Darron Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darron T. Smith
Education	Brigham Young University–Idaho Brigham Young University (MEd) University of Utah (PhD)
Occupation	Scholar, clinician, educator, author and blogger
Notable work	Black and Mormon White Parents, Black Children When Race, Religion, and Sports Collide

Darron Smith is an African-American scholar, author, and blogger. He studies social unfairness that affects African Americans and other groups in the US. His work looks at how race impacts US healthcare. He also studies white parents adopting Black and biracial children. His research covers religion, sports, and politics too.

Smith's most famous work is the 2004 book, Black and Mormon. This book explores Black members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It discusses their place in the church since 1978. That year, a rule changed, allowing Black men to hold the priesthood. His newest book, When Race, Religion and Sport Collide, looks at African American male student-athletes. It focuses on their experiences in sports during the Black Lives Matter movement.

Early Life and Education

Darron Smith was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent his childhood years in both Los Angeles and Nashville. As a child, he followed the Baptist faith with his family. When he was a teenager, Smith started to question his beliefs.

At age 15, he met a Black member of the LDS Church. This person briefly told him about Mormonism. Soon after, two Mormon missionaries visited his home. They helped him understand the religion more. Smith felt that Mormonism answered his questions better. He converted from the Baptist faith to Mormonism in 1981. Later, he served a mission for the LDS Church in Lansing, Michigan.

After high school, he started college at BYU-Idaho. It was known as Ricks College then. While at Ricks, Smith served one year in the Army. He trained as an Army photographer. He later moved his studies to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He finished his bachelor's degree in 1994. His degree was in Behavioral Science and Health.

Career and Further Education

Smith completed a physician assistant (PA) training program in 1996. This was at the University of Utah School of Medicine. In the late 1990s, he began teaching college students. He continued to work as a certified PA. Smith taught classes at universities around the Salt Lake valley. These included Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, and the University of Utah.

While working as a PA student at BYU Sports Medicine, he enrolled in a Master's program. He studied Educational Leadership at BYU. He finished his Master's degree (M.Ed.) in 2000. Two years later, he started a PhD program at the University of Utah. Smith kept teaching at BYU until 2006.

In May 2010, Smith earned his Ph.D. from the University of Utah. That winter, he became an assistant professor at Wichita State University. He taught in the Physician Assistant Program. He left Wichita State University in 2012. He then worked on his book When Race, Religion and Sport Collide. By April 2013, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He joined the staff at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center as an assistant professor.

Smith's research looks at social unfairness. This includes stress, racism, and differences in education and health. He studies how being a racial minority affects physical and mental health. His articles have been in many academic journals. His work has also appeared in magazines and news sites. He has written opinion pieces for The New York Times. Smith also blogs for Huffington Post. He uses social media to speak up for social change. He has written about pop culture and current events.

Books by Darron Smith

Smith helped edit the book, Black and Mormon. This book explores Black members of the LDS Church. It talks about their place since the 1978 priesthood change. The book was published in 2004. It received good reviews. Publishers Weekly called it "one of the most far-reaching studies of black Mormons to date."

He also helped write the 2011 book, White Parents, Black Children: Experiencing Transracial Adoption. This book explains how race plays a role in adoption. It focuses on white parents adopting Black or biracial children. The book argues that racism is still a big problem for these adopted kids. Choice Magazine recommended the book. They called it "an important read for all parents."

In 2016, he wrote When Race, Religion, and Sports Collide: Black Athletes at BYU and Beyond. This book was highly praised. It tells the story of Brandon Davies. He was dismissed from Brigham Young University's basketball team. The book shows how sports, race, and religion connect at BYU. Smith also looks at athletes dismissed for honor code violations at BYU. He notes that most of them are African American.