Timeline - Tavis Smiley

Tavis Smiley
• America I Am: The African
American Imprint debuts on
January 15, 2009 in
Philadelphia, PA to record
breaking crowds. This traveling
museum exhibition will tour
the country for four years.
Timeline
1964-Present
86
19
87
• Tavis’ heart,
Big Mama aka
Daisy Mae Robinson
• Advisory Board,
Inner City Foundation
for Excellence
198
8
1989
2
9
9
• Serves as Los Angeles
Mayor Tom Bradley's aide
19
Scouting USA
• Joins Tom Joyner Morning
Show (TJMS) as political
commentator
• Runs for Los
Angeles City
Council, 6th
District
• Founds L.A.’s Young Black
Professionals
• Debuts Just A
Thought radio
commentary
on KGFJ, Los
Angeles
1
19
99
19
1
1
1990 199
• Advisory Board,
• Launches
successful
CompUSA
campaign
on TJMS
• The Smiley
Group, Inc. (TSG)
forms as a
California corp.
• Blacks in Technology
events are produced
in LA, NYC, Atlanta,
and Chicago
• TSP produces SOBU:
Where Do We Go From
Here in Philadelphia
20 0
02
001
2002 2003
• Launches successful
campaign on TJMS to
award Rosa Parks the
Congressional Gold Medal
• Web site www. tavistalks.
com launches
• Founds Tavis Smiley
Foundation
• Publishes
The Smiley Report
newsletter
2007
• The Smiley Report radio
commentary is nationally
syndicated on ABC Radio Network
• Correspondent for CNN, ABC's
GMA and PrimeTime Thursday
• TSF distributes over $1 million
to 9-11 victims raised on TJMS
• TSP produces State of the
Black Union: It's About Us in
Washington, DC
• Launches successful HBCU
campaign on TJMS
• TSP produces State of the
Black Union: Strengthening
the Black Family
• TSP produces 50th
Anniversary of Brown v.
Board of Education
with NAACP LDF
• Tavis portrays Thurgood
Marshall on NBC’s American
Dreams
• Empowerment Cards Deck II
(SmileyBooks)
• TSP produces
The Covenant Moving
Forward Tour
2008
as the first African American
alumni to deliver the
commencement address at the
178th ceremony, May 5th
• Tavis returns to public radio
with The Tavis Smiley Show
from PRI
debuts
• Talented Tenth High School
Tour and Talented Tenth
HBCU Tour hit the road
• Wealth-Building Tour with Wells
Fargo begins 2005, ends 2007
• Tavis Smiley Foundation
• We Count! The Black Agenda is
the America Agenda symposium
convenes in Chicago, March 20.
On tap: Is there a need for a Black
Agenda in the era of Obama?
address and receives his 10th
honorary doctorate from
Connecticut College
• Announces and unveils
an on-line virtual tour of the
museum exhibition
America I AM: The African
American Imprint on
TJMS, June 17, 2008
• Accountable: Making America
As Good As Its Promise
(Simon & Schuster)
• The second episode of
premieres on PBS March 31.
Tavis examines Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
stand against the Vietnam War and
the parallels to Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Tavis makes his first guest
• TIME magazine names Tavis
appearance on The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno, June 21, 2007
as one of “The World’s 100
Most Influential People,”
May 1, 2009
• Founds High Quality
• What I Know For Sure
(Doubleday)
• The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI
Speakers Bureau
celebrates its 5th Anniversary by
announcing the Sheryl Flowers
Scholarship at Clark Atlanta University.
• After 12 years, Tavis delivers
final commentary on TJMS,
June 26, 2008
debuts on the
New York Times Best
Sellers list
celebrates its 5th anniversary
• STAND, Tavis’ first film documentary
premieres on TV One, May 24, 2009
• Tavis moderates the All-American
• How to Make Black America
Better (Doubleday)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
on January 27, 2010 in the first
of four primetime PBS specials.
celebrates its 10th Anniversary
of the Youth 2 Leaders program
• Tavis delivers commencement
Black Union 2005: Road to
Health and Defining the
African American Agenda
• Road to Health tour
Museum in Washington, DC on February 2, 2011
• Tavis Smiley Foundation
the Black Union 2006:
Economic Empowerment
and Defining the
African American
Agenda Part II,
in Houston, Texas
Presidential Forums on PBS
• Tavis and Jonathan Demme examine
how New Orleans residents are
rebuilding their city and explores what still
needs to be done in the third primetime
special July 21, 2010.
• Tavis receives his eighth
• TSP produces SuccesSoul
expo in Chicago, Illinois
• Inducted into
Vanity Fair Radio
Hall of Fame
• Co-hosts Twenty-Something Talk on
KMPC-AM, Los Angeles
• Cover story LA Times Sunday Calendar
• Named one of 50 future leaders by
TIME magazine
NAACP Image Award
• Empowerment Cards
Messages for Life by
Bishop Noel Jones
• TSG building opens in L.A.
(SmileyBooks)
• Tavis Smiley on PBS receives
first of four consecutive
NAACP Image Awards
• Tavis celebrates
15 years in
broadcasting
(November)
• Sept. 18, 2008 “Tavis Smiley” on
– Democratic Forum broadcast
live from Howard University,
June 28, 2007
PBS celebrates 1,000th episode
• ”Tavis Smiley” on PBS debuts in-flight
on American Airlines.
• SIVAT PRODUCTIONS is formed
to produce its first film, STAND
• Tavis and Dr. Cornel West announce
new radio show from PRI Smiley & West
at the 23rd annual PRPD conference in
Denver, Colorado on September 26, 2010.
– Republican Forum broadcast
live from Morgan State
University,
September 27, 2007
• Tavis is the host for historic Farm Aid 25th
• Tavis names Cheryl Woodruff
President of SmileyBooks
Anniversary: Growing Hope for America on
October 2, 2010.
(October)
• Tavis awarded "2009
Interdependence Day Prize"
in Istanbul, Turkey
• Tavis and WNET President & CEO Neal
Shaprio announce co-production
partnership in New York, December 29, 2010.
• Tavis’ alma mater, Indiana University,
names the atrium of its School of
Public and Environmental Affairs
(SPEA) building The Tavis Smiley Atrium
• America I AM: The African American
Imprint receives coveted THEA Award
for exhibition excellence
2011
• America I AM opens at National Geographic
• Tavis sits down with
2009
• Tavis returns to Indiana University
• Election day coverage
with Peter Jennings on ABC
State of the Black Union: Making
America As Good As its Promise
in Los Angeles, CA
Union 2007: Jamestown—
The African American Imprint on
America in Virginia
• On Air Part II (SmileyBooks)
5
200
• TSP produces The 10th Annual
2010
• TSP produces State of
• TSF National
Leadership
Summit, Catholic
University,
Washington, DC
conversations, State of the Black
Union ends.
• TSP produces State of the Black
• TSP produces State of the
2004
Lorraine Motel in Memphis
on the 40th anniversary of
MLK assassination
the New York Times
Best Sellers list
2006
• Begins series
of articles for
USA Today
Weekend
• Broadcasts live from
• The Covenant is #1 on
• Keeping the Faith
(Doubleday)
• Profiled in Newsweek
magazine cover story for
changing how Americans
get news
• Host and executive
producer of BET
Tonight with Tavis
Smiley through
2001
• The Tavis Smiley Show
from NPR premieres
2002, ends December
2004
12th NAACP Image Awards
Go for Greatness
collection of inspiring
quotes is published
• Receives honorary doctorate
degree from alma mater
Indiana University
• After 10 years of engaging
• Tavis receives his 11th and
• Never Mind Success . . .
Monty Howell/Herald-Times
95
19
9
19
• Hard Left: Straight
Talk About the
Wrongs of the
Right (Doubleday)
94
0
• Member, Steering
Committee, United Way
of Greater Los Angeles
6
7
9
19
19
• Tavis’ school day
picture 2nd grade
in Mrs. Vera Graft’s
classroom
• Doing What's
Right
(Doubleday)
• Graduation day from
Indiana University with
mother and father
93
• September 13, 1964
– Tavis is born in
Gulfport, Mississippi
• The Smiley clan, photo
taken during Tavis’
sophomore year in
high school
19
8
• On Air: The Best of
Tavis Smiley on the
• TSP produces
TJMS (Pines One
The Black
Publications)
Think Tank
symposium in
Los Angeles
• Premieres as commentator
on KABC – TV (Channel 7)
and Radio, Los Angeles
• Tavis Smiley premieres on PBS
• Empowerment Cards
Deck I (SmileyBooks)
• Launches successful
campaign on TJMS to
reinstate Fox's Living Single
• Honored with first
of five consecutive
annual NAACP
Image Awards for
BET Tonight with
Tavis Smiley
8
99
1
4
196
965
• Just A Thought
(Pines One Publications)
197
9
America’s
Next
CChapter
happter
ha
Is there a brighter future for the next generation?
the companion to The Covenant
premieres at #7 on the New York
Times Best Sellers list
• Advisory Board, MLK Jr. Center
for Nonviolent Social Change
1973
in Washington, DC January 13. The conversation
wrestles with the question, “Is their a brighter
future for the next generation?”
• THE COVENANT In Action
• TSP produces SOBU:
The Black Church in
Detroit and Pass the
Mic! tour
• Tavis’ father
Emory G. Smiley Sr.
as an enlisted officer
in the U.S. Air force
• America’s Next Chapter symposium convenes
• The fourth episode of Tavis Smiley Report profiles
renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel
December 29, 2010.