Tavis Smiley: What is Africa to Me?

Tavis Smiley

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Tavis Smiley hosts the late night television talk show, Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show distributed by Public Radio International. Smiley is the first American to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both public television and public radio.

Smiley started his career as an aide to the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. In 1996, he became the resident social and political commentator on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a post he held for 12 years.

In 2007, Smiley made television history as the moderator and executive producer of the All-American Presidential Forums on PBS, the first Democratic and Republican presidential debates broadcast live in primetime with a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color.

In addition to his radio and television work, Smiley has authored eleven books. His memoir, What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America, became a New York Times best seller and the book he edited, Covenant with Black America, became the first nonfiction book by a Black owned publisher to reach #1 on The New York Times best seller list.

He is also the presenter and creative force behind America I AM: The African American Imprint. This unprecedented traveling museum exhibition will tour the country for four years, celebrating the extraordinary impact of African American contributions to our nation and the world as told through rare artifacts, memorabilia and multimedia.