Tavis Smiley \u2013 The \u201cBeen in the Storm Too Long\u201d Interview<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From his celebrated conversations with world figures, to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, as a broadcaster, author, advocate and philanthropist, Tavis Smiley continues to be an outstanding voice for change. He is currently the host of the late night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show on Public Radio International (PRI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time Magazine honored Mr. Smiley in 2009 as one of \u201cThe World\u2019s 100 Most Influential People.\u201d The Smiley Group, Inc. (TSG) is a communications corporation established in support of human rights and related empowerment issues. TSG serves as the holding company for various enterprises encompassing broadcast and print media, lectures, symposiums and the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, Tavis talks about Been in the Storm Too Long, a special report on the City of New Orleans airing on PBS on July 21st ET\/PT. He also speaks about the On Your Side Tour with Tavis Smiley, a series of free financial empowerment workshops he\u2019s staging in various cities around the country between now and the end of 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kam Williams:<\/strong> Hey, what\u2019s happening, Tavis? How\u2019re you doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tavis Smiley:<\/strong> I\u2019m doing the best I can, brother. How about you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Things are hectic, as usual, but all is well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Oh, man, we\u2019re both just trying to make our own contribution, brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Thanks for the time, again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Oh, it\u2019s my pleasure. It\u2019s a blessing to talk to you again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Since you were born in Gulfport, Mississippi, I have to first ask you what you think about the Gulf oil spill?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> I was just down there for about a week. We\u2019re working on the third installment of Tavis Smiley Reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> \u201cBeen in the Storm Too Long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Yeah, exactly. In addition to my late night show, we\u2019re doing four primetime specials this year, one every quarter. And it seemed obvious that in the third quarter it needed to be about the fifth anniversary of Katrina. I\u2019m doing this one in conjunction with Academy Award-winner Jonathan Demme who is actually directing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> So, how\u2019re things down there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to find the language to describe what it\u2019s like when you see it in person. It is horrific, and there are a lot of questions we\u2019re going to have to address once we get on the other side of this crisis. I recently had the former President of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, as a guest on my TV show. He has a powerful, new book out called, \u201cWhy We Hate the Oil Companies.\u201d http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0230102085?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0230102085<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We had a really, really serious dialogue navigating through the politics of what happened, what President Obama ought to be doing, what BP ought to be doing, and how we can insure that this never happens again. It was a fascinating conversation. Still, when you see it in person, it\u2019s horrific, for lack of a better term. It\u2019s a major, major crisis, and I\u2019m just sorry that the White House was a little slow moving on this, initially. But now, it seems like they\u2019re fully engaged. So, I hope we can turn the corner on this disaster. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> There are some people who are secretly happy about the President\u2019s delayed response to the Gulf oil spill, given Bush\u2019s failure in the wake of Katrina. Let me read you part of an email I received recently from a brother from the South: \u201cI say a pox on the racist whites of South Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida\u2026 Let the Gulf be a cesspool, a dead zone. Let the crackers and the rednecks be dispersed to find other places and other jobs.\u201d He goes on to point out that after Hurricane Katrina, \u201ca quarter million blacks were dispersed across the country and not allowed to return to New Orleans and their homes, even though public housing was unaffected by the flooding. The white middle class racial oppression of the blacks was exposed, and the racial conspiracy was a foot with no substantial sympathy from them.\u201d So, he obviously feels that blacks were abandoned, uprooted and disenfranchised after Katrina, so whites deserve the same treatment now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> I hear what he\u2019s saying. My response to that would be that two wrongs don\u2019t make a right. We ought to live in a country where we will not abide the contestation of anyone\u2019s humanity. That\u2019s what\u2019s wrong with America. Too many people\u2019s humanity is being contested. The humanity of black folk was contested during Hurricane Katrina. The humanity of these fishermen and others who live or make their living off the Gulf coast is being contested now. In Arizona, the humanity of our Hispanic brothers and sisters is being contested. Whether it\u2019s racism, ageism, sexism, homophobia or some other form of intolerance, I call all of these slights the contestation of humanity. The way forward is not playing tit for tat, and saying, \u201cYou killed my dog, so I\u2019m gonna kill your cat.\u201d It\u2019s about celebrating, reveling in, and protecting the humanity of every American. I don\u2019t think any group should be allowed to suffer because another one did. We have to rise to the occasion by recognizing everyone\u2019s humanity. So, I hope that his opinion is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I see that you\u2019re going around the country conducting these free financial literacy workshops. But with the real black unemployment numbers way over 20%, of what value is financial literacy to people if they can\u2019t even get a job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> That\u2019s a challenge, and one of the things I\u2019m going to be talking about. I\u2019m not na\u00efve about this. I recognize that unemployment is triple and, in some cities, quadruple the national average. We have to find jobs, and we have to pressure the powers that be. One thing\u2019s for certain: jobs won\u2019t become available to the unemployed unless people start screaming, jumping up and down, and demanding that the powers that be do more to get the economy jumpstarted. Politics is not a spectator sport. Election season tends to be a good time to get the attention of leaders. So, I think that makes this a good time, Kam, to be having this conversation because people have questions, they have concerns, they have fears, they have anxieties and they want information about how to navigate through this, including those persons who might still be employed but are just holding on. Some folks have a job, but their retirement is exhausted, or maybe the cash saved for their kids\u2019 college education has been shot or they\u2019ve lost their home and had to downsize. So, there\u2019s a lot to address, even though I can\u2019t just show up and start handing out jobs. It\u2019s really about getting people the type of information that will help them navigate their way through this crisis so they can come out of these challenging times prepared to put themselves on sure financial footing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Illness and lack of health insurance is hurting a lot of people, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Healthcare is the number one reason for bankruptcy in this country. People will spend everything they have trying to hold onto their lives. In that regard, President Obama deserves credit for getting the healthcare bill passed, even though it was watered way down, and isn\u2019t nearly what I think it should have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW<\/strong>: You mentioned elections. What do you think of that unknown candidate Alvin Greene winning the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina when he had no budget and never campaigned? That\u2019s a real head-scratcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> I can\u2019t figure it out, either. That\u2019s the most bizarre story I\u2019ve ever seen. There\u2019s something going on down there. What, I do not know. I get the sense that the Democrats were asleep at the wheel. Who this guy is and how he got on the ballot, they\u2019re only raising all these questions now, when they should\u2019ve been raised before the primary, if the Democrats had done their due diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> I wonder why nobody\u2019s talking about the possibility that there was vote fraud, since South Carolina uses paperless electronic voting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> They ARE looking into the question of whether or not it might have had to do with the machines. If it turns out that he\u2019s a Republican plant, it\u2019s so unheard of and so very, very bizarre, that it deserves to have a book written about it. But I don\u2019t think either party is that well organized to pull something like that off. We\u2019ll get to the bottom of it eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Larry Greenberg says, \u201cI\u2019ve seen you bring together forces that I could never imagine at the same table. Is it the power of love or diplomacy that you have harnessed?\u201d I think he might be referring to the Black Agenda Summit you convened in Chicago this Spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Yeah, I hope it\u2019s both. I love people, and I believe that diplomacy is a valuable tool in one\u2019s arsenal. But beyond me, it\u2019s about the people I invite. The people who are interested in engaging in discourse about making America better. In that regard, it\u2019s not like I did something magical, you ask the right people, and they tend to show up. So, it\u2019s about outreach. I can honestly say that while those forums are monumental and take a lot of work and energy to organize and pull off, I\u2019d be lying if I said I had to twist anybody\u2019s arm to be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Children\u2019s book author Irene Smalls says, \u201cYour career has taken many turns. What are your future goals?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good question. For me, the answer has always been the same. It\u2019s about trying to love and serve people. I operate off of a very simple, but I think poignant definition of leadership. It\u2019s this: you can\u2019t lead people unless you love people. And you can\u2019t save people, if you don\u2019t serve people. Love to me means that everybody is worthy, just because all life has equal value, and everybody is worthy of a quality education, worthy of a good job, and worthy of living in a crime and pollution-free environment. Serving to me means trying to give people information that can help them live better lives. That\u2019s always been my goal. It\u2019s never changed, although it\u2019s taken on a variety of forms, whether TV, radio, print, philanthropy or any of the other things that I do. But the real substance is trying to love people, trying to serve people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> A book by Tim Wise called Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equality. It\u2019s a great book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0872865088?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0872865088<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> That\u2019s a powerful question, Kam. To be honest with you, I see someone who\u2019s struggling every day to get it right. What I mean by that is sometimes you work really hard, and you look at everything you\u2019re up against in the culture, in the society, in the economy, and in the body politic, and sometimes it feels like you\u2019re just spinning your wheels. So, I wake up every day, not depressed, but burdened by something, yet excited about making a contribution. It\u2019s a struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m a very introspective person, but usually not this public about my introspection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> The end of poverty, because with that there are so many issues that we struggle with that would immediately disappear. If we could eradicate poverty, the world would be a whole lot better place to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> That\u2019s another good question. Fortunately, for me, it was being loved by two parents. I was the eldest of nine. I can recall being nurtured and supported and paid a whole lot of attention by two very loving parents before the others kids showed up. I believe we are who we are because somebody loved us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS: I\u2019m not one to cook. I\u2019m an eater not a cooker. And I love to eat anything my mother makes, except liver and onions. I can\u2019t stand liver. But anything else Joyce Smiley prepares, I will happily eat. She\u2019s the best cook in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> My son\u2019s at Princeton, and told me he got to meet you when you made a surprise appearance in Cornel West\u2019s class last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> Oh, cool. Give him my regards. How\u2019s he doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Will do. Very well, thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> I was in town doing something with Dr. West, and I stayed over to attend his class. I love sitting in on his classes, especially his graduate seminars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> One last question. As the consummate interviewer, are you willing to share with me a couple of questions I can ask everybody I interview?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> That\u2019s a very, very good question. Yeah, let me think of questions that might work universally for a lot of different people\u2026 [Pauses] Because life is so short, I\u2019m always fascinated by what people want their legacy to be and how they are doing in relation to creating that legacy. Some questions that could come out of that are: \u201cWhat do you want your legacy to be?\u201d and \u201cAs we sit for this conversation, where do you think you are in the process of creating that legacy?\u201d That leads to these other questions that I love asking in some shape or form: \u201cHow introspective are you?\u201d and \u201cHow do you engage in that introspection?\u201d The point I\u2019m making is that, typically, the questions we ask are about external things, because nobody wants to talk about the internal. However, Socrates said, \u201cThe unexamined life is not worth living.\u201d I\u2019ve discovered that, however you phrase it, if you can get people to be introspective, you\u2019re in for a very deep conversation. Introspection enables you to get to the heart of the matter. For me, the sweet spot is getting them to open up about their introspective process, how they see their lives, how they see their contribution. Once they start opening up, \u201cWhew!\u201d you\u2019re off and running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Those are some great questions, Tavis. You sure you don\u2019t mind if I start using them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS:<\/strong> No, take whatever you want, Kam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KW:<\/strong> Much appreciated. I promise to call them the Tavis Smiley questions. Thanks for another great interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS<\/strong>: It\u2019s always great speaking with you. Take care of yourself, brother<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, visit: http:\/\/www.tavistalks.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n To see a preview of Been in the Storm Too Long, visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ceha6VyPWuU<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n