If you happen to’re a Latter-day Saint, you seemingly know the music of the Bonner household, even should you don’t know every member of the family by title.
However Mauli Junior Bonner is quick changing into a standout amongst his gifted siblings.
Bonner, the third oldest of eight youngsters, grew up in Las Vegas. After highschool, he moved to Los Angeles the place he shortly realized that he had a present for instructing singers. Quickly he started writing songs and coaching pop artists like Katy Perry and Ariana Grande. He nonetheless lives within the L.A. space together with his spouse, Chantel, and their two youngsters, Geo and Ari.
He and his spouse run the nonprofit Carry Up Voices, which supplies sources to marginalized communities and help and scholarships for at-risk youngsters.
However Bonner does greater than assist folks and make music. He additionally directed and produced a film known as “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake,” which is about enslaved pioneer and Latter-day Saint Inexperienced Flake. Flake was a member of the primary pioneer firm to go away Nauvoo, Illinois, and entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847.
The 2020 movie has received a number of awards, together with honors from the Los Angeles Movie Awards, which named Yanosh Bonner (Mauli’s brother, who performed Inexperienced Flake) finest actor and Mauli Bonner finest first-time director.
Flake is among the many Black pioneers who will probably be honored Friday at This Is the Place Heritage Park. Bonner labored with the park director (whose ancestor was in the identical handcart firm as Flake) to create a monument for Flake and three different pioneers: Jane Manning James, Hark Wales and Walter Smith.
In a current interview with the Deseret Information, Bonner spoke about why he determined to make “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake” and the significance of Black historical past.
The dialog has been edited for readability and size.
Deseret Information: How did you resolve to get entangled in telling the story of Black Latter-day Saints historical past?
Mauli Bonner: I used to be backstage on the Be One Celebration working sound examine, and I’m watching this system whereas realizing that there are just a few issues that I didn’t learn about. They talked about Jane Manning James, they talked about Elijah Abel, and these are folks I’ve heard of, so I believed that they sounded acquainted, however I didn’t know a lot about their tales. Then, Inexperienced Flake got here up, and I had by no means heard of him.
After studying their tales, I knew I needed to study extra. Actually, I felt embarrassed; being a Black member within the church, I believed I ought to know this to have the ability to reply a number of the powerful questions. So I dove in and began studying. I met with historians. I’m a songwriter, so studying shortly changed into writing. I used to be writing scenes and songs, however I wasn’t attempting to create something. However a couple of month later, I had 200 pages and 10 songs. After which I noticed that this was one thing particular.
DN: All this writing changed into your film “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake.” Why did Inexperienced Flake stand out to you?
MB: It wasn’t a lot that he stood out to me, however I truthfully felt like he was shifting me towards him and his story.
My focus was on Elijah Abel as a result of that’s the place you could find essentially the most data and he was a priesthood holder. With Inexperienced Flake, there’s simply so little historical past out there. His presence was so robust, so I wished to comply with that prompting, and I switched gears into telling his story. I noticed midway by means of that he drove that first wagon into Emigration Canyon and I realized that Brigham Younger was a giant cause that he didn’t endure enslavement like others did in Utah. All these nuances in his story made me notice why he needed to be first.
Alex Boyé portrays Jacob within the movie “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake.”
DN: How did the entire course of of making this film come collectively?
MB: I work within the music trade. I work with pop artists and put together them for reveals and excursions. I work with folks you hear on the radio like Ariana Grande, Camilla Cabello and Stevie Surprise. I’ve realized that the youthful technology is extra influenced by popular culture than their dad and mom are. What we’re discovering on-line and what’s taking place on this planet is affecting us drastically. I believe the generations earlier than us had a bubble that was simply the church, however now our bubble is big and we embody films, music, popular culture into our non secular growth.
I noticed that the youthful technology wanted to listen to the story in a method that they might relate to it and that they wanted to listen to it from somebody who shares the identical religion as Inexperienced Flake and the identical background. I come from enslaved ancestry, and I believe it issues that it’s me telling it. You’d suppose that it might have damaged my testimony listening to this stuff, listening to that members have been enslaving different members. You’d suppose that that might have simply damaged me, nevertheless it simply strengthened me.
Someway I grew stronger to my God, stronger to Christ, stronger to the gospel, to know that there have been women and men who seemed like me who endured issues that none of us might think about and had a religion in one thing higher than the women and men who have been treating them poorly. I believed if they might endure that, then I might endure any racism. If they might deal with that, I can deal with my little issues.
DN: How can Latter-day Saints higher help the work that must be carried out to study and educate Black historical past?
MB: Now we have a private accountability to study, every of us individually. The place I used to be three years in the past is the place most individuals are. They’ve heard some issues, it sounds acquainted, however then they fill within the blanks with their perceptions of the world. As an alternative, every of us has to take private accountability to study the historical past that hasn’t been taught to us. That doesn’t simply begin with the church.
Particularly since George Floyd’s homicide, now we have all dove into Black historical past extra and realized issues that weren’t taught to us in highschool. Now we have a accountability. We have to change the way in which that we’re studying, after which it’ll change the work. Seeing films, studying books and taking private accountability and accountability will robotically help the work.
DN: The place ought to a Latter-day Saint begin to study Black historical past?
MB: Begin with the church’s web site and by studying Black Latter-day Saint historical past. There are hyperlinks to paperwork that may take you on to the first supply scans. Begin there after which let it go from there. I don’t need to find out about African American historical past from Germany; I need to study it from African Individuals. I say begin there as a result of that’s our historical past; then there’s going to be extra you need. You’ll see a couple of names and then you definitely’ll begin to Google issues and search for books. Darius Gray and Margaret Younger’s trilogy “Standing on the Guarantees” is implausible. If you happen to’re trying to discover out extra about enslaved pioneers or Black pioneers who got here throughout the plains to Utah, you’ll be able to go to Century of Black Mormons. That web site is phenomenal. These biographies on their web site are unimaginable. However I actually do suppose you need to begin with the church.
Mauli Junior Bonner, 40, is pictured at his house in Fontana, Calif., the place he lives together with his household. Bonner directed and produced the movie “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake,” which relies on the lifetime of a slave that got here to the Salt Lake Valley within the 1800s with a gaggle of pioneering Latter-day Saints. Bonner and his spouse, Chantel, run the nonprofit Carry Up Voices, which supplies sources to marginalized communities and help at-risk youngsters.
Rick Loomis, for the Deseret Information
DN: A part of your work on Black Latter-day Saint historical past has led to your efforts to construct a monument to Black pioneers at This Is the Place Heritage Park. How did your work from the film translate into the monuments?
MB: After I made the film, I threw the movie into movie festivals. I didn’t actually know what you have been imagined to do, however I heard that’s what you’re imagined to do. This was my first time making a film and my first time directing. After which it received finest movie in L.A., Rome, Istanbul and London. I used to be pondering, “Oh my goodness, I’m going to be wealthy.” I wished to take an image with the solid and the crew by the monuments.
I reside in L.A. and I assumed that someplace there must be a Inexperienced Flake monument as a result of he was so cool. To seek out out that there wasn’t a monument, that was once I realized that this film wasn’t about making me wealthy, however that this complete undertaking was to convey illustration and consciousness to Utah.
Utahns, the on a regular basis individual, they need it to be an inclusive place. They need to go searching and see Black pioneers, Indigenous folks, Tongans; we’re all right here and we’re rising. So now we have to alter what we see as a result of there’s nowhere to see the tales of those unimaginable human beings who endured a lot. I made a decision that each penny and revenue was going to go towards constructing their monuments.
The director of the park, Ellis Ivory, has pushed so exhausting to ensure this occurs. His ancestor was in the identical celebration as Inexperienced Flake, so it is a particular factor to do. This received’t be the one monument; will probably be the primary of many. The statues will probably be of Inexperienced Flake, Jane Manning James, Hark Wales and Oscar Smith. This monument is for all folks as a result of it represents our shared historical past.
DN: How has creating extra illustration for Black Latter-day Saints impacted you personally and your religion? What’s coming subsequent?
MB: I believe that is what folks don’t notice. If you happen to’re in a majority and all you see in management is those that appear like you, you don’t query that you may be that sooner or later or that your folks have been a part of it. If you happen to come from a gaggle like me, an African American who doesn’t see management in sure positions or in work on the wall at church, then you must attempt to persuade your little one that there are Black angels.
It’s not OK for a kid to really feel like that. Now we have to alter that as a result of now we have youngsters who’re that and so they imagine what they see first. They realized the way to stroll as a result of they noticed us strolling and believed that they might do it, too. I’m so grateful for the change and the expansion in all generations. This development is so painful, however after we come out the opposite finish of it, we come out extra full.
Now I do notice that there are extra tales to inform. I get to return again to Elijah Abel now and inform his lovely story. The gospel of the Lord, that Christ lived and died for, is that each man can have the priesthood, and we have to know that and inform that.
We have a look at the scriptures. We inform these powerful tales, and we draw energy from it. Those that imagine within the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will do the identical once they study this historical past. It’s simply going to strengthen us and provides us extra understanding.
There will probably be a screening of “His Identify Is Inexperienced Flake” on the MegaPlex in Thanksgiving Level, Jordan Commons and The Junction on July 22. Click on the hyperlink in your nearest location or right here for extra particulars.
