Faces of Latter-day Saint Women
A Conversation with
Lita Little Giddins
Lita Little Giddins joined the Church at age eighteen and served a mission to England Leeds in 1986-7. She earned BA and MS degrees from Brigham Young University. A gifted performer, Lita continually uses her talents to help share the gospel. She starred as Egyptus in Michael McLean's premier production of The Ark, and is honored for her portrayals of pioneer Jane Manning James in the newly released DVD, “Jane Manning James: Your Sister in the Gospel.” She and her husband Kevin, also a talented performer, offer firesides and workshops highlighting the spiritual power of the arts. They are the parents of five children.
How did you come to be a member of the Church?
I was born in Chicago, and lived there for a few years with my parents and my older brother and sister. My mom and dad divorced when I was about three years old. After the divorce we headed to California where we lived with my grandmother and uncle for a while. We didn't have family prayers very often, even though my grandmother was considered to be a highly religious woman. But I believed we should. I was always aware of God and often went to different churches with friends in my attempt to find Him.
When I was fifteen I was in a choir class with Shawn Dennis and his sister, Kim. They were the most admirable people. After a choir festival we took part in, our friendship began. I started getting invited to church functions, such as Mutual and roadshows. I felt such a wonderful feeling whenever I was around them. This family, the Dennises, accepted me completely. Whenever I was in their home I felt as if I were a part of the family. Not only would they include me in their family prayers, but they would pray for me as well. I can't put into words how that affected me. Shortly thereafter, I started asking questions about their way of living and they introduced me to the missionaries.
My mom was really upset when I decided to join the church. This was before the 1978 revelation regarding the priesthood. My mother and stepfather had had some really negative experiences with a member of the church which resulted in them not wanting me to have anything to do with it. Consequently, I had to wait until I was eighteen to be baptized. So I went to church and paid tithing, hoping that my mother would come to understand that this was not a phase. Becoming a member of the Lord's church positively changed my life! My mother would have to acknowledge and accept that obvious fact. By the time I left for my mission she was no longer angry and was completely supportive.
What circumstances brought you to Brigham Young University?
While serving as a missionary many of the elders would say, “You know what, Sister Little, you're going to go to BYU.” I would reply, "No, I am not going to BYU.” We would argue back and forth. The idea totally scared me to death because I didn't know if I could do the university thing. None of my family members had graduated from college. I had graduated from Citrus College, a junior college in California, and I had received scholarship offers from different schools, but I was almost too afraid to consider further schooling. After I got home from England I got a blessing from the stake patriarch, who was a friend of mine. It talked about the importance of getting an education; that it would be a blessing and provide a sense of security for my family, and so forth. So I worked, got grants and a music scholarship. The summer of 1988 Daddy Dennis and Mom Dennis packed their truck with my belongings and drove me to BYU. That's where I met my husband, Kevin. We were both Young Ambassadors and had incredible experiences touring and performing.
Our first baby came the first year we were married. We still had tours to do; I had to finish up my undergraduate work. Kevin had graduated with his Master's and was working at BYU. Our little girl was just 18 months old when he said, “Honey, if you want to get your master's, now's the time to do it.” A master's—that really scared me. I wondered, was it as intense as it sounded? And what should I get a master's in? What is my focus? The answer was social work. The Lord guided me to this field, because he knew down the road that we would eventually adopt two children, and that we, as a family, would benefit from that training.
Tell us how these children became part of your family.
Kevin and I had felt that someday we would adopt a child—“our little guy,” we called him. While living in Michigan I became involved with LDS family services because the bishop in our ward was referring people to me who had problems. Kevin suggested that I look into doing some volunteer work. So I called and talked to the director, Ann Condie, and we developed a wonderful friendship. I was called to be the first regional missionary for LDS Family Services. Ann and I went into the inner city. We taught training classes, we helped the sisters organize their first Women's Conference—a priceless experience. After meeting Ann, I knew she would be the one to help us find "our little guy." As it turns out we adopted two brothers, ages four and two. At the time our three daughters were ages three, seven, and ten.
What challenges has this transition brought, and how have you coped?
You know, when you join the church, you have to have a witness that it's true, because you truly can't have a full understanding of what that commitment means. What you do know is that it's the Lord's church and you belong in it. Adopting children is a commitment equally as strong as the commitment to join the church—the commitment is huge. And it's been really difficult because we had no idea what we were getting into. Even though when they came to our family we knew they were "our boys", they came from a world that I don't fully understand. There were some things that they experienced that are part of their makeup that have affected us in ways we just never imagined. They have tons of needs—mental, emotional, spiritual. And it's a constant, day-to-day struggle. Learning how to fuse together so we can be a happy family has been the greatest challenge of all.
This struggle is what has taken me to the temple every week this year. The temple helps me to be still. It is there that I seek refuge. It is there that I am reminded of the covenants Kevin and I made when we were sealed, and the covenants that were made when "our boys" were sealed to us. I remember, “This is our dream. This is our hope. We are on this journey together. We made that commitment. We know it's the right thing. This is the place.” During the course of the week, those feelings begin to wane and I have to return to recapture them.
Ultimately my confidence is in the Lord. I truly know that He can move mountains. By the time I left to go on a mission my mom knew it was right and said that would be "a good thing." He moved that mountain. Getting a university education—that was a huge mountain. And I needed to receive those witnesses then, so that I might expect another witness now—getting through this adoption transition, this family blending. This is the mountain that we need Him to move now, and it is happening.
How did you come to have an interest in Jane Manning James?
In 1991 Kevin and I took a class at BYU about African-American pioneers taught by Marjorie Taylor. Only a handful of students were in the class. That's when Jane was introduced to me. The spiritual connection and kinship I felt with this woman were instantaneous. She was my sister in the gospel. And not just mine, but everyone's. I had been a member of the Church for several years at that point, but I had never heard of her. Why not? She had such strength. She had a gift to follow the truth—she could sense it. She had a dream about Joseph Smith, followed the truth inside her, and gathered her family together to follow the Saints. They walked over 800 miles to find their way to the Prophet Joseph. Jane lived with him and Emma as a servant in the Nauvoo House. She loved the Prophet Joseph and Emma deeply. And they loved her.
What events led to your opportunities to promote Jane's story and voice?
Barbara Smith, the former Relief Society general president, invited me to write about Jane in the book Heroines of the Restoration.1 I was grateful for the opportunity I was given to write about her. Then at BYU Women's Conference in 2000, the General Relief Society put on a production called Women of Light, which highlighted the lives of Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and Jane. I was flown in from Michigan to portray Jane. They used a lot of Jane's own words to talk about her relationship with Joseph and Emma. Again, I was able to stand as her voice and was so humbled and grateful for that opportunity.
It would frustrate me when the contributions of Jane, and other African-American pioneers, like Elijah Abel, were not acknowledged in the church. People need to understand that these African-American pioneers are a part of their history. They have contributed to the growth of this country and to the growth of the Lord's church. Jane's voice speaks to us all. Her life was about truth. Her example taught people that you must stand up for truth, that you have legions of angels helping you to do the right thing. She just knew that. And she lived that.
On the monument that was dedicated in Salt Lake it depicts Jane giving flour to Eliza Lyman. “I have a family and everyone's hungry, but here, you take this.” That says volumes. It's one thing to get up and verbally testify, "I know that God lives.” But what are we doing to show it? We have to be about doing things. That's Zion. Jane was always about doing things. She was always trying to help people. She was always teaching and testifying of truth. She had a feistiness about her and an unrelenting fire within. That is what draws me to her.
When constructing the monument they needed someone to act as the model for the sculptor. Margaret Young suggested that I be the model, and it was an honor. The monument was re-dedicated this year because she never received the medallion signifying her official recognition as a pioneer. I am so grateful that I could be a part of that ceremony. I sang “Amazing Grace,” and then “Battle Hymn of the Republic”—an a capella rendition I put together in her honor.
Tell us about your ongoing interest in women's studies. What efforts are you currently involved in?
My current fire is to figure out how to combine my passion for the arts with my passion for women's studies. I really believe that the arts are for teaching and sharing the gospel. If you're not doing that, you're really doing a disservice with that gift. That statement is kind of harsh, but that's how strongly I feel about it. "Womendom" has become so dear to me: the whole strength and power of women, the whole sacrifice of their lives. It has become a primary focus in my life and I don't understand quite why. When I was growing up I really was not the girlie type. And I truly had no desire to be. The Church helped me understand the sacredness of my role as a woman, and the sacredness of my skin, the sacredness of the arts. The drive and power of it all in my life is incredibly huge. I am prayerfully trying to figure out how it all comes together. I've come to understand that as educators, as entertainers, as divine daughters of God, we can transform the lives of others. And we can transform our own lives.
How can women help each other as we seek out and travel our individual paths?
Women absolutely need support from each other. We need to talk to one another. If we're not talking, then how in the world do we know how to help? How do we communicate needs? How will we ever learn how to support each other? I don't understand why we hesitate to speak the truth. If I'm not fine, I shouldn't try to fake it. Because if you don't know I'm not fine, then how can you succor me? How will you know what to pray for? How will you know to pick up the phone to be there for me if I'm not telling you how I am? Or what my weaknesses are? When women are separated through fear, doubt, or our tendency to compare, our power is diminished. It's time for us to come together; to lift and to strengthen each other, to value each other's strengths and weaknesses. We are all needed in the work we have to do.
What encouragement would you give to women concerning the development of their talents and the pursuit of their dreams?
Women give up so much of themselves. I was talking with a friend just this morning who said to me, “I don't even know what my dream is anymore.” We all have dreams tucked somewhere inside of us. I feel that many women aren't sure that it's okay to have dreams, to work toward their dreams. If we don't know what our talents and dreams are, then we don't know who we really are, and we cannot progress. How does this play out in the life of a woman? She will feel depressed, guilty, "less than." This, in turn, affects families and communities and our world in which we live. Women are the center of everything. How can we teach our children to have dreams if we don't have them ourselves? How can we teach them to go out and make a difference in the world if we are not showing them the way? I think some women don't believe that's their place. We can get confused about what humility is. When you truly understand who you are, that is a humbling thing. But then that gives you the right and the responsibility to go out there and do something. We should be dreamers and dream big! "For all that the Father hath can be ours!"
Find out what your voice is. I believe that Heavenly Father will show each of us, if we truly ask: What is the work thou wouldst have me to do? What is my passion? Give me thine eyes to dream.” It takes courage. Once you know, the only thing left to do is to go forward and not look back. That doesn't mean that it's not going to be easy. But I know He can move mountains. I have seen it. Sometimes those mountains are getting out of our own way so He can do His stuff. God is waiting to do His stuff. Your move.
(1)Barbara B. Smith, Blythe Darlyn Thatcher, and Melissa Lowe, Heroines of the Restoration (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997).
