Dr. Ellis was born the second son to a family enmeshed in the U.S. share-cropping system in an agricultural region of Georgia. He graduated from one of the most prestigious of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Morehouse College, and participated in the Southern Civil Rights Movement. He became an educator and taught in the San Francisco School District. He organized one of the most successful programs in the U.S. to diversify the teaching force. He has led struggles and written articles about discriminatory aspects of the U.S. education system, including the inaccurate presentation of U.S. history. His doctoral dissertation utilized an action research approach to create a more accurate representation of African-American history. Dr. Ellis is an adjunct faculty at Holy Names University.