The Rev. Amos C. Brown, chair of religious affairs for the NAACP, spoke during the 110th annual NAACP convention about the “incredible similarities” he’s found between the civil rights organization and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The first similarity, he said, is President Russell M. Nelson’s position as the 17th president of the Church. The Rev. Brown — a widely recognized civil rights activist and one of eight students who took a college course by Martin Luther King Jr. — is the 17th pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco.
But the similarities don’t end there. Two of the religions’ most recognized hymns, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” are about people who endured adversity and remained true to their faith. Quoting each hymn, the Rev. Brown concluded that these similarities are a symbol of hope and love today for everyone.
“It can be well in this nation when we lock arms, as I locked arms with President Nelson,” he said, referencing when he greeted the prophet at the NAACP convention. “Not as black and white. Not as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Baptist. But as children of God who are about loving everybody and bringing hope, happiness and health to all of God’s children.”
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