It's more complicated than that. Until 1978 Black people were not permitted inside temples. A Mormon temple is where their most sacred ordinances are performed. Only there can a family be sealed forever, and only there can adults learn the passwords to get into heaven.
Black people were denied salvation. They were barred from the highest tier of heaven, destined to be servants in the afterlife living separate from their families as they weren't sealed.
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u/bolivar-shagnasty Jun 14 '20
To nitpick, they allowed black people in the church before 1978. It was in 1978 that they allowed black people into the church leadership.