stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't be serious. "What did you say?" I asked.

"I said that Ellen White was racist." His voice seemed to grow in boldness, as if speaking the words validated his assertion.

I stood there shocked, surprised, somewhat amazed at his bold accusation and his apparent conviction concerning his statement. I shook my head and silently prayed that God would help my associate to see things accurately and clearly, and have mercy on this poor man's ignorance.

As time passed since that incident, I realized that the person conversing with me was not the only one who shared those sentiments. Many people-Black and White-question Ellen White's views on race and race relations. Because of certain statements she has made, individuals-Adventists and non-Adventists alike-question whether her racial views were biblical and balanced. This article is intended to shed light on this often-misunderstood topic.¹

Tough Times
To understand this topic better, one must first understand the times Ellen Gould White lived in. She lived in a time when the practice of slavery was at its zenith and Black people were considered to be products rather than people. Their rights were stripped away as in the Southern states, where slavery was practiced, or as in the North, where Black people, even the freed ones, had very few rights and who were viewed with suspicion.² Society as a whole was against the Black race. In both the North and South even progressive individuals struggled with confused views on race, the Black race in particular. While slavery was the business of the day in the South, in the North slavery was present, but in a different form. The Negro was considered less than a human being and was often treated like an animal. Day after day horrific, unmentionable crimes were committed against the Black race. Too often only faint protests were heard. Society turned its head and acted as if it were unaware of these heinous crimes.³

Fortunately-or more correctly-providentially, as time passed, more and more people began to speak up. God responded to the cries of oppression by raising up courageous individuals who heralded the injustices of slavery and demanded freedom for the Black race. There were such people as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, and numerous Millerite believers. These are among the true heroes of history.

As the issue of slavery in the South reached a boiling point, the North and South became locked into opposing positions. The Civil War began in 1861. Through the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, superior resources, and the divine intervention of heavenly forces, the North prevailed, and slavery was abolished. Though the war ended, literally decades passed before Black people reaped the true benefits of freedom. Once again good people, women and men, White and Black, stood up for and acted on behalf of the Black race.⁴

Freedom Advocate
Ellen White was one of those good people who stood and spoke on behalf of Black people. She saw the injustices and oppression and courageously began to articulate to the Seventh-day Adventist Church the needs of the Black race in fresh and innovative ways. The Lord had freed the slaves; now more than ever the gospel could and should be preached to them. Now was the time Black people could better hear the truth, live the truth, and join God's special movement-the newly formed Seventh-day Adventist Church. At first Adventist leaders paid little attention to Ellen White. They ignored, dismissed, or generally neglected her insistent admonitions. Perhaps this was just a prophetic trend in her mind that would soon go away. But she wouldn't let up. She confronted the audience by saying, "Sin rests upon us as a church because we have not made greater effort for the salvation of souls among the colored people."⁵

We must keep in mind the times in which Mrs. White lived. Around the late 1880s the Seventh-day Adventist Church was still a burgeoning organization. Its members were fairly progressive thinkers, yet many were still deeply influenced by spiritual immaturity and immature views on the race question and how they should interact and associate.

During this same time, when calling for positive action on behalf of Black people, Ellen White cautioned care in how Blacks related to Whites, and how they displayed social interaction before society. In general, Mrs. White advocated great wisdom and balance in race relations.

It was these statements and similar ones that caused my friend so many problems, believing Ellen White was a racist. He, like other more modern readers, needed to (1) understand the context for Mrs. White's statements; (2) realize that Ellen White was willing to make temporal concessions in how Blacks mingled with Whites for the greater good of safety in the shaping of the gospel; and (3) factor into their thinking that these race relation approaches were supported until God showed a better way.

Many rejoiced that the slaves were freed, but didn't think that they were deserving of the same rights as Whites. Moreover, the South was a very dangerous place for those who wished to better the cause of the Negro. The issue might be important, but they felt Black people were not important enough to risk their life and livelihood for. So at the time the work in the South did not progress to any significant degree.⁶

Adventist Church leaders and the laity largely ignored Ellen White's appeals on behalf of Blacks. But it didn't work. Ignoring Ellen White only made her more determined to have her counsel heeded. Persistent and unrelenting, she simply would not be overlooked or deterred. The Lord had shown her in no uncertain terms that the Blacks in the South must be given the gospel, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church was to make it happen.⁷

Action Call
Then it happened. Ellen White's insistent call to the church to act on behalf of Black people came to the forefront in a dramatic manner. On March 21, 1891, she addressed the leaders at a General Conference session in Battle Creek, Michigan. Many thought she was going to give a nice, respectable talk on the love of God, the unity of the church, or even the newfound emphasis on righteousness by faith. But no, she had a disturbing word of present truth from the Lord. About what? About "our duty to the colored people"!⁸

For Further Information on This Subject: Delbert W. Baker, ed., Telling the Story: An Anthology on the Development of the Black SDA Work (1996). Delbert W. Baker, The Unknown Prophet: The Life and Times of William Ellis Foy (1987). Ron Graybill, Mission to Black America (1971) Walter Fordham, Righteous Rebel (1990). Norida Marshall and Steven Norman eds., A Star Gives Light: Seventh-day Adventist African-American Heritage (Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1989). Louis B. Reynolds, We Have Tomorrow: The Story of American Seventh-day Adventists With an African Heritage (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1984). Richard W. Schwarz, Light Bearers to the Remnant (1979). Ellen G. White, The Southern Work (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1966).

Those present were about as startled as the Jews were when Christ, in the Sermon on the Mount, challenged His followers to love the Gentiles and treat them kindly. Ellen White made bold statements and set noble challenges that dramatically confronted the mores and practices of her day. She fearlessly made a case for the Black race as no other Seventh-day Adventist leader had done before her. In fact, she was ahead of her time. Her message was passionate and powerful. She spoke from a heart of love for the Blacks in the South and, in principle, for all who were oppressed. She spoke as one who wanted Black people to have an opportunity to receive the gospel even as the White race was receiving it.

Her message is found in its entirety in The Southern Work (pp. 9-18). Each word was like an arrow to the target. The following are seven of the themes she emphasized:

1. Equal love: Christ died just as much for the Black people as for the White people, and the God of the White man is the same God of the Black man.

2. Equal reward: The Black man's name is written next to the White man's name in the book of life.

3. Equal salvation: Unless God's Spirit is in your heart, whether you're White or Black, you are a slave and need to be freed.

4. Equal destination: We are all journeying to the same heaven.

5. Equal relations: God makes no distinction between the North and the South; therefore, we must learn to live together here on earth before we can get to heaven.

6. Equal responsibility: Let none of Christ's children be cowards in regard to the work for the Black race.

7. Equal priority: The Seventh-day Adventist Church must give the gospel to Blacks, and it should be at the top of the priority list.

Blessed Results
The address demonstrated that Ellen White was really serious. She would not be quiet! Remarkably, she did more than mention the divine counsel on the Black race in her talks. She gave funds, witnessed to Blacks, prodded church leaders, laid out strategies, and wrote and wrote and wrote on the needs of and work for Blacks in the South. She penned articles for the Review and Herald, Gospel Herald, and numerous other journals. She issued testimonies to individual members and leaders, invited Black people to her home and, most noticeably, supported her son Edson, as he and his wife, Emma, risked their lives teaching and sharing the gospel with Blacks in the heart of the South.

Ellen White's persistence paid off. Her work was efficacious. Edson White's mission to Black America, in direct response to Mrs. White's 1891 message, was the real breakthrough for the Black work. He accepted the commission to take the truth to the Black people in the South, fearlessly hazarding his life as a result of his mother's counsel. Because of Ellen White's influence, Edson sailed down the Mississippi River in a boat called the Morning Star. He and his team (which also included Black people) started several mission schools, which educated untold numbers of Black people and sent them on to the new Oakwood Industrial School started by the General Conference in 1896 in Huntsville, Alabama.⁹

As a result of the influence of Ellen White, a number of key events took place that strengthened and laid the foundation of the Black work and put it on a firm foundation. Shortly after the Morning Star began its work, the Southern Missionary Society was formed in 1895 by Edson to oversee the Black work in the South. Next Oakwood College was opened in 1896. The Gospel Herald, later called Message magazine, commenced publication in 1898 as the official church magazine specifically addressing the Black work in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Later the Southern Missionary Society (an independent organization) joined the Southern Union Conference in 1901, thus becoming an official part of the church structure. Then in 1910 the creation of the Negro Department in the General Conference materialized.¹⁰

With God's help and guidance since that time, the Black work has grown beyond imagination and has blessed the church in North America and around the world. All of these developments can be traced back directly or indirectly to the influence of Ellen White-the woman who wouldn't be quiet.

¹ See Roy Branson, "Ellen G. White-Racist or Champion of Equality?" Review and Herald, Apr. 9, 1970.
² Norman K. Miles, "Tension Between the Races," in Gary Land, ed., The World of Ellen G. White (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1987), p. 52.
³ Ibid., p. 56.
⁴ Ibid., p. 57.
⁵ Ellen G. White, The Southern Work (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1966), p. 15.
⁶ Richard W. Schwarz, "Entering a Neglected Field," Light Bearers to the Remnant (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1979), pp. 233-249.
⁷ White, The Southern Work, p. 14.
⁸ Ibid., p. 9.
⁹ Delbert W. Baker, "In Search of Roots: Adventist African-Americans," Adventist Review, Feb. 18, 1993.
¹⁰ Ibid.

_________________________
Benjamin Baker was a senior theology student at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, when he wrote this piece. A recent graduate, Baker is currently teaching in an Adventist school in South Korea.