I think it was last year or the year before they scored Dr. King's son at the HS graduation. I would have gone to see him if they had played it up. I only read about it when it was over.
I'd go see Tavis too if they could get him. --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Just wondering if our board of education has money budgeted to bring > speakers like Tavis to speak and inspire our students. > ============================= > For Tavis Smiley, Promises to Keep > > February 15, 2007 > > One of the better-kept secrets in the U.S. is the wide reach and > extraordinary commitment of Tavis Smiley. > > Mr. Smiley is reasonably well known as a media personality. Heâs the host > of a television talk show broadcast on PBS five nights a week and a weekly > radio show. Heâs also a regular commentator on the widely syndicated > black-oriented radio program âThe Tom Joyner Morning Show.â > > But that doesn't begin to capture the ever-widening swirl of activities, > projects, programs and initiatives set in motion by this energetic, > fast-talking, charismatic advocate and mentor, described by The Timesâs Felicia R. Lee > as âa cultural phenomenon.â > > Largely out of the sight of the broader public, Mr. Smiley has quietly > become one of the most effective black leaders in the nation. Heâs always in > motion, giving speeches, meeting with national leaders, conducting annual > seminars on the âState of the Black Unionâ and offering how- to tips on > important aspects of daily life for African-Americans. > > Mr. Smiley constantly exhorts his followers and admirers to make better use > of the traditional tools of advancement - education, hard work, citizen > activism - to transcend the barriers of continued neglect and discrimination. > > Next June, thanks to Mr. Smiley, the major presidential candidates will > meet in a pair of prime-time debates on PBS - one for each party - to focus on > issues of concern to African-American voters. That has never happened > before. > > About a year ago Mr. Smiley, who has written several books, edited a > paperback titled âThe Covenant With Black America.â Itâs a guidebook, on matters > large and small, for African-Americans, offering information and advice on > issues that range from the importance of a healthy diet to closing the digital > divide. > > No one, except perhaps Mr. Smiley, expected much from the book. Thereâs > nothing in the way of pizzazz in it. There are no celebrity scandals, no > sex, no > drugs, no rock ânâ roll. âI said letâs put a book together thatâs easy > to read,â said Mr. Smiley, âand that lays out what each individual can do, > what the community together can > do and what the body politic should do about these problems.â > > Published by a little-known black-owned company in Chicago, Third World > Press, the book became an astonishing success, rising to No. 1 on the New York > Times best-seller list. > > âThat book went to No. 1 without any mainstream exposure,â said Mr. Smiley. > âI didn't mention it on my NPR and PBS shows because I don't do that - I > don't use the shows to promote things that I'm connected to. Other than that, > though, I drove the book as hard as I could. > > âBut Oprah wouldn't touch it. âThe Today Showâ wouldn't touch it. âGood > Morning America,â NPR, Larry King - not a single mainstream media outlet > said or did anything with that book. And it still went to No. 1. That tells > me that there is a hunger and a thirst in black America for trying to turn > this mess that we are in around.â > > For all of his 21st-century media savvy, Mr. Smiley is in many ways an > old-fashioned, idealistic leader who has managed in an era saturated with > cynicism to cling to the eternal verities. His hero is Dr. Martin Luther King > Jr. He believes it is still possible for ordinary citizens to hold public > officials accountable. (âI'm still baffled, befuddled,â he says, âby how the > president did not even mention New Orleans or Katrina in his State of the > Union speech.â) He speaks openly about the importance of bringing love - > yes, love - into the public discourse. > > âWhen I was 13,â he said, âI vowed to God that if I ever got the chance to > make something of myself, I'd spend the rest of my life trying to love and > serve other people. I still believe that love is the most powerful and > transformative force in the world today. I love people and I get joy out of > serving people.â > > The cynics, of course, will have a field day with this. But Mr. Smiley, on > his way to catch a flight, or hop a train, or racing down the highway to his > next event, will no doubt be too busy to notice. Heâs eager to do what he > can about the sorry state of the public schools in the big cities, and the > fact that there are too few jobs that pay a living wage, and all manner of > other issues: child care, health care, the environment. > > > He is trying to do nothing less than generate a movement among black > Americans that will âhelp make all of America better.â > > The companion volume to âThe Covenantâ was published two weeks ago. Itâs > called âthe Covenant in Action.â > > > _For Tavis Smiley, Promises to Keep - New York Times_ > (http://select.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/opinion/15herbert.html? n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/O > p-Ed/Columnists/Bob%20Herbert) > Yahoo! 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