20 years later Tavis Smiley reignites the call for equity and justice with The Covenant with Black America: 20 Years Later

Twenty years after sparking a national dialogue on systemic inequality, Tavis Smiley has updated and released The Covenant with Black America. The recently released book, The Covenant with Black America: 20 Years Later, maintains the book's original sense of urgency while weaving in a powerful blend of historical insights and contemporary voices. Initially published in 2004, The Covenant with Black America quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller by critically addressing the issues facing America's Black community and pushing the nation to confront deep-rooted disparities with extraordinary determination.

The Covenant with Black America: 20 Years Later revisits and updates the hard-hitting social commentary of its original version. The new edition intertwines the original essays with powerful new contributions from today's leading voices. Despite notable progress, disparities in health, housing, justice, and economic opportunities continue to impact Black communities disproportionately.

"At this critical time in our history, we must confront the forces of extremism and extend the rich tradition of deep democracy in America as we expand justice, equity, and freedom for all," stated Tavis Smiley. "The new edition provocatively covers today's most pressing issues and offers tangible solutions to some of this country's most persistent problems."

The book's ten covenants serve as a call to action and a reminder that the path to equality is far from over. Each of the original covenants has been updated with the latest data and analysis, revealing both the progress and the troubling persistence of inequality.

"Most importantly, the new edition includes a poignant essay on the alarming rise of homelessness within our community, where Black men have become the predominant face of this epidemic in America," added Smiley.

With a fresh foreword by Rev. William J. Barber, II and a special afterword by the esteemed poet Nikki Giovanni, The Covenant with Black America: 20 Years Later is a testament to the enduring spirit of advocacy and a beacon of light and hope for future generations. The book invites us all to partake in the crucial work of reshaping America into a more equitable society, echoing the timeless truth that our collective liberation uplifts our nation.

The Covenant with Black America: 20 Years Later is now available at local bookstores and online. For more information about this anniversary edition, please visit Hay House Publishing or contact Matt Klink, matt@klinkcampaigns.com.

Tavis Smiley returning with new inspirational series

Less than a month after PBS dropped Tavis Smiley's talk show following reported inappropriate relationships with subordinates, Smiley on Monday announced a deal to go back to work with a new series about inspirational stories.

The program, The Upside With Tavis Smiley, will be streamed online and shown on The Word Network, a religious-oriented cable and satellite channel directed at black viewers.

By fashioning a new program focusing on inspirational stories instead of more general interest news and entertainment, Smiley will sidestep the issue of whether his downfall would make celebrities reluctant to be interviewed by him. By striking a digital distribution deal with the media company AerNow and a little-watched cable network, he also will be much less visible.

But Smiley said he believed that going digital positions him well for the future. He also said he will attract a younger audience than he was getting at PBS, and that he also has struck a deal for international distribution for The Upside and his production company's inventory of interviews that he conducted in the past.

[SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

PBS suspends host Tavis Smiley amid sexual misconduct allegations

Longtime Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) host Tavis Smiley has been suspended following an investigation conducted by an outside law firm that found "credible allegations" regarding sexual misconduct.

"Effective today, PBS has indefinitely suspended distribution of 'Tavis Smiley', produced by TS Media, an independent production company," a PBS spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. "PBS engaged an outside law firm to conduct an investigation immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley. This investigation included interviews with witnesses as well as with Mr. Smiley. The inquiry uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS, and the totality of this information led to today’s decision."

Variety reports that the law firm MSK was hired by PBS and "took reports from 10 witnesses, a mix of men and women of different races and employment levels in Smiley’s organization, most of them former staffers," who claim he fostered a hostile work climate while verbally abusing his employees, according to the report.

Smiley, 53, has hosted his PBS program since 2004; he also served as its producer.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Theatrical production to showcase last year of Martin Luther King's life

You think you know Martin Luther King Jr.'s story? Tavis Smiley is willing to bet you don't.

To mark the 50th anniversary of King's assassination next April, the radio and TV host is planning a nationwide tour of a theatrical production focusing on the last year of King's life, a time when he was reviled by some for expanding his critique of America beyond its racism to poverty issues and the Vietnam War.

"I don't want this anniversary to come and go without people finally coming to terms with wrestling with who Martin Luther King really was," Smiley told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday, the day before the official announcement of the production.

"Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience" is based on Smiley's 2014 book of the same title. Smiley will narrate from his book, and will be accompanied by jazz pianist Marcus Roberts.

The production will travel to 40 cities still to be determined. It is set to kick off on January 15, the day of the national holiday named for King and his actual birthday, and run through April 4, the anniversary of the day he was fatally shot while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

Learn more about Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience: Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience

The Covenant with Black America - Ten Years Later

In 2006, Tavis Smiley—along with a team of esteemed contributors—laid out a national plan of action to address the ten most crucial issues facing African Americans. The Covenant, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller, ran the gamut from health care to criminal justice, affordable housing to education, voting rights to racial divides. But a decade later, Black men still fall to police bullets and brutality, Black women still die from preventable diseases, Black children still struggle to get a high quality education, the digital divide and environmental inequality persist, and American cities from Ferguson to Baltimore burn with frustration. In short, the last decade has seen the evaporation of Black wealth, with Black fel­low citizens having lost ground in nearly every leading economic category.

And so in these pages Smiley calls for a renewal of The Covenant, presenting the original action plan alongside new data from the Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs (SPEA) to underscore missed opportunities and the work that remains to be done. While life for far too many African Americans remains a struggle, the great freedom fighter Frederick Douglass was right: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

Now is the time to finally convert the trials and tribulations of Black America into the progress that all of America yearns for.

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Tavis Smiley's new book about MLK, "Death of a King"

A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the twelve months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations -- denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few -- all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Smiley's DEATH OF A KING paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life -- one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.

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