Faithful Endurance and Historic Ordination of Ruffin Bridgeforth

Ruffin Bridgeforth was born in Louisiana in 1923, during a time of intense racial discrimination. He moved to Utah in 1944 and worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1953, Bridgeforth made the profound decision to convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ([Ruffin Bridgeforth (1923–1997)](https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/bridgeforth-ruffin-1923-1997/)). His conversion is a remarkable testimony-bearing event because he joined the Church during a period when the official policy restricted Black men from being ordained to the priesthood or participating in temple ordinances. Despite these severe restrictions, Bridgeforth accepted the conditions with extraordinary faith and remained a devout, humble, and active member of his congregation, where he was often the only Black face ([Ruffin Bridgeforth](https://www.deseret.com/1997/3/24/19302416/ruffin-bridgeforth/)). His enduring faith led him to become a foundational figure for Black Latter-day Saints, eventually serving as the president of the Genesis Group, a support organization established in 1971 to foster unity and understanding between Black and white members ([The Genesis Group: Support for Black Latter-day Saints](https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-11298/)). Bridgeforth's decades of faithful endurance culminated in a historic milestone following the 1978 revelation on the priesthood. Shortly after President Spencer W. Kimball announced the revelation lifting the priesthood ban, Bridgeforth became the first African American to be ordained a high priest in the Church ([Ruffin Bridgeforth](http://www.blacklds.org/ruffin-bridgeforth)). His life of absolute faith and integrity, maintaining his testimony through a quarter-century of restriction, stands as a powerful example of spiritual conversion and dedication. President Gordon B. Hinckley later eulogized him as a man of immense faith who loved and counseled his people ([Ruffin Bridgeforth, first black high priest, eulogized as a ...](https://www.thechurchnews.com/1997/4/5/23252430/ruffin-bridgeforth-first-black-high-priest-eulogized-as-a-pioneer/)).