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Tavis Smiley            

Broadcaster, Author, Publisher, Advocate, and Philanthropist

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles.

Smiley became a radio commentator in 1991 and, starting in 1996, he hosted the talk show BET Talk (later renamed BET Tonight) on Black Entertainment Television (BET). After Smiley sold an exclusive interview of Sara Jane Olson to ABC News in 2001, BET declined to renew his contract that year. Smiley then began hosting "The Tavis Smiley Show" on National Public Radio and hosted "Tavis Smiley" on the Public Broadcasting Service on weekdays and "The Tavis Smiley Show" on Public Radio International from 2004 until 2017.

From 2010 to 2013, Smiley and Cornel West worked together to host their own radio talk show, "Smiley & West". They were featured together interviewing musician Bill Withers in the 2009 documentary film "Still Bill". He was the new host of "Tavis Talks" on BlogTalkRadio's Tavis Smiley Network.

Speech Topics


Advocacy: How to Fight for What You Believe and Make a Difference

A Five-Part Plan to Succeed in College and the Workplace

Diversity and Multiculturalism: A National Perspective

African Americans in the 21st Century

News


Tavis Smiley set to speak at education conference
Author and talk show host Tavis Smiley is the scheduled headline speaker of an education conference spotlighting the gap in academic achievement for students of color.
Tavis Smiley speaks to Lehigh, local communities
Tavis Smiley’s talk, titled “Accountable: Making America as Good as its Promise,” focused on the multitude of social and economic problems black Americans face today.
Tavis Smiley: U.S. 'Dishonoring' MLK with 'Deeds in Syria' - ABC News
Reflecting on the 50-year anniversary of the March on Washington, radio host Tavis smiley said on the “This Week” powerhouse roundtable that the U.S. was ...
Tavis Smiley: Obama's race speech 'weak as Kool-Aid' - Washington ...
President Obama's personal remarks Friday on his reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict have been praised by many, including the parents of Trayvon  ...

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