Catherine Stokes is a pioneering African-American member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

(LDS Church). She is also a retired deputy director of the

Illinois Department of Public Health The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is the code department of the Illinois state government that prevents and controls disease and injury, regulates medical practitioners, and promotes sanitation. IDPH offices The Illinois Department ...

and a community volunteer. Stokes was born in Doloroso, Mississippi as the youngest daughter of six in a family of sharecroppers. After a challenging childhood, which included her father being shot in a domestic violence episode, Stokes moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

when she was five to live with a great aunt. She lived in Chicago much of her life and became the first member of her family to graduate from college. She attended the

Michael Reese Hospital Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center was an American hospital located in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1881, Michael Reese Hospital was a major research and teaching hospital and one of the oldest and largest ...

School of Nursing and obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in nursing from

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

. While in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

for a business conference Stokes visited the

Laie Hawaii Temple Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The temple sits on a small hill, half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, in the town of ...

and filled out a visitor card. LDS Church

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

visited her in Chicago and she began attended the local

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an adminis ...

. Stokes was baptized on April 28, 1979 at the church's

Hyde Park, Chicago Hyde Park is the 41st of the 77 community areas of Chicago. It is located on the South Side, near the shore of Lake Michigan south of the Loop. Hyde Park's official boundaries are 51st Street/Hyde Park Boulevard on the north, the Midway Pl ...

meetinghouse. She continues to be an advocate for minorities in the LDS Church and is considered a pioneer for African-Americans.

Civic work

Stokes has participated in volunteer, civic, and activist work, including serving as vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Chicago Inner City Youth Charitable Foundation for 16 years, serving as a member of the Utah AIDS Foundation board of trustees, serving on the board of the

Salt Lake City Public Library The Salt Lake City Public Library system's main branch building is an architecturally unique structure in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is located at 210 East, 400 South, across from the Salt Lake City and County Building and Washington Square. Hi ...

, and was named as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

. She is also a member of the Utah chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

Personal life

Stokes has one daughter and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.Stack, Peggy Fletcher
"For many black Mormons, racism is a bigger issue than sexism"
''

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...

'', Utah, 4 September 2014. Retrieved on 31 December 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Catherine Latter Day Saints from Illinois Converts to Mormonism Living people DePaul University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Latter Day Saints from Utah African-American Latter Day Saints