Tavis Smiley-The conscience voice in American Media.
By Earl Sides

“You can’t lead people if you don’t love people. You can’t save people if you don’t serve them”.

Time Magazine named Tavis Smiley one of America's 50 most promising young leaders. Newsweek Magazine elected to choose him as one of the "20 people changing how Americans get their news" and also dubbed him one of the nation's "captains of the airwaves." Texas Southern University honored Mr. Smiley with the opening of The Tavis Smiley School of Communications and The Tavis Smiley Center for Professional Media Studies, making him the youngest African American to ever have a professional school and center named after him on a college or university campus. Tavis annually hosts the State of the Black Union in February during Black History month. This symposium was created to educate, enlighten and empower America by bringing together the most brilliant minds in Black America to engage in thoughtful dialogue; leading the way to constructive action. He is passionate about learning, about expanding his outlook on life, and about spreading his knowledge around to both the young and mature. He is profound and prolific with an inexhaustible effort. Tavis Smiley is truly expanding, empowering, and enlightening America.

Tavis espouses that Black America must have an agenda, have some ideas on what we want, and articulate that agenda. His Covenant with Black America speaks to the agenda of Black America. In consultation with some of the most brilliant black minds around, Tavis has presented a book containing 10 Covenants. The Covenant with Black America is an exhaustive revelation on the litany of issues presently afflicting African Americans. What makes this exposition unique is the wealth of practical direction for correcting the prevailing and persisting inequalities to Black America. The Covenant with Black America challenges Black America to get involved personally, and to lend their talents to the abolition of the problematic barriers of black advancement in America.

Hope Today Magazine had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Smiley and obtaining some helpful wisdom regarding his evolution of expanding, empowering, and enlightening America.

HTM: How do we ensure that Black America embellishes the ten covenants contained in the Covenant with Black America in the upcoming Presidential election?

Tavis: In this upcoming election year, we must make informed decisions. I am working to advance that agenda by hosting Presidential debates amongst the two dominant parties—Republicans and Democrats. The Presidential debates allow us to hold these candidates accountable based on what we have heard or not heard.
To read more about this article, purchase the November 2007 Issue.