Alan Cherry

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Alan Gerald Cherry (born 1946) is an African American who in the 1960s joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) against opposition. He was inspired by the American civil rights movement.

The LDS Church's priesthood ban restricted Cherry from priesthood ordination upon his baptism into the church, but Cherry sought other ways to serve in the church. When combined with a lively speaking style and some gift as a comedian, this made him a person of some note, mostly in but perhaps outside his local Mormon circles. He was an inspiration to his fellow Mormons, and he was either a curiosity or a disappointment to the people he came from. Cherry once said, paraphrasing: "It's hard to get New Yorkers worked up about things. They take life in stride. They've seen it all. After I found God, I rushed home to share it with my parents. 'Mom, I found the Truth!' 'That's nice, dear. Do you want butter on your peas?'"