The University News

Issue date: 10/9/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Dylan Allan Pellom McDaniels lectured about black athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His talk coincided with an exhibit at the American Jazz Museum, 1616 E. 18th St., which runs through Dec. 9. McDaniels will begin an assistant professorship at UMKC in fall 2007.

Pellom McDaniels, a future assistant professor of history at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), spoke at the Gem Theater on Oct. 4 about black athletes at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. At the same event, Larry Moffi, writer and poet, spoke about two Jewish athletes, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller.

The discussions were related because the two Jewish sprinters were replaced by two African-Americans, Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, in the 4-by-100 relay only one day before the final event. Owens won one of his four gold medals in the relay.

"The people who protested the loudest in the United States were the African-Americans and they have continued to do so for the last 70 years," said Moffi, the former managing editor of CommonQuest: The Magazine of Black-Jewish Relations.

The evening was part of an exhibition, "The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936," which runs through Dec. 9 at the American Jazz Museum, 1616 E. 18th St., and is organized by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE).

Owens, who set five world records at the games in four days, was the central figure in McDaniels' speech. The decision to compete in Berlin was a difficult one for many athletes. McDaniels examined Owens' choice in the context of his life and goals.

"For many African-Americans the achievement of the American dream was tied directly to one's physical ability to perform," said McDaniels, who played seven seasons as a defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs before transferring to the Atlanta Falcons.

"Going to the games was a way of claiming citizenship on the world stage," he added.

Moffi explained how and why the two Jewish athletes were replaced.

"Glickman and Stoller were replaced by the assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic track team, Dean Cromwell," said Moffi. "The decision was supported by the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage. Both Cromwell and Brundage were members of America First, a pro-Nazi organization."

Continued...

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