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 here! “Second Class Saints” by Matt Harris https://www.amazon.com/Second-Class-Saints-Mormons-Struggle-Equality/dp/019769571X/ We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/. Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/mormon-prophets-hired-snipers-general-conference/ 00:00:00 Introductions 00:02:30 Quick review of past episode 00:05:45 Darron’s academic interests 00:15:22 Setting the stage for the BYU protests 00:26:12 Photo from the book, student protestors raising their fists 00:29:15 When did other sports teams integrate black athletes? 00:35:10 Rethinking racial policies and public image of the school/church 00:44:30 Creating an image where the church can look diverse 00:50:14 An awareness in the history department, acknowledgement of lack of black history 00:51:20 Fear of the Negro Twist and Black culture 01:05:55 Black sexuality is what’s driving this 01:13:20 The Conference (snipers on the roof of the tabernacle) 01:25:47 Statement that the church is not racist 01:32:38 Who was Darius Gray? 01:45:50 Students had to take religion classes learning about Mormon racism 01:51:59 In Mormonism, everyone was white in heaven 01:56:50 BYU’s first black faculty member 02:03:28 Woman being asked if she change her skin to white if you could? 02:09:07 The IRS and it’s Mormon leader at the time 02:19:34 Setting the stage for a white student named Sharon Pugsley 02:24:28 Fawn Brodie gave a talk on race 02:29:09 BYU is also targeted for not hiring women 02:35:15 Darron’s final remarks ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117