Podcast appearances and mentions of darron smith

This is a throwback interview from 2017. Dr Darron Smith discusses non-LDS BYU Black athletes. He teaches at University of Memphis and is the author of "When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide." He examines the honor code, graduation rate, and race relations at BYU. He compares their racial record with other famous Christian athletes, including Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin. We'll also discuss Indian mascots in professional & college sports. Check out our conversation.... https://youtu.be/YZv_onL5Kp8 Don't miss our other conversations about black Mormon History: https://gospeltangents.com/mormon_history/black-mormon-history/ transcript to follow Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission 0:00 Overview 6:12 Statistics on Black Athletes at BYU 29:06 Challenges Faced by Black Athletes at BYU 30:59 Honor Code 31:31 Comparisons with Other Institutions 36:43 Graduation Rates/Systemic Issues 38:59 Unionization/Pay for College Athletes 47:09 Racism and Representation in Sports 52:52 Impact of Past Traumas 1:08:49 BYU's Aspirations/Challenges in Joining the Big 12 1:12:58 Parallels Between Black Athletes and Gay Athletes 1:15:41 Black 14 of Wyoming 1:21:09 Racism and Institutionalized Discrimination 1:22:32 Empathy and Mindfulness in Addressing Racism   Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved      

I have a multi-guest interview for you to kick off the 18th year of The Entheogenic Evolution Podcast: Laurel Younis, Darron Smith, and Jenna Kluwe join me for an in-depth conversation about the psilocybin facilitator training program at Emerald Valley Institute in Eugene, Or. With the first legal psilocybin assisted services program in the country, Oregon is a model for how it can be done elsewhere in the U.S. As a legal psychedelic program, it's not without it's challenges, but you gotta start somewhere! This is one of those interviews that's exciting for me to share with you as it's a clear indication of how far things have come since I started this podcast waaaay back in 2008! Learn more about the program at Emerald Valley InstituteAlso, if you'd like more info about the new 5-MeO-DMT Integration training program I'm offering via Mindscape Institute link through here or via Nondual Entheogenic Integration

In today's video, we dive into the protests at BYU during the 1970s, including threats from black activists and government pressure to increase diversity in hiring and recruitment. We'll also discuss a shocking incident during a basketball game where a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the crowd, narrowly missing the BYU sports announcer. The church's response to these threats (mostly fabricated by the Birch Society) included heightened security measures, with snipers stationed on the Mormon Tabernacle during General Conference. Joining us is Dr. Darron Smith to discuss Matt Harris' new book, Second Class Saints. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation! Purchase Matt Harris' book, Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality Donate to Matt Harris directly for this series with Donorbox Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Join Nate Byrd, Summer-Rayn, Dr. Darron Smith, and John Dehlin as they tackle the uncomfortable truths of Mormon leaders supporting racial segregation. This episode dives into topics like the European origin theory of the lost ten tribes, the discovery of black ancestry in those who appear white, patriarchs' treatment of the “Curse of Cain,” and a shocking statement by Mormon prophet Harold B. Lee about closing BYU rather than admitting black students. Featuring clips from the episodes with historian Matthew Harris. Show Notes YouTube Purchase Matt Harris' book, Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality Donate to Matt Harris directly for this series with Donorbox _________________________ Mormon Stories Website YouTube Patreon Apple Podcasts MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Today we are joined with Dr. Darron Smith, Summur-Rayn, and Nate Byrd of Black Menaces to react to the first three episodes with Matt Harris. Their commentary unpacks Joseph Smith's complex racial attitudes, Brigham Young's implementation of the priesthood ban, and the painful legacy of racist doctrines. Their candid discussion highlights the urgent need for accountability within the Mormon church and grapples with the lasting impact of this racial discrimination.

Bob Bell meets with Darron Smith, Dean of the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology at Tennessee Tech University. Darron highlights the two schools within the college and some of the majors they offer, more about the Community Health & Nutrition Masters degree in the College Of Human Ecology, and what "Design" means in the college and the two faculty members that are associated with that. Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart. Visit them at 215 S Jefferson Ave in Cookeville to see what they can do for your office News Talk 94.1 · Presented By Office Mart

Bob Bell meets with Darron Smith, the dean of the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology at TTU. Darron talks about how large the College of Ag and Human Ecology is,  the new initiatives the college is offering and the different career paths you can take depending on the degree you earn, and some of the new facilities like a new poultry research facility. Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart. Visit them at 215 S Jefferson Ave in Cookeville to see what they can do for your office News Talk 94.1 · Presented By Office Mart

Bob Bell meets with Darron Smith, the dean of the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology at TTU. Darron talks about how large the College of Ag and Human Ecology is,  the new initiatives the college is offering and the different career paths you can take depending on the degree you earn, and some of the new facilities like a new poultry research facility. Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart. Visit them at 215 S Jefferson Ave in Cookeville to see what they can do for your office

The effects of a reported racist outburst at a Brigham Young University women's volleyball match continue to ripple across the country. A week after a Duke player said she was repeatedly called a racist slur at the match with the flagship school of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the coach of South Carolina's defending champion women's basketball team pulled out of a home-and-home series with the university. BYU officials say they believe the Duke player and continue to investigate the incident but have so far been unable to find the culprit. Other schools and teams have had racist episodes at athletic events, so why has the Provo incident touched so many nerves? On this week's show, BYU alum Darron Smith, who teaches sociology at the University of Memphis and is the author of “When Race, Religion & Sports Collide: Black Athletes at BYU and Beyond,” talks about the volleyball match episode, the resulting fallout, the school's history with Black athletes, and why BYU and Latter-day Saint leaders need to do much more to combat racism on campus and within the faith — starting with an apology for the church's former priesthood/temple ban for Black members.

Bob Bell sits down with Darron Smith, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss his background, education, and career, the majors that are available under the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, as well as an overview of the various farms and facilities that are available to the College and its students. Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Dr. Darron Smith, of the award-winning film "Black, White & Us", advocates for the Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation and why we all should lend our support even with just a simple $5 monthly, recurring donation. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-uncomfortable-truth/support

This week, we have guest host, Morgan Worrell, leading a conversation with fellow devs Dillion Megida and Adesoji David, along with tech sales rep for This Dot Labs, Darron Smith. They talk about their work-life preferences, both as This Dot Labs employees and in previous roles, plus share some about the experiences they've had as black technologists in the US and in Nigeria.   Host: Morgan Worrell (@morganistic_) - Senior Software Engineer, This Dot Labs   Guests: Dillion Megida (@iamdillion) - Software Engineer, This Dot Labs Adesoji David (@temitopedavid_) - Software Engineer, This Dot Labs Darron Smith (@Darron_ThisDot) - Sales Representative, This Dot Labs   This episode is sponsored by This Dot Labs. 

On the next "Now That's A Good Question with Phil Oldham," President Oldham's featured guests will be Darron Smith, Tennessee Tech Dean of Agriculture and Human Ecology, along with Michael Best, a professor of agriculture who is well known for work with tomatoes and heirloom beans. The two guests will talk about the future of agriculture and how their work and leadership is helping students to pursue careers. You'll learn why students major in agriculture and about the changes in agriculture education that keeps this field vibrant and relevant. 

Bob Bell sits down with Dr. Darron Smith, Dean of the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology at Tennessee Tech University. They discuss his background and career, the students and majors of the College, as well as the specialties that he teaches and researches in. Listen to the latest Local Matters Podcast… Presented by Office Mart.

Racial tensions and police brutality in America have caused protests, riots, and citizens becoming the victims of war crimes committed by our military-police force. How did we get here? Where do we go? How can we effectively reform policing in America? It’s a complicated issue and a couple of white guys are going to do their best to introduce you to the topic and form a basic foundation on which to build a base of knowledge about these subjects. We also take a look at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints angle of race, as this is a Mormon-centric podcast. We encourage you to use the resources and further reading below. We wrap the episode with the final installment of Case for the Book of Mormon, a tool of genocide and racial supremacy which shaped American history. Links: First Presidency statement https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-shares-social-post-encouraging-understanding-and-civility Church’s social media post: https://twitter.com/Ch_JesusChrist/status/1268233951719510016 The Negro: A Proclamation to the World https://www.missedinsunday.com/memes/race/proclamation-1949/ Resources: SISTAS in ZION Twitter Blacks and the Priesthood by 3 Mormons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5Gp07zaZE Our Enemies in Blue by Kristian Williams https://www.akpress.org/our-enemies-in-blue.html Read the Stanford Prison Study https://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html @Mica_McGriggs presentation June 15, 2020 “Racial Equity & Social Impact” weekly classes https://www.eventbrite.com/e/racial-equity-social-impact-tickets-104768040028 Mormon Stories #630 Black Lives Matter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgViT0zuSrk Black and Mormon by Darron Smith https://books.google.com/books/about/Black_and_Mormon.html?id=lSvRnQgJAx8C https://8cantwait.org/ for police reform The Dollop - Furgeson Episode 19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1uF67UeyY Ibram X. Kendi How to be an Antiracist https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist-1 Donate: https://www.joincampaignzero.org Joanna Brooks Mormonism and White Supremacy https://global.oup.com/academic/product/mormonism-and-white-supremacy-9780190081768?cc=us&lang=en& Moroni and the Swastika by David Conley Nelson https://www.oupress.com/books/14220363/moroni-and-the-swastika Tiananmen Square Massacre 1989 in China https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeoMn1DeUek Watch: Just Mercy, released free on all platforms by Universal Killer Mike speech about George Floyd and protests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSWasOhArfM Stand By Me by Liesa (Lisa) Rodger https://www.thebeehive.com/stand-by-me/ Check your blindspot BYU diversity project https://www.checkyourblindspot.org/ Historian’s take on police brutality against Black people https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/gvu38i/george_floyd_was_murdered_by_america_a_historians/ Talking to kids about this: https://www.amazon.com/Belle-Last-Mule-Gees-Bend/dp/0763687693/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28 https://www.amazon.com/Juneteenth-Mazie-Fiction-Picture-Books/dp/1479558206/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591332700&sr=1-1 Donate to groups working or advocating for racial justice and end of racism https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fre... https://justiceforbreonna.org https://www.joincampaignzero.org https://www.naacp.org/ https://www.aclu.org/ https://blacklivesmatter.com/ Show Links:Website http://www.glassboxpodcast.com/index.html Find us on Facebook and Twitter @Glass Box Podcast

Hosts Ben Yorke (VeChain101) and Fabian (VeChainstats) chime in on the events of the last week, including VeChain Thor Node 1.3 and PoA 2.0. In the second half, Ben talks with Aaron and Darron Smith, two talented video game concept artists responsible for the futuristic 3D cityscape, as they share their thoughts on the project and the community as a whole.  

Tosha, Marcus "MD" and Darrell "DC" Catron visit with University of Memphis Professor and Author, Dr. Darron Smith and they get real FUNKY as they discuss:   Topics Covered: Transracial Adoption  Being Black and A Mormon The Challenges of Being a Black Athlete at BYU

When RACE RELIGION and SPORTS COLLIDE with Author, University Professor and Cultural Commentator, Dr. Darron Smith, Sociology, U of Memphis. Topics: The Black Athlete @ Bridgam Young U.; Utah vs. Black NBA Players and a Black Morman and you QUIT! 

John Dehlin, Julienna Viegas, Sean Carter, and Darron Smith continue discussing last week's LDS BeOne event, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the lifting of the priesthood ban.

John Dehlin, Julienna Viegas, Sean Carter, and Darron Smith discuss last week's LDS BeOne event, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the lifting of the priesthood ban.

Join Sarah Newcomb (host) along with Sean Carter, Julienna Viegas, and Darron Smith for this week's episode of Mormon News Podcast. Today we will be discussing: - The ongoing conversation regarding the LDS priesthood ban in light of the recent NAACP meeting and apology hoax.

We are continuing our focus on Black History Month here at Gospel Tangents.  I'd like to introduce Dr. Newell Bringhurst.  He has been publishing on a variety of Mormon history topics since the 1970s.  We'll get to know him a little better, and talk about his first book, Saints, Slaves & Blacks. https://youtu.be/IHgggBYGhMc Newell:  Well I started my academic career at the University of Utah.  I did both a bachelors and masters in History at the University of Utah in the mid-‘60s.  Then I went to California and did graduate work for a Ph.D. at the University of California-Davis.  I completed my doctoral dissertation which became the basis for my first book, Saints, Slaves, and Blacks.  I completed the dissertation in 1975, and then I revised it and updated because it was published three years before the black revelation of 1978.[1]  That, of course, required some major revision, particularly in the later chapters, and so I spent the next five years revising and updating the dissertation, and it was published in 1981 under the title of Saints, Slaves, and Blacks:  The Changing Place of Black People within Mormonism. GT:  Yeah, it's a great book.  I think I even paid $20 for it.  We were talking yesterday and I think you said it was $30 brand new, and I bought it 20 or 30 years later and it was still $20 so it has held its value well! Newell chuckles:  Well I've seen editions of it for as much as $75-$100 for ones that are in mint condition.  I think Curt Bench had one he had gotten from a private collection.  It had been autographed by me, it was an autographed copy and it looked like it was in mint condition and he was asking $75 for it! GT:  Yeah, yeah, it's a great book.  I understand you're working on a 2nd edition with Greg Kofford Books. Newell:  Yes it is going to be published as an updated, expanded version.  I'm going to virtually leave the text as I wrote it originally because #1, I feel like it has stood up pretty well with the test of time as far as my basic thesis and the way that my over-arching interpretation, but I'm going to add an introduction for the 2nd edition which will kind of be a historiographical discussion of where I fit into the scholarship as it evolved from those who preceded me in writing on the black issue and those who have written on the same issue since 1981.  Because there has been a whole body of literature and historical inquiry has moved in that direction beyond what I did in Saints, Slaves, and Blacks. I understand this second edition will be published in the next month or two!  We will talk about some of his other books that have been influential in Mormon studies.  Check out our conversation….. Dr. Newell Bringhurst has been writing on Mormon History for almost 50 years! Don't forget our other interviews on Black Mormon History: Russell Stevenson on Elijah Ables Dr. Darron Smith on Race, Religion, and Sport Dr. Paul Reeve on How Mormons Became a Racial Category --- [1] See https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/2  

February is #BlackHistoryMonth and we're starting off with Russell Stevenson, a Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University in African-American studies.  He has written a biography of Elijah Ables, and we're going to learn more about the first documented black man to hold the priesthood.  I'll ask if Elijah Ables was born a slave, and we'll learn as much as we can about his life before he joined the LDS Church. https://youtu.be/JwiuLUSa4aY Russell:  We do not have a lot of hard data on Elijah's upbringing.  We know something about where he's from.  We know that he was born in western Maryland.  There are a number of potential counties according to different documents where he could have been born in some say Frederick, others say Washington, others say Hancock.  We know that he was born at some point between 1808-1812. As far as his religious upbringing, we know basically nothing about that.  We don't even know with certainty that he was a slave.  Statistically speaking that part of Maryland, the free African-American versus the slave African-American ratio, it broke in favor of slaves.  Statistically speaking he was probably a slave at some point, but beyond that speculation we don't know with certainty. Really the first hard documentation we have of Elijah's life comes through a photograph that we have, George A. Smith family photograph collection and it identifies his baptism year as being 1832.  Thanks to that photo, we have some sense of how old he was, which is again, somewhere between 20-24 years old, but the documentation is pretty limited. Was he light enough to pass for white?  What was his occupation?  Russell answers these questions!  Check out our conversation….. Don't forget to check out our interviews with Margaret Young, Dr. Paul Reeve, Dr. Mark Staker, and Dr. Darron Smith as part of your studies of #BlackHistoryMonth! [paypal-donation]

In this episode of Mormon Stories, we hold a panel discussion with Dr. Darron Smith—author of When Race & Religion Collide: Black Athletics at BYU and Beyond, Ryan McKnight—MormonLeaks publisher, and Vanessa Judd—a victim of assault by a BYU athlete. We discuss the MormonLeaks video which depicted an interaction between the Provo Police Department, a BYU football player, and other unidentified individuals. The video was recorded on December 4, 2016 and in it we learn that this is the second visit from the police that night and one of multiple visits they have had to make over time to the athlete. We discuss: *The ethics of releasing the video *The ethics of NCAA athletics (especially at BYU), and *The relationship between Provo Police, BYU and the Honor Code, especially regarding the many claims and accusations made concerning students being expelled or suspended for less than what is admitted to in this video

We'll finish our discussion with Dr. Darron Smith of the University of Memphis today and finish off by talking about how to overcome racial discrimination.  A lot of people think when you use the word "racism", it only applies to hostile communications.  Smith talks about "nice" racism. Darron:  Yes, I have a nice bumper sticker that says that.  Utah the nicest racists you'll ever find.  It says that on the bumper.  It's really kind of cool.  Yes I think people, the lay public, tend to think that racism is about individual acts of meanness, aggression, you know one race against another.  ‘I hate you Rick, you cracker.'  ‘I hate you Darron, you nigger.'  Right?  That's what they think racism is. That's very small.  That's inter-personal racism.  That's where it stops for most people.  They don't go beyond that.  We're talking about institutionalized racism, we're talking about practices, patterns, behaviors, beliefs that get imbued into an institutional standard or norm, and people are racist by practice, racist by default, racist by privilege in the sense that whites in this country benefit from racism because racism allows whites more privilege because of their skin complexion.  Being white means you have more privilege in this country because you don't have to deal with driving while black.  You don't have to deal with being kicked out of BYU because you had sex with some girl who wanted to have sex with you, or you don't follow the Honor Code, or whatever the issue is, whatever the stereotypical notions that follow around people are, I don't have to, white people don't have to worry about that.  That's something that whites take for granted in a racist society. Blacks and other groups that are marginalized have to constantly deal with that on some level whereas whites don't.  So that's the difference.  White Americans look at race as an interpersonal phenomenon and it stops there.  What I'm saying, at least what I think you are saying or at least alluding to in your question is that it's deeper than that.  It's amorphous yet it's superfluous.  It's everywhere.  We engage in it all the time, but we don't even know about it. We're unconscious of it much of the time until it's brought to our [attention.] We'll talk about the less overt racism and how to overcome these problems. So the Good Samaritan Rule only applies to whites.  Whites are more apt to help other white people, they're less apt to help other people, especially blacks.  Blacks are more apt to help other people as well as other blacks.  Other groups are more apt to help other people as well as their own group.  Whites are the only group that has no love for others, maybe Asian, maybe sprinkled with Asian but whites routinely do whites, hang out with whites, look and vibe white.  That has to change. Most white Americans in this country, not all white Americans, but most white Americans I would argue lack empathy for people of color.  That's why it's easy to pull a gun and fire and kill a black man without any real remorse.  That's why when you see pre-incident polling between whites and blacks after a shooting, you get such different answers about—blacks see it as abhorrent, whites see it as, he shouldn't have been—he should have stayed still.  They don't see this guy as a human.  They don't. Janan [Graham-Russell] talked about it in the meeting.  I was trying to get that when Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, he said in his statement, he looked like a demon.  Blacks have a long history of being caricatured, objectified like that, demonized like that.  So if you don't see people as human, it's easy to cast them off.  Until that changes in white America, we're going to continue to talk about this. What do you think of Smith's characterizations? https://youtu.be/EmkNsUiQOys   https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/overcoming-nice-racism/    

Last summer BYU came under scrutiny for how it handles rape allegations.  On the one hand you have some young women who reported that after they reported their rapes, BYU opened an Honor Code investigation against them.  This can lead to women fearing for retailiation and not reporting rapes for fear of getting in trouble themselves.  On the other hand, Dr. Darron Smith of the University of Memphis reports some situations of false rape allegations.  How does BYU handle these two complex and sensitive issues?  I asked him about some of these allegations last summer. Darron:  If the Honor Code is punishing the young women for something that they had no control over, had nothing to do with, that's horrible.  Again, it speaks to about the athletes.  You're having people make subjective decisions about other people based upon their own lens, their own way of seeing the world which may not congeal with a young woman who has alleged rape. On the other hand, he is aware of some false allegations too. Darron:  You know when these young players in 2012?  In 2004?  Whatever, there was white college students at BYU who alleged they had been raped by these kids, these young players, and when it came down to it, they hadn't been raped.  She made it up.  So these young guys went through it man.  I don't know if you heard about the trial that went on down here in Provo where this young woman alleged rape? GT:  I don't know. Darron:  But at any rate, to make a long story short, she was playing off racial fears, that are so deeply ingrained around again, black sexuality.  Praise God at the end of the day, truth came out. The Salt Lake Tribune just came out with an article stating some women aren't believed, and in one case of a BYU student, Madelaine McDonald, the police refused the press charges, but the young man had sexual assaults on three other women.  What do you think about these issues? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN9yHpZJd44&t   https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/true-false-rape-allegations-at-byu/    

Many athletes run afoul of the law, and in BYU's case, a much stricter Honor Code than at other schools.  Some schools are too lenient, some are too strong.  How does BYU compare, especially among black athletes?  Dr. Darron Smith of the University of Memphis shares his thoughts on a white player at Duke University, Grayson Allen, and a black player at BYU, Brandon Davies: I think Coach K is trying to win basketball games.  He's not interested in the moral underpinnings of decisions like the BYU thing, but he's trying to win ballgames. While many have criticized Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski for his lenient treatment of Allen, BYU was praised by national sports commentator Jim Rome, who was impressed with BYU's decision to suspend Brandon Davies from the basketball team, despite BYU's great season and run into the NCAA basketball tournament.  But Smith didn't agree with Rome's assessment. I don't think Jim Rome understands the context.  I don't think he understands.  He is just looking at an incident, an isolated incident.  He doesn't understand the deeper meaning behind it.  It was spoken out of context.  It was spoken foolishly without understanding the particulars behind this. Brandon was treated differently than most players, in that he wasn't kicked off entirely like other players who were non-Mormon were.  He got that courtesy extended to him, but the way he was paraded around and made the scapegoat and to me I know that had an effect on him, to be the whipping boy because there's already a stigma around black people and sex.  Now he's the poster boy for inappropriate sexual relations as a Mormon.  I know he's carrying that stigma. What do you think?  Is Duke too lenient?  Is BYU too strict?  Are both schools deserving of praise or criticism? Check out our video below, audio above, or transcript here. https://youtu.be/cHL0XZjJu_8 https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/disparities-in-black-white-discipline/    

In this episode we invite Mica McGriggs, Dr. Darron Smith, and Dr. Fatimah Salleh to discuss the recent (and continual) loss of black lives in America due to to police action.

When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide tells the story of Brandon Davies’ dismissal from Brigham Young University’s NCAA playoff basketball team to illustrate the thorny intersection of religion, race, and sport at BYU and beyond. Author Darron T. Smith analyzes the athletes dismissed through BYU’s honor code violations and suggests that they are disproportionately African American, which has troubling implications. He ties these dismissals to the complicated history of negative views towards African Americans in the LDS faith. These honor code dismissals elucidate the challenges facing black athletes at predominantly white institutions. Weaving together the history of the black athlete in America and the experience of blackness in Mormon theology, When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide offers a timely and powerful analysis of the challenges facing African American athletes in the NCAA today. Dr. Darron T. Smith is a frequent political and cultural commentator on various issues of U.S. based issues of race, racism, and discrimination in forums ranging from Religion Dispatches, The New York Times and Chicago Tribune op-ed to ESPN's Outside the Lines. His research spans a wide myriad of topics on race including healthcare disparities, Religious studies, Race & Sports, and Race, Adoption and the Black Family. His current research focuses on health care workforce discrimination involving African American physicians and physician assistants. He is the co-author of White Parents, Black Children: Experiencing Transracial Adoption and co-editor of Black and Mormon. His current book, When Race & Religion Collide: Black Athletics at BYU and Beyond was released in 2015.

When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide tells the story of Brandon Davies’ dismissal from Brigham Young University’s NCAA playoff basketball team to illustrate the thorny intersection of religion, race, and sport at BYU and beyond. Author Darron T. Smith analyzes the athletes dismissed through BYU’s honor code violations and suggests that they are disproportionately African American, which has troubling implications. He ties these dismissals to the complicated history of negative views towards African Americans in the LDS faith. These honor code dismissals elucidate the challenges facing black athletes at predominantly white institutions. Weaving together the history of the black athlete in America and the experience of blackness in Mormon theology, When Race, Religion, and Sport Collide offers a timely and powerful analysis of the challenges facing African American athletes in the NCAA today. Dr. Darron T. Smith is a frequent political and cultural commentator on various issues of U.S. based issues of race, racism, and discrimination in forums ranging from Religion Dispatches, The New York Times and Chicago Tribune op-ed to ESPN's Outside the Lines. His research spans a wide myriad of topics on race including healthcare disparities, Religious studies, Race & Sports, and Race, Adoption and the Black Family. His current research focuses on health care workforce discrimination involving African American physicians and physician assistants. He is the co-author of White Parents, Black Children: Experiencing Transracial Adoption and co-editor of Black and Mormon. His current book, When Race & Religion Collide: Black Athletics at BYU and Beyond was released in 2015.

John, Zilpha, Darron Smith, Christian, and Troy discuss current and historical views that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold towards those of African, Native American, and Mesoamerican decent. darronsmith.com SURVEY --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mormonexpression/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mormonexpression/support

This year marks the thirty-third anniversary of the 1978 revelation extending the priesthood to "all worthy males" in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since that day, little has been said by Church leaders on any topic related to the ban, including the reasons for the ban, the doctrinal justifications for the ban, and the process by which the ban came into existence in the first place. Even without such clarifications, the Church has nevertheless successfully grown in Africa and in U.S. inner cities with large African-American. Mormon Matters is very pleased this week to for the chance to mark this anniversary by hosting a dynamic discussion of this ban and the revelation that ended it between four black Latter-day Saints. Guest host, Dustin Jones (who will be familiar to many listeners who have heard his Mormon Stories podcast telling of his own experiences growing up black in the Church) recently convened a panel consisting of himself and three fellow seasoned and opinionated black Mormons--Keith N. Hamilton, Darron Smith, and Marguerite Driessen--who, like him, have spent the last three decades learning about and attempting to understand the LDS Church’s "negro doctrine." Collectively the group is made up of three outspoken lawyers, one unabashed sociology Ph.D., three high priests, two former bishopric counselors, three former stake high councilors, two current BYU adjunct law professors, one former BYU professor, and a Relief Society president. We at Mormon Matters are honored by this opportunity to "listen in" on their spirited (both in its "faith" connotation as well as hinting at their lively differences of opinion!) discussion of their individual interpretations of Official Declaration 2; statements made by Brigham Young and Bruce R. McConkie, Gordon B. Hinckley’s 2006 statement on “racial slurs,” the process by which the Brethren received the revelation and what they see as the best way to move beyond the Church’s history. For each panelist, dealing with this history is ultimately a matter of faith, however, as this discussion shows very well, the swing of the pendulum between faith and fact is an interesting dynamic that all black Mormon must balance for themselves.

This year marks the thirty-third anniversary of the 1978 revelation extending the priesthood to "all worthy males" in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since that day, little has been said by Church leaders on any topic related to the ban, including the reasons for the ban, the doctrinal justifications for the ban, and the process by which the ban came into existence in the first place. Even without such clarifications, the Church has nevertheless successfully grown in Africa and in U.S. inner cities with large African-American. Mormon Matters is very pleased this week to for the chance to mark this anniversary by hosting a dynamic discussion of this ban and the revelation that ended it between four black Latter-day Saints. Guest host, Dustin Jones (who will be familiar to many listeners who have heard his Mormon Stories podcast telling of his own experiences growing up black in the Church) recently convened a panel consisting of himself and three fellow seasoned and opinionated black Mormons--Keith N. Hamilton, Darron Smith, and Marguerite Driessen--who, like him, have spent the last three decades learning about and attempting to understand the LDS Church’s "negro doctrine." Collectively the group is made up of three outspoken lawyers, one unabashed sociology Ph.D., three high priests, two former bishopric counselors, three former stake high councilors, two current BYU adjunct law professors, one former BYU professor, and a Relief Society president. We at Mormon Matters are honored by this opportunity to "listen in" on their spirited (both in its "faith" connotation as well as hinting at their lively differences of opinion!) discussion of their individual interpretations of Official Declaration 2; statements made by Brigham Young and Bruce R. McConkie, Gordon B. Hinckley’s 2006 statement on “racial slurs,” the process by which the Brethren received the revelation and what they see as the best way to move beyond the Church’s history. For each panelist, dealing with this history is ultimately a matter of faith, however, as this discussion shows very well, the swing of the pendulum between faith and fact is an interesting dynamic that all black Mormon must balance for themselves.

This episode discusses the 13 April 2011 Deadspin.com article, “The Truth about Race, Religion, and the Honor Code at BYU,” which highlights possible racial factors at play in the way BYU enforces its Honor Code among its athletes. The story states: “Since 1993, at least 70 athletes have been suspended, dismissed, put on probation, or forced to withdraw from their teams or the school after running afoul of the honor code. Fifty-four of them, or nearly 80 percent, are minorities. Forty-one, or almost 60 percent, are black men.” One of the article’s co-authors, Darron Smith, joins Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and regular contributor Joanna Brooks in a far-ranging discussion of the article and its findings, as well as wider issues of racism with Mormonism and how they might be highlighted and addressed at both the general Church and local congregational levels.

In part 2 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.

In part 3 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.

In part 3 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.

In part 1 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.

In part 1 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.

In part 2 of a 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith--a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. After 10 years of teaching at BYU, Darron's employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public writings and speaking--wherein Darron openly called for the LDS Church to apologize for, and renounce the racists statements of past Church leaders. In this series, Darron discusses his upbringing in the Church, provides a brief history of Blacks within the Church, discusses his termination from BYU, and his hopes for the LDS Church in the future with regard to these issues.