Dr. Pellom McDaniels describes himself as a conundrum in the world of higher education.
“I’m a former professional football player, who is a scholar with a Ph.D., trying to not only change the perception of how Black men are seen in America and globally, but to use my own passion to inspire university students to develop the skills that they need to be contributing members of society,” says McDaniels, an assistant professor of African American studies and faculty curator of the African American history and culture collections in the Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL) at Emory University.
Raised in San Jose, California, McDaniels has always held value in seeking and dispensing knowledge.
“Education has always been important to me; I’ve always loved to learn, ask questions and try to figure things out,” he says.
Even as a pro football player, McDaniels strived to make education and service a priority. While playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, he enrolled in a master’s program in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In the community, he noticed and addressed a number of issues among African-Americans surrounding education, poverty and economics.
In 1993, with his wife, McDaniels started the Arts for Smarts Foundation to expose grade school students to fine arts, reading and creativity. McDaniels has applied his personal creativity and knack for problem-solving into several areas of his life.