that can be put out and yeah and as I'm walking away from the screening with the church history Department um I'm walking with uh TAMU Smith and we see this couple walking and it looks like it looks like an apostle really really it looked like an Apostle's wife yeah you know what do you mean by that yeah because they they have a look to him you know the jacket and the dyed hair like but you're elderly but you know not a gray Insight I know you and I'm like okay so I mean it's not that they just have a look and so and I i' say they were wearing masks that's why it was like he had to tell by other things and T was like I think that's I'm like yeah oh my gosh I think that's and so we I go up to uh where's this at this is in um it's in Salt Lake right um so we do a screening I'm Walk we're walking to go get some food and then we see them and I go up to her and the man walks off and I was like hey can I can I talk to you for a sec she's like sure what what what yeah what what's going on what's Happening I was like just want to walk and talk with you you can continue going wherever you're going she like well I was going to go shopping right here and I was like okay can I walk with you uh yeah and so I'm like okay as we're walking it's like okay well my name is mie Bonner I made this film his name is green flake and it's an incredible film about black pioneers and enslave black Pioneers green flake in fact drove the first wagon I'm just I'm talking so fast and getting it all out and then she's like okay I was like but there needs to be a monument in our places and that can't happen and she's like yes unless uh-huh I get your husband oh honey honey she calls over she go over she calls him over so a man comes over and he's like yes and I was like well uh sir I was just talking to your lovely quickly now I I've got to go okay I was talking to your wife I made this film his name is green flake and I give the whole thing and he's like okay okay um well write me a letter I'm like no no no no we're here now let let's let's let's negotiate it now he's like no no no no I need proper correspondence write me a letter let's take a picture let's take a selfie and from this selfie I'll remember this moment and and we'll go from there and I was like all right I felt like he was kind of blow me off I wasn't sure you know and I was like okay took a selfie and it was Elder raspar and I did write a letter but I didn't write a letter to him I wrote a letter to his wife because in a time this is in the height this is um post and post George Floyd like the sensitivities of black men you know and law enforcement I was terrified that she might feel unsafe and say something now I'm unsafe you know and for her to respond to me in such a human way abut and yeah okay what's going on sure you know and receive me the way she received me and to call her husband over she didn't need to do that yeah she probably shouldn't have done that but she did you know sister rasband did that and so I just wrote her a thank you letter and I just thought that was the end of it I just wanted to thank her for that moment um of giving me peace you know and hope and so that was it and that was on we took that selfie though and I looked at the time and I was like 5:32 and I was like that there just a special moment I'm like never going to forget that 532 E Yeah whoa yeah that's where we recording 532 yeah I just held on to that that that number 5:32 and that was on a Friday 5:32 and then the next week though should I keep talking am I talking too much I know it's a podcast but I'm talking this is great this is so good okay okay this is amazing okay so um so a week later I'm coming back out to Salt Lake because we're going to do a benefit concert to like promote the film and because it's not out yet still and um so I'm driving in from Salt into Salt Lake and I see a man walking and I'm like gosh that looks like Elder gong as I'm driving I'm like I I think that's I think that was Elder gong so I just yeah exactly I parked my car and I was like excuse me uh and he's like yes and I was like uh Elder gong yes and I was like can I walk and talk with you it work the first time so I'm like I walk and talk with you and he's like sure and I look across the street and it's one of those like Secret Service looking guys like you like you about to lose your job he should have been here this was your time so I'm like I don't have much time so I'm like oh Elder gong um I made this film his name is green flake and it's about black pioneers and the whole point though is Monument there's no Monument here at Temple Square this is the place there and he cut me off and he was like yes love what you're doing H love what you're doing yeah um we had a meeting about this week and I was like oh and he was like yeah you have a concert uh tomorrow I was like yeah he's like right he said but the film's not out yet that comes out um the anniversary of the priesthood and I was like yes sir wow so you know about this and he was like yes had a great reading about it and I was like oh my gosh Elder rasband I thought that he was just blowing me off you know like okay selfie write a letter you're not going to answer a letter you know and so that happened and um and so I said well you just kind of blew up my elevator pitch so can I take a selfie with you and he's like sure we took a selfie and it was at 5:32 5:32 at 5:32 the exact same time so if you want to meet an apostle 532 just walk around yeah exactly yeah I mean I don't know what they're doing at 532 but I but that was it it was the exact same time again and I was like wow that was so special that happened I went home and like you mentioned my wife earlier on and she's extremely supportive and but I had been gone so much I was like babe I'm not traveling this weekend I'm here so whatever you need to do I'm here with the kids I got it she's like you sure I'm like yeah Thursday rolls around and I had this feeling similar feeling that I had when I felt like so you're saying you're going to stay I'm going to stay home in La like I'm not traveling to Utah for anything she's like cool so she has she's working too and so she's can do her visits for work and she's a social worker and um I was like okay well I'm going to um stay home but then I had this prompting on Thursday it was the same type of feeling I had when I felt like I'm going to make this movie yes you will it was like that like it was like a spiritual confirmation telling me what I'm going to do you know you know I'm like okay yes you will and and same thing with when I felt like I need to do this Monument that's not past the buck you know and so I I felt I need to go back to Salt Lake is what this feeling was and and you already committed to her yeah and so I got on my knees and I prayed and I was like Lord are you asking me to go back to Salt Lake again and it was like tomorrow Friday this will be the third week in a row I'm sending someone to you at 5:32 that was it was as clear as any prayer answer I've ever had and I was like right well I told Shantel I'd be in town so I'll go Saturday I will go but just not Friday Saturday and I was like but does that mess anything up is that okay and is said okay Lord and it was the answer to my prayer was it wasn't like words it felt like sure like a loving sure and I can't tell you how much I I okay yeah right right and I hate the word sure like is it yes or no like what are you you know and I'm like sure the Lord knows I hate that word you know I hate that word like why sure I'm like okay well it's not going to mess anything up right Lord I mean I will go at just Saturday because you know Shantel I told her yeah you know and again it was a loving sure and I was like okay sure then it's not I guess it's not a terrible word sure could be yes so I'm going to I'm going to go Saturday so Friday game my wife is gone I'm taking care of the kids doing things making lunch and that feeling throughout the day was just starting to Bubble Up over overwhelming like I was doing this is the first time I'd ever negotiated with the Lord in this journey of what I was going to do never did the lord gave me the prompting to do I do it I don't know how but I'm going to get it done but now I'm negotiating okay yes Lord but how about you know and and I realized how unsettling that was and I can't even explain the the pit in my stomach that was feeling it hurt the more you don't do the more more feels go oh my gosh and so I called my wife and I was like babe you got to come home and she's like why why I was like I have a meeting today she's like you said you didn't have any meeting I was like I know I have a meeting at 5:32 in Salt Lake she's like what with who I don't know I don't know I don't know and so she uh she was like okay so you want me to come home cancel my clients so that you can have a meeting with someone you don't know I was like yes babe please I prayed about it she's like okay and at this point I know that she feels like I'm just using I prayed about it as like a scapegoat to do what I want to do or something you know but she came home and I get in the car and I book my flight as I'm driving the car on the app yeah this is on Friday this is on Friday this is on the day and so it's one something I'm booking my flight and I book a 140 flight as I'm driving to the airport wow right you don't even know there's a 140 I I know it's 14 I always fly out there so I know the times you know so I'm like okay I got this 140 flight I book it but I get to the airport at 140 like drive into the parking lot and I was like oh I missed it but I tried you know but I was like you know what let me just put my feet my boots in the airport so that the Lord knows I've taken it as far as I can take it so I just I walk in into the airport it's a small airport in Ontario and the Delta person goes what flight are you on I was like I was on the 140 to Salt Lake and she was like oh it's delayed you can make it what I was like oh okay and she helps me through b bom boom security get through the thing gate door closes right behind me I'm like look at this and so I'm now on the plane flying so you missed your flight I thought I missed it it was at 140 140 and she's like actually yeah it was delayed yeah you made it I know so I'm like you held the whole plane for me Lord you know it's like you made just like I felt honestly I really I really felt like that just like I felt like a pandemic for me so I can head you know and so I'm on the plane and we fly in I land and I get into my lift at 518 518 at 518 I'm in the lift airport at yeah at the airport the Pix from the airport at 518 what and now I'm driving and it's pouring rain and I had just picked a location on the to drop off CU I didn't know Salt Lake Area well enough to have an address so I picked whatever it's driving into Salt Lake I arrive into Salt Lake like exit 600 I think it was and um it's now 528 and I'm just kind of looking around like cuz this is this is Salt Lake is so where's my meeting you know I'm wearing my good suit I have my all my materials for the monument the print out what's going to cost what it's going to be and I it's 528 I'm looking around and nobody's out but it's pouring rain I'm like okay youah they don't come out in the rain or something and so now it's 5:30 and he's still driving and I was like just let me out just let me out so he lets me out and I'm just walking and honestly the first person I see that's my meeting it's got to be because I don't see anybody there's nobody out there's nobody out cuz it's raining yeah and I and I guess utans don't like the rain you love the snow but um I'm suspect on that so uh so now it's 5:31 and I go and I stand under this big tree kind of shading me from the rain that was coming so I'm just standing under the tree like literally thinking like what am I going to tell my wife is what I was thinking cuz she going to say how are your meeting and I'm going to say oh about that and so I'm sitting there and it turns 5:32 and I literally turned my phone on and record a selfie video and I'm like you were here you did the right thing the Lord told you to come and I was give myself a motivational speech to remember this moment even though nothing happened you did the right thing you know because because I truly believe you can't judge whether or not you did the right thing on the outcome you do what right because it's right yeah and then whatever happens is in the Lord's hands so I'm giving myself a speech and then a car pulls up maybe 20 30 yards for me yeah and like a regular car and a man gets out and he's in a suit and he goes and stands stand under a tree just like I'm standing under a tree and he's just literally just standing there and I'm like what oh this is my meeting and so I stop recording and I pull up my uh I have a picture of all the apostles with their names and faces because as I'm tell as I get older they start to blend for me I don't know what that is but not to say all all white people look the same you don't it's like we don't all look the same but it's hard sometimes so anyway so I'm playing a little guess who like hair no hair glasses no glasses as I'm walking up to him and I get up to him and I put my phone away cuz I couldn't make a match put my phone away and I was like hi um hi I'm here for you and he says okay and I says I'm sorry I flew in today for a meeting for you and he says oh he didn't say anything and I didn't say anything and I said I'm sorry I don't know what to say I didn't think this far and he says I don't know what to say either and I was like um what's your name and then he said I'm a bishop I was like oh and I was thinking okay well maybe he's a bishop what two three 400 people in his Ward maybe and he can tell people about the film when it comes out so I like well Bishop my name is mie Bonner I made this film his name is green flake and it follows the lives of black Pioneers enslaved by Pioneers green flake and he was like yes it's wonderful wonderful meeting I was like wonderful meeting it's like yes we had a wonderful meeting um and I was like I don't understand and he was like yeah we I don't know if I'm allowed to say who pitched the meeting can I say who pitched I won't say their names yeah I won't say their names but he said these two people pitched the meeting and it we went 30 minutes over and we never go over and it was wonderful wonderful and I was like okay I'm sorry what is your name and they said Bishop Cas wow I was like Cas Cas it's like presiding bishop and I was like oh over the Over the Hole who's responsible for the resources that would have anything to do with the monument man you can't make this stuff up man I mean how cool is that man I mean I was thinking of an apostle and I was like of course but he is the president he's the he's the presiding Bishop he's responsible for all the temporal things everything they purchase everything they that's all the land all of that wow yeah come on man what's going through your mind honestly you like this is like the third thing yeah honestly I was like I felt like um okay uh I guess it was more simple I felt like okay you were my meeting I didn't screw up my meeting that's all I felt like I didn't screw up my meeting okay you you you you're it and and I said that to him I said okay so you are my meeting and he was like I don't know so Random yeah and he was like but he says we love what you're doing he says I love what you're doing he said it feels like love he said that he said it feels like love and for him to say that me talking about black history uh enslavement and it being so sensitive to say that my history Feels Like Love meant so much to me W you know it didn't feel like controversy it didn't feel like um uh contention it felt like love and so that meant so much to me and I said um he says I I meet with President Nelson next week he'll be happy to hear that we met and I was like wow whoa um I was like okay I think we should end this meeting I was like no no it's fine I was like no no no I don't want to screw it up you got what you need it's like you've got what you need you had your meeting was great um that's it he's like okay that's fine and I was like but um can I ask you a question and he said sure I said what were you doing just standing under this tree and he says I I just got my hair cut and I didn't want to mess it up so I was like wow how random is this yeah we took a selfie you can't make this up man dude it was so many miracles it's a miracle it just like so what was the result of it and how did it get to the point where you could get the monument yeah so uh how many months later less than the year later um fast forward um we had a monument uh dedication set up for July 22nd on the 175th anniversary of green flake driving that first wagon um through the park and and on that dedication I just I reached out to everyone cuz I wanted it to be this is not like history for black people this is not history for just church people this is like a big part of American History like one of the largest Pioneer migrations in American history and led by a enslaved teenager and so I asked the governor will you be there and he said yes wow and so the governor came to the dedication and uh president Ballard came and Elder Christopherson came wow yeah president Ballard um was going to give the dedication and so and then they asked me to speak and so I'm like oh I didn't think that was like part of the thing I was just like get it to the Finish Line make sure when they pull that unveiling that they're really there cuz I'm cuz when I saw them covered I'm like are they under there you know like I literally wanted to go peek before it just seemed unreal it did it did oh man it did it full circle huh everything just happened so quickly wow and I Was preparing I Was preparing preparing for my speech and I was supposed to speak for 8 minutes and um this was a big deal not just because I'm going to speak and then the the president of of the cor of the 12 apostles is going to speak president Ballard but this is in 2022 yeah um but it was the fact that he was going to have to get up um and follow something that's never been done before talking about black history and enslave pioneers and slavery in Utah and then an apostle gets up right after and says words what do I say that can be honest to the history honest to the people honest to the faith and allow him to still feel good getting up you know and so I was just I had turmoil over it I I was losing sleep over it and so I had my 8 minute speech I had condensed it down to 15 minutes and so I'm sitting there nervous before we have to go up on the stage and so you have a 15minute speech prepared I have a 15 Dro down yeah yeah and I'm like still ruffling through the papers the morning of thinking what what can I get rid of and we're about to walk up there and president Balor grabs my arm and he says you take as much time as you need and you say everything you need to say wow I'm like wait a second he's not supposed to say that he's supposed to he's supposed to be worried and say what are you going to say and make sure you don't and but you take as much time and you say it at all H and I really want to share that story with people because you would think this history then maybe the apostles just don't want it to come out or maybe the church and for him to want me to tell this history meant a lot to me so that was that tell me more about that yeah that was one of the most special moments of the whole journey you know wow um yeah really really really special and um it allowed me to be able to follow the spirit instead of trying to just what words to say what words to say that I could get up there and follow the spirit that would led me through the whole journey you know so what did you say um I basically gave a little bit of the of the history of black pioneers and enslaved pioneers and my main point in my speech was that we don't share history of enslavement and um hard things in black history to cause shame and guilt you know we it's the same when we talk about Pioneer history we don't talk about the pioneers and their struggle and their fortitude and what they endured so that we can shame the missourians and any descendants of of of Governor bogs like we're not even thinking about them we're thinking about what these people did yeah and so I wanted those people listening to know that they can do the same with black history this is not to shame you or guilt you it's to highlight the faith and endurance and longsuffering of these incredible Saints in and out of the church yes and so that was my main message and I I hope it was heard and I hope that as people continue to learn more about black history and and sensitive things that may alter things they thought they knew that it doesn't overwhelm them with guilt or shame but it motivates them to look at other cultures and realize you know what I can have Heroes that don't look like me yeah you know and so we had it it was dedicated so it's just so it was so sad to lose president B Balor just recently cuz he played such a big role in in being there that day you know's so let's let's kind of Full Circle you start off with the B1 celebration almost embarrassed ashamed yeah that you don't Know full circle you're about to go up to speak and president Balor just like you're worried that you're going to over speak too long or you're not really sure what you're going to say and he assures you it's okay yeah in this whole entire Journey how would you what do you think that God wants you to understand what do you think the what do you think that he's he's wherever he is in the universe he lives but he's it's just so cool to see these intimate personal intricate moments that were miraculous yeah what stands out to you and what do you think he wants you to know yeah I I think that the message for me is that he is a god of Truth you know and wants all truth and we are the vessels to tell it and um as scary as it is uh to tell sensitive parts of our history you know the hard things that make us say how could that happen why would they let that happen we have to tell it because it did you know and what was impressed upon my spirit what the Lord kept showing me was um they can handle it they can handle it they handle my son every week they go to church and they learn the stories and they handle my son every week they can handle you we learn every week about what was done to Christ and the burdens that he had to bear and the suffering and never once do we say is this enough already again are we going to keep talking about Christ no we just keep going back for more and combing through the history more and um my Father in heaven let me know that the people can handle it that they can do this it's what they do and so I hope that um people can make that correlation with what they do already do in their faith walk is go through hard stories and find things that they can draw Faith from because when you think of the scriptures you know I don't know how many of the people look or sound like me or anybody else reading them yeah most of us aren't looking and sounding like them them from the scriptures yet we still find these incredible correlations and Faith Building stories and heroes and that does not have to stop when it comes to black history no you know so how do you reconcile I mean some people are probably thinking like how in the world could you learn all of this and still be faithful in the church you know what I'm saying yeah like because it is heavy and it is hard and it is challenging yeah how do you personally do it by what you just said being able to look at it and say that it is challenging and it is hard but it did happen and then here's the hard part I say when I think about this history what I say is I'm so sorry that it happened I take on the history I am repenting for the people that came before me even though I'm black what do I because it happened and I'm so sorry that it happened and we can do that with history like I'm I'm devastated that Christ had to Die the way he died I wasn't there I had nothing to do with it but I feel such sorrow over it and he puts me in that place to remember what he went through every week when I'm taking the sacrament for a reason he's showing us how to reconcile and we can do that with troubling history and say I'm so sorry that it happened it never should have been what can I do to heal what can I do now and so that's the process we have to take it on we can't keep trying to say what what's not ours that's not mine I wasn't there I didn't do it that's not the example that Christ is giving us so it's ours that's that's powerful man yeah dang it's it's a it's a it's a gift man I really believe that there's no coincidences I don't believe in them I don't believe in um random experiences anything else is on your heart that's on your soul that you want to share man um that there's more there's more to come like that was just the tip of the iceberg there's so many more stories and and and we're all learning it over this last couple of years I think people are hearing more and more about black history and and race in the priesthood and and so I'm going to continue telling stories you know I'm really diving into Elijah Abel you know and you played Elijah so well so well um and his story needs to be told um not for him but for us we need to know his story so that we can learn about black priesthood holders in the early 1800s and so I'm looking forward to telling more stories and especially his and following that journey of the priesthood well hey this has been a pleasure man we could talk forever we can talk for days I'm so it's it's it's a privilege to be able to to share this story I think that'll help a lot of people I always end this way at the end of each uh episode um cuz you know my own take on it I believe what you said is true I believe what you said is true but what I say is this I say I I I believe what you said is true but don't take our word for it find out for yourself till next time

Channel: Let's Get Real with Stephen Jones

Views: 37,786

Keywords: Green Flake

Id: T8SHhrV919w

Length: 78min 8sec (4688 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 26 2024