Tavis Smiley

From his celebrated conversations with world figures to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, Tavis Smiley — broadcaster, autore, publisher, advocate, and philanthropist — has emerged as an outstanding voice for change. Smiley is currently the host of the late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley su PBS, oltre The Tavis Smiley Spettacolo from Public Radio International (PRI), and the daily online radio program, Tavis Talks, on the Tavis Smiley Network (TSN) on BlogTalk Radio.

In addition to his radio and television work, Smiley has written 16 libri. His memoir, What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America, became a New York Times best seller, and the book he edited, Covenant with Black America, became the first nonfiction book by a Black-owned publisher to reach #1 su Il New York Times best-sellers list.

In his latest New York Times best seller, The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto, Smiley and his co-author Dr. Cornel West challenge all Americans to re-examine their assumptions about poverty in America — what it really is and how to eradicate it.

His forthcoming text to be published in September 2014 è Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year. Nel libro, Smiley recounts the little known story of the denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country’s Black elite and militant youth, assaults on his character, ideology and political tactics — all of which MLK had to rise above in the final year of his life in order to lead and address the racism, poverty and militarism that threatens, even still, to destroy our democracy.

Smiley was the presenter and creative force behind AMERICA I AM: The African American Imprint. This unprecedented traveling museum exhibition, which debuted in January 2009, toured the country for four years, celebrating the extraordinary impact of African American contributions to our nation and the world, as told through rare artifacts, memorabilia and multimedia. Many of the artifacts Smiley discovered and displayed during the AMERICA I AM tour are now on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution.

Smiley’s most gratifying accomplishments are rooted in his passion to inspire the next generation of leaders. The nonprofit Tavis Smiley Foundation has provided leadership training and development for America’s youth. Since its inception, oltre 6,500 young people have participated in the foundation’s Youth to Leaders training workshops and conferences. The Foundation recently announced a $3 million four-year campaign called ENDING POVERTY: America’s Silent Spaces to alleviate endemic poverty in America.

His communications company, The Smiley Group, Inc., is dedicated to supporting human rights and related empowerment issues and serves as the holding company for various enterprises encompassing broadcast and print media, lectures, symposiums, book publishing, and the Internet.

Smiley’s achievements have earned him numerous awards and honorary doctorate degrees, including one from his alma mater, Indiana University. In 2009, Indiana University named the atrium of its School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) building “The Tavis Smiley Atrium.” Smiley is also the recipient of the prestigious Du Bois Medal from Harvard University and the 2009 Interdependence Day Prize from Demos in Istanbul, Turchia. TEMPO magazine has honored Smiley as one of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People.” On April 24, 2014, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Mr. Smiley with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

New Book:
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year

Evento:
An Evening with Tavis Smiley (Discussion of Book “Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year”)
Tuesday September 9th 6pm – 7pm
All Saints Church
504 N. Camden
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
PURCHASE TICKETS:
$20 General Admission
$30 Reserved Seats
$43 Includes Smiley’s book + Reserved Seats
$95 includes reserved seating + pre-event reception + libro

For more information or to purchase tickets: LiveTalksLA.com

Tavis Smiley also debuts tonight on Dancing with the Stars!