This week on Mormon Monday, we’re talking about Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy and Church Historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who apologized after making racially offensive remarks at the Yukon Oklahoma Stake conference.
McKay opened his remarks by talking about “This Little Light of Mine,” a hymn recently added to the church’s new hymnbook. From there, he made comments involving white members imitating Black singing, slavery language, and “Swanee River.”
We walk through what he said, why the hymn history matters, why his apology deserves attention, and what this moment reveals about race, authority, and lived Mormon culture.
SOURCES
The Salt Lake Tribune, “‘I deeply regret saying what I said’ — A high-level LDS Church leader apologizes for offensive remarks”
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/06/13/high-level-lds-church-leader/
LDS Daily, “Everything You Need to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Elder Kyle S. McKay’s Comments”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Race and the Priesthood”
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