Tavis Smiley Biography

Tavis Smiley is still a powerful champion for change in his roles as a broadcaster, author, campaigner, and philanthropist. One of the "20 people transforming how Americans get their news," he was highlighted by Newsweek as one of the "captains of the airwaves" of the country. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) broadcasts Smiley's late-night talk show Tavis Smiley, and Public Radio International (PRI) distributes his public radio program, The Tavis Smiley Show. Smiley is the only American to ever host famous conversation shows on both public radio and television. On the Tom Joyner Morning Show twice a week, Smiley, who began his career as an assistant to the late Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, gives political analysis. He has written nine novels as well. When his book The Covenant with Black America peaked at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, he created publishing history. What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America is his most recent book. Smiley oversaw the production of the Democratic and Republican All-American Presidential Forums on PBS in 2007 and served as its moderator. This was the first presidential debate in primetime television history to be moderated by a panel of journalists of color. Smiley became the youngest African American ever to have a professional school and center named after him on a college or university campus when Texas Southern University opened The Tavis Smiley School of Communications and The Tavis Smiley Center for Professional Media Studies in 2004. Smiley gave the Center a $1 million grant to show his support for TSU. His foundation, the Tavis Smiley Foundation, aims to educate, inspire, and empower Black kids. Through symposiums, seminars, forums, and town hall meetings, Tavis Smiley Presents, a division of The Smiley Group, Inc., connects people and ideas. Numerous honorary doctorates and prizes, including one from Smiley's alma mater, Indiana University, have been bestowed upon him.

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