Eddie Leroy Willis - Panther to Priesthood

Image credits: : photo by Chicago Sun-Times Collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images.

2022 Eddie Leroy Willis

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

(CIP data on file)

ISBN 978-1-63993-020-3 | eISBN 978-1-64933-140-3 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Preface

I dont know of any person of African descent who hasnt had to deal with raceespecially Blacks in America. I am part of that category. Though my challenges have been great, it must be said that everyone has challenges they must deal with, overcome, and hopefully get through. Our lives are not only about just going through things, even though it may sometimes seem that way. Life is about purpose. Purpose can be found in family, friends, neighbors, or society. From a young age, I wanted to find purpose in life.

In all my years as a youth, as far back as I can remember, I never felt that I had very much worth. Even though I was made to go to churchand there were many churches to choose fromI never felt or understood that church was a place where I could find value in myself. I did not understand that I had worth to Heavenly Father or that I had value through Jesus Christ. I did not understand that I could have the kind of relationship with Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that would surpass the value that many place on people or things.

Before I found meaning in those eternal relationships, joining the Black Panther Party was one way I found meaning and value and grew educationally. I was able to learn the history of people of African descent in this country, which gave me some dignity and some self-respect. That kind of information had not been available in the schools I went to. It certainly was not available in the media. Still, it took me many trials and tribulations in life to finally get to a place where God led me to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though I had always enjoyed popularity within my social circles and purpose in various endeavors, until finding the gospel of Jesus Christ, I was never satisfied in my quest to understand my worth. I believed and knew that something was missing.

Everyone is looking for the love that they need. Part of our responsibility as disciples of Christ is to be people of value and help to others. We must do something outside of ourselves and break through lifes challenges in order to fulfill our true potential and help others to fulfill theirs. Everyone has a story. Many people within my race may have a story that is similar to mine. Many must still deal with the disparity between those who have access to a better life and those who do not. Some struggle with terrible burdens and believe there is no one they can call upon for help. But there is nothing too high, too low, too wide, too strong, or too impossible for the Lord.

Nothing surpasses the love of God, and it is our duty to do the best we can to emulate the Saviors message of love toward our fellow men, no matter their race, creed, or anything else. During these troubling times, as in times gone by, there have been conflicts between fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, and so on. After a life of searching for answers, I found a source of peace that could surpass all of the conflict within myself as well as within the world. I hope to share my experiences so that people may know and understand that God is full of love, mercy, and grace. God is waiting to hear from those who can and will feel the Spirit and will hear His voice when He calls. No matter who you are in this life, what youve done in this life, or what ethnicity you are, you can call on God with repentance in your heart. He will not hesitate to move heaven or hell to rescue you. I am the proof.

. The Black Panther Party was a political movement founded by African American college students dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of Black Americans. Active from the late 1960s to early 1980s, the party was well known for their somewhat radical fight against police brutality and governmental persecution, which involved heavily arming themselves and dressing in black leather and black berets. The party also pursued initiatives to support Black communities, children, and families, such as providing free breakfast programs, educational resources, and medical access to African Americans.

Prologue

It was racism, yes! We all knew that the white folks around us hated Black folks. We knew it. And they knew that we knew it. They may not have said it to your facethey never do. But we all knew how they felt. We Negroes were the problem. The leeches. The welfare queens and the deadbeat dads. We knew about the projects, the redlines, the sellouts. We knew it was the truth.

But was it the truth? Or was it all about money? I knew poor white folks too, and they didnt seem so bad. They seemed to know a little of the struggle. The wealthy folks just wanted to keep us from rising up against them. Was that it? Perhaps it was. But... it wasnt. The obstacles, structures, and barriers were crystal clear, apparent for all to see. And I needed to stop being history and startto the best of my abilitymaking it. I had to find my place in the world and my reason for being here.

Stories about Black folks are hard to tell. We tell stories about our skin, our bones, our blood, and our flesh. We tell stories to each other, to our kids, and to our enemies. When were at family barbecues, at church meetings, or in the living room, we understand each other intuitively. Theres a shorthand that we all just get. No dictionary necessary.

But when the white folks enter the room, things change. Translating the Black experience for white folks doesnt come easily. Living in our skin, in our bones, with our eyes, and with our backstory? There isnt a crash course available at Barnes and Noble called Being Black: White Folks Edition . But that doesnt mean we dont have a story to share. Im going to try to share mine, and this time Im not going to shift as you enter the room. Im going to share words as I said them and as they were said to me, including the N-word. In real life, nobody redacted the word when they called me one, so Im not going to redact it as I share my life.

I was born in the frontier of America: Oakland, California. On the frontier, we define ourselves, redefine ourselves, and free ourselves. In our frontier, we lived under the cloud of a national history, one built into the roads, the warehouses, and the police departments. Choices, we had. But the future haunted us when the lights over the city went low, when the coke-smoking, heroin-using addict sat or stood on the corner.

We knowor we think we knowmy ancestors story. Hauled from their home in West Africa and thrown in ships like cattle, they had to redefine themselves. White folks decided where, how, and whether they would sleep. I knew little about my ancestors lives.

But one thing I do know: in the Latter-day Saint faith, we sing a song about how pioneer children sang as they walked. Well, my ancestors sang as they workedat whip and rifles end. When my ancestors were freed, the same men who had run the cotton fields now stood over them as they freely labored on the same plantations where they had lived for years, under the same whips. Pregnant mothers were seen as part beast and part profit. When ordering the women to receive a lashing, the overseers wanted to protect the unborn slave child they saw as their future property. So, they dug holes for the pregnant mothers to lie in, stomach down, to ensure that the hurricane of blows did not touch the child.