The LDS Church announced recently the appointment of Joseph Sitati as the first black AFRICAN LDS general authority. Previously there was a black American who was a GA; and if LDS historical accounts are accurate, a previous black leader, Elijah Able, in the time of Joseph Smith.
Regarding Able, there is a great deal of confusion on this issue, because while Able was part of decision-making counsels, he was repeatedly denied the privilege of getting LDS temple endowments and kept somewhat under wraps.
Why did I never hear of Elijah Able when I was a faithful Mormon, at Brigham Young University? Because at that time, the LDS Church was still denying priesthood to blacks, and the Able story didn't “fit.” Now that they have reversed the practice of denying blacks the LDS priesthood, a practice that Brigham Young said would “always be so,” it has become necessary to revise LDS history again — this time making it seem as if blacks holding the priesthood was an accepted practice during Joseph Smith's time. Or, at the very least, it is an attempt to show that LDS founder Smith was not a racist.
