What is the state of Blacks in America? Statistically, it’s not so good. But, the "State of the Black Union" is doing pretty darn good, as its producers and participants gain iconic and institutional status.
Billed as "the national forum" for discussing the issues that are most important to Black Americans, the "State of the Black Union" is an innovative production by "Tavis Smiley Presents" that assembles well-known African- Americans for discussion of those "issues". Not to be confused with the Urban League’s annual "The State of Black America" report, the "Black Union" is more "infotainment" than substantive conversation toward acts and tactics to resolve African-Americans’ pressing challenges. The "State of the Black Union" is not as much a report as it is an entertainment production.
The annual symposiums reach millions of households via C-SPAN. But, instead of vibrant discussions centered on resolving issues in education, homeownership, entrepreneurship, health, and other areas that are central to African-Americans’ growth, the event is a commercialized platform that enhances the celebrity of panelists, instead of igniting African- American activism.
The 2008 forum took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tavis Smiley Presents" coordinated events that included rebuilding efforts in the hurricane-ravished Lower 9th Ward and a symposium at the Ernest E. Morial Convention Center. Born of the corporate access of talk show host Tavis Smiley and disc jockey Tom Joyner, Wells Fargo & Company is an example of the corporate sponsorship the "Black Union" has attained. Wells Fargo’s Home Mortgage sponsored the symposium and a thousand volunteers at six simultaneous community service projects in the Upper Ninth Ward. Wells Fargo’s head of the Home Mortgage’s Diverse Segments said: "We are proud to sponsor this event for the third year in a row".
This year’s symposium sessions included black liberal icons such as Jesse Jackson, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, District of Columbia representative, Eleanor Holmes Norton, humorist/activist Dick Gregory, Mayor Ray Nagin and a few other local, state, and national officials and students. The program included a couple of black Republicans. Naomi Churchill Earp, chair of the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission made interesting and definitive points toward ways blacks can gain increased employment opportunities that were mostly ignored by the audience and moderators in favor of more "lively" discussions. GOPAC chairman and former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele gave the participants the political red meat they needed to foster partisan debate too often the fare of "the Union ".
"Tavis Smiley Presents" is an event production company that presents events such as Covenant In Action Tour, Road to Health Expo, Building Inroads to Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide, and the "State of the Black Union" series. "Tavis Smiley Presents" empowerment events provide corporations such as McDonald’s, Allstate Insurance and ExonMobil outreach and point-of-contact opportunities that bolster their marketing, advertising and public relations strategies toward the African-American consumer market.
The state of blacks in "Union" may be a little anemic. But the state of Tavis Smiley’s enterprises is good and growing. His niche is "dialoging with Black America." The Smiley Group, Inc. is a communications corporation that serves as the holding company for various enterprises encompassing broadcast and print media, lectures, symposiums and the Internet. The businesses include a speakers bureau that features regular symposium panelists such as Doctors Cornel West and Eddie Glaude, and TV Judge Glenda Hatchett. He hosts a nightly talk show on PBS. His social and political commentary is heard on The Tom Joyner Morning Show. His book, "The Covenant in Action" is published by Smiley Books. USA Today columnist calls Smiley, "the nation’s most influential black journalist."
Look for Smiley’s latest triumph in your town soon. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will serve as the title sponsor of Smiley’s " America I AM: The African American Imprint" five-year traveling museum exhibition. The exhibit features collections of historically significant African American documents, artifacts, music, and cultural memorabilia. It will provide "a presentation of the wide-ranging impact African-Americans have had on the nation and the world".
