Tavis Smiley Writer, journalist, political commentator and talk show host Date of Birth: 13.09.1964 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Education
2. Political and Media Career
3. Television and Radio Talk Show Host
4. Awards and Recognition
5. Philanthropic Endeavors
6. Personal Life

Tavis Smiley: Prominent Journalist, Political Commentator, and Talk Show Host

Early Life and Education

Tavis Smiley was born on September 13, 1964, in Gulfport, Mississippi. His family relocated from Mississippi to Indiana when his stepfather, an Air Force sergeant, was stationed at Grissom Air Force Base near Peru, Indiana. After the move, the Smiley family settled into a mobile home in the small town of Bunker Hill, Indiana. The family size increased when Tavis's aunt committed suicide, leaving her five children homeless and destitute. Tavis's parents, Joyce and her husband, agreed to foster and raise the five orphaned nieces and nephews, bringing the total number of children living in the Smiley's mobile home to 13.

Tavis's mother was deeply religious and attended the Apostolic Church of the Trinity. Faith played a significant role in the Smiley household. Tavis later credited the values instilled in him during his upbringing for shaping his strong moral compass and his development into a principled adult.

After graduating from Maconaquah High School in 1982, Smiley enrolled at Indiana University, where he became involved in student government, joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and participated in the first of many political and social advocacy campaigns that would become hallmarks of his career. Notably, he led a protest against Indiana police officers who claimed to have killed Smiley's friend in self-defense. Smiley helped orchestrate a tribute defending the character of his slain friend against the alleged legitimacy of law enforcement actions.

Political and Media Career

Tavis Smiley later became an aide to Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of Los Angeles. He earned a bachelor's degree in law and public policy in 1986 and served as an advisor to the mayor until 1990. Following an unsuccessful campaign for the Los Angeles City Council in 1991, Smiley shifted his focus to radio commentary, hosting a one-minute radio news update on a Los Angeles urban radio station called "The Smiley Report." Smiley focused on local and national current events impacting the African American community.

Chicago journalist Ronald Childs introduced Smiley to a national audience with an article in the magazine "Ebony Man." Smiley became a local talk show host in Los Angeles, where he fearlessly voiced his opinions on topics ranging from politics and race relations to racism and substandard educational and economic programs for inner-city minority youth. His outspoken views on these issues garnered the attention of national media outlets such as Newsweek, The Washington Post, and Time.

In 1996, Tavis Smiley became the resident commentator on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," a nationally syndicated radio broadcast heard on black and urban radio stations across the United States. He forged a close friendship with the show's host, Tom Joyner, and together they spearheaded the annual "State of the Black Union" conferences held at Howard University and broadcast live on C-SPAN. Each year, the "State of the Black Union" focused on a specific topic of concern to the African American community, bringing together leading Black thinkers, educators, and professionals to address issues and find potential solutions.

Smiley used his platform as a commentator on the Tom Joyner Show to launch several campaigns highlighting media and government bias, advocating for the posthumous awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and further bolstering his reputation as a political commentator with appearances on MSNBC, ABC, and CNN.

Television and Radio Talk Show Host

In 1999, Tavis Smiley became the executive producer and host of "BET Tonight," a national talk show. He interviewed notable political figures and celebrities while engaging in discussions on topics ranging from racial profiling and police brutality to R&B music and Hollywood gossip. He remained host of the show until 2001, when BET declined to renew his contract, sparking a controversy. Smiley's friend Tom Joyner rallied his radio listeners to protest BET's decision. Robert Johnson, the founder of BET, defended the network's decision, claiming that Smiley had been fired for cause. It was revealed that Smiley had sold his exclusive interview with former Symbionese Liberation Army militant Sara Jane Olson to ABC News before offering the story to BET, despite the fact that his contract with BET did not explicitly prohibit him from doing so. Smiley denied that he had offered the story, an interview with Jane Olson, to CBS, which, like BET, was owned by the parent company Viacom. He eventually sold the interview to ABC's competitor NBC after it had aired on CBS.

Smiley went on to host a talk show on National Public Radio (NPR), "The Tavis Smiley Show," from 2001 to 2004. He announced his departure from the show in December 2004, citing the network's inability to connect with a cross-sectional audience as the primary reason for his exit.

Smiley currently hosts "Tavis Smiley Reports" on PBS and a weekly, two-hour talk show on PRI. In February 2007, PBS announced that Smiley would moderate two 2007 presidential candidate forums: the Democratic forum on June 28 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the Republican forum on September 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

On April 11, 2008, Tavis Smiley announced that he would be retiring in June 2008 as a regular commentator on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show." He cited a hectic schedule and burnout to Tom over the phone, but Tom revealed on his show that the true reason for his departure stemmed from Smiley's inability to stomach the backlash he had received from some Black people, whom he loved, over his coverage of Senator Barack Obama.

Awards and Recognition

Tavis Smiley is a recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News, Talk, or Information Series for his work on "BET Tonight" for three consecutive years (1997-99). His advocacy work has earned him numerous accolades and awards, including the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award from the National Association of Minorities in Communications. Smiley has received several honorary doctorates, including one from his alma mater, Indiana University.

Philanthropic Endeavors

In 1999, Smiley established the Tavis Smiley Foundation, a resource and grant-making organization dedicated to developing young leaders within the Black community. In 2004, Texas Southern University celebrated Smiley with the establishment of the Tavis Smiley School of Communications and the Tavis Smiley Center for Professional Media Studies. He is the youngest African American to have a professional school or center named after him. Smiley pledged his commitment to the institution, promising to invest $1 million annually for 11 years.

In March 2006, The Smiley Group and Third World Press released "The Covenant with Black America," an anthology of essays by Black scholars and professionals edited by Smiley. The book emerged from the "State of the Black Union" forums and focused on education and health care. The publishers described it as a blueprint for addressing the core socioeconomic challenges confronting African Americans.

Personal Life

Tavis Smiley enjoys playing Scrabble, a crossword board game, with friends in his spare time.