Good news for Alma Brown (who is in the PR business), she gets a mention in Politico! Not so good news for the Peoria Civic Center who is also in the PR business...
Tavis Smiley booted from MLK event
Tavis Smiley, the PBS talk show host who has criticized
President Barack Obama for not doing enough for the African-American community,
says he was ousted as the speaker at a Martin Luther King luncheon because he
was trying to hold the president accountable.
“I don’t see my role as one of criticizing the president. I
see my role as one of holding the president – this and every other
president—accountable,” Smiley said on Fox News on Monday.
“Something is wrong
with this country … that so often the political right, and I am no defender of
the political right … gets accused of playing the game of political
correctness. What this underscores is that those on the left, the Democrats can
play that game of political correctness as well,” he added.
Smiley was booted from the 20th annual MLK luncheon on Jan.
16 that is hosted by the Peoria Civic Center. The group announced last week
that Smiley had been replaced by Michael Eric Dyson as the guest speaker of the
event, citing people who were “upset about comments that Tavis Smiley has
made.”
“What’s important to us is putting together a luncheon that
celebrates the life and work of Dr.King, it became evident over the last
few days that people were upset about comments that Tavis Smiley had made,
comments that we weren’t aware of unfortunately so we made the decision to
cancel his contract.” Alma Brown
Smiley said Monday that some 1,500 guests had bought tickets
to attend the luncheon, but the “six people” that complained ended up “trumping
the entire event,” calling the situation a “quintessential example of political
correctness.”
Last summer, Smiley had teamed up with civil rights activist
Cornel West to embark on a 16-city “poverty bus tour” to highlight the economic
disparity in the country, especially as it effected the nation’s black
community. Back then, Smiley said in an interview that “it would be nice to
hear the president say the word poor – to say the word poverty.”
“But we can’t get this president or any leaders to say the
words poor or poverty, much less do anything about it,” he said.
Other than possibly being considered to portray Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a bio-pic, I never understood why Forest Whitaker would be a pick to speak at the 2012 MLK Luncheon. The second choice, Tavis Smiley, while entitled to his opinion of the President, was a bit too provocative of a pick for the mostly Democratic leaning crowd. The final pick, Michael Eric Dyson, while just as provocative as Tavis, he is a little better at playing both sides.
Dyson has some healthy criticisms of the President, but he delivers them with respect to the man and the office and he probably should have been the first pick to speak at the MLK Luncheon.
For those of us who are not inclined to put down the $40.00; or those of us who don't have an employer buying up tables to help the cause and giving the away tickets - The Reverend Dr. Michael Eric Dyson:
"Barack Obama stands tall. “He must also stand tall and defend us, as we defend him. All we want is a little bit of love in return.’ Michael Eric Dyson
The Public Employees for Community Concerns’ annual MLK Luncheon usually comes and goes before most people know it happened. However, this year, the logistics of putting on the luncheon is turning out to be quite the spectacle. Who knew that when Forest Whittaker pulled out, that things would get so interesting?
About five days ago, a group known as the Colored Ladies Book Club began a rather commendable war of words against Whitaker’s replacement speaker, Tavis Smiley and threatened to boycott the luncheon. While being careful to not offend the group that hired Tavis for the MLK Luncheon, the Ladies kept the lines of communication open, but continued to move forward with an editorial in the local newspaper entitled “Tavis Smiley does not speak for the black community”.
The Ladies of the book club hold a high level of gravitas and is inclusive of Illinois Appellate Court Judge Mary McDade, Barbara Penelton, a retired professor of education at Bradley University and Ernestine Jackson, wife of the President of the Illinois NAACP; along with Kathryn Timmes, Valerie Timmes, Gloria Campbell, Jeanne St. Julian and Joan Wesley.
I know some of us are surprised that in 2012 a group of ladies are good with referring to themselves as “colored”. For most of us, the term is considered outdated and not very p.c. But it’s kind of hard to totally denounce it when the word “colored” happens to be the “C” in the acronym NAACP. Black folks of a certain age don’t consider it derogatory, so they use it.
If you read this blog, you know I don’t like Tavis and I too thought he was a rather provocative speaker to bring to the luncheon. However, this close to MLK Day, there are not a whole lot of speakers out there, so of course Tavis was available to speak on MLK Day when Whitaker dropped out.
Today, reports are that Tavis has now been replaced with a new speaker, Michael Eric Dyson. I’m curious though, did the Ladies approve this choice? Michael Eric Dyson is slick in how he has managed to play both sides, but most of are not fooled and know he is just as messy as Tavis. After all, he was/is the third part of the cross country Tavis Smiley and Cornell West: Barack Obama Haterade Bus Tour:
It is commendable that the Public Employees for Community Concerns want to accommodate and not offend some of their most distinguished benefactors, but boy did they open a can of worms on this one.
This past Tuesday Tavis Smiley (aka the "Wells Fargo trojan") took to the Tom Joyner Morning Show (which I listen to on-line, because Peoria radio would never carry anything so informative) and made a special shout out to several black leaders who he feels is falling down on the job.
Tavis called for a symposium (because that's what he does best, I bet he already has the sponsors lined up) and listed several speakers who were invited, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree and Valerie Jarrett. Click here to hear Tavis' spit filled rant.
Shortly thereafter Rev. Al Sharpton called in to the TJMS and took issue with Smiley making it clear that Smiley had not talked with him about the event.
AND then, because turn around is fair play, in the afternoon, Smiley called in to Sharpton’s radio talk show as he discussed the matter with Ogletree. Check it out below.
Perhaps this is this one of those conversations that should have been had in private? You know how Momma always said "don't but family business in the street".
The state of Illinois is taking Wells Fargo to court for discriminatory practices. According to the State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the bank's lending company illegally discriminated against minority borrowers. Madigan claims that the bank, “disproportionately sold African-American and Hispanic borrowers high-cost, subprime mortgages, while white borrowers with similar incomes received mortgages with more favorable terms.”
The attorney general accused Wells Fargo of “reverse redlining” at a Press Conference Friday saying,
"As a result of its discriminatory and illegal mortgage-lending practices, Wells Fargo transformed our cities' predominantly African-American and Latino neighborhoods into ground zero for subprime lending.” Source
Wells Fargo the Predator Loan officers frequently and fraudulently told black customers that sub prime was sometimes their only option. In an affidavit, prominent Wells Fargo loan officer, Elizabeth Jacobson, wrote that, the lender had an unwritten policy of omitting information concerning fees and penalties but instead sold black people on the more expensive loans by saying it would simply mean less paperwork, less documentation and a lower down payment.
There was a rampant amount of fraud going on in order to give blacks loans they could not afford. The bank in fact set up an entire division, called the mortgage resources division or MORE, that was designed to target black ZIP codes. In this division, loan officers were only allowed to authorize subprime loans. They received incentives for steering prime customers into subprime products and they were reportedly reprimanded when they didn't, according to court reports.
The Wells Fargo Trojan
Tavis Smiley is the host of a late night talk show on PBS (which I refuse to watch). Tavis is also the highly acclaimed author of The Covenant with Black America. The Covenant, is a collection of essays by black scholars and professionals, covering topics from education to health care. The Covenant spawned the "State of the Black Union" forums which are held annually and gave Tavis the foothold in the black forum/speaker market.
The forums were originally touted as an opportunity to advance a national plan of action, to address the primary concerns of African-Americans related to social and economic disparities. There was/is no denying the forums were necessary and had huge potential. Tavis was well respected in the black community (being a friend of the Fly Jock didn't hurt), he was on the up and he was most certainly on his grind. In short, Tavis was a perfect candidate to be a Trojan Horse for Wells Fargo.
From a 2005 press release: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Joins With Tavis Smiley to Offer Free Wealth Building Strategies Seminar in Washington, DC
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, the nation's leading originator of home loans to ethnic minority customers, has joined forces with talk show host and author, Tavis Smiley; and several financial affairs experts to provide free Wealth Building Strategies Seminars in eight cities across the country, including Washington, D.C. Additional seminars featuring other popular panelists also will be offered in 12 more cities, nationwide.
"All families dream about home ownership, college education, world travel and more but may not know the best steps to becoming financially independent. I am thrilled to be a part of the Wells Fargo Wealth Building Strategies Seminars tour because I truly believe this event offers attendees the fundamental tools they need to make their dreams a reality." - Tavis Smiley -
Full disclosure. I don’t like Tavis Smiley, never have. I have never understood why the Fly Jock put him on; his slam of the Obamas was way out of line; and this group of so called, “black intelligentsia” (see video below) he hangs with, as he travels across country on his speaking tours, seem to be incredibly out of touch. Debating Beyonce vs. Aretha, while never missing an opportunity to take a swing at President Obama.
Ain't nothing wrong with getting yours. You have to admire the ability of a professional to make it happen. I’m not mad at Beyonce for handling her business. Kanye has every right to brand himself as the best at what he does. Steven A. Smith, well, he’s pushing it with this political journalist crap, but hey, his career is evolving and he is out there making it happen. Now Tavis, because of the nature of his grind, he owes the public a little more accountability than the others.
Is Tavis a victim too? Do you think that there is a possibility that while Tavis was so busy getting his, that Wells Fargo took advantage of his drive and ambition and used him? Perhaps Tavis is a victim of Wells Fargo’s predatory lending practices just like so many others... Hardly. I wanted to give Tavis the benefit of the doubt, so I looked for his response to Well’s Fargo practices. I found it – he offers no apologies for partnering with Wells Fargo, nor does he condemn their behavior:
Tavis Smiley on Wells Fargo
"In this economic climate we continue to be reminded every day that there is no perfect company. Part of the process of accountability is making sure that companies are taking steps to do the right thing, and that includes appropriate outreach to communities of color.
Our relationship with Wells Fargo began in 2005 as part of its commitment to increase financial literacy among African Americans. Those efforts included free wealth-building strategy seminars designed to help prepare attendees for their families’ futures through credit management, home ownership, investing and entrepreneurship. […] All of these programs have been free and open to the public. And, at no time has The Smiley Group, Inc. ("TSG") nor yours truly served as a spokesperson or representative for any company."
The TSG brand is eroding and you show no sign of getting a clue. Have you no righteous indignation for being clowned by Wells Fargo? Shouldn't you be a little upset about the mortgage fraud the Predator known as Wells Fargo has reaped upon the black community? Shouldn't you be taking Wells Fargo to task and using those Community Reinvestment Act dollars that is instrumental in making you and your friends wealthy, to educate the public on predatory lenders?
You are so busy getting yours, that you failed to notice that because of your association with Wells Fargo, any community building and good will that may have been started by the Covenant with Black America, has been successfully and thoroughly... ravaged by Wells Fargo.
The TSG brand is eroding and you show no sign of getting a clue. Have you no righteous indignation for being clowned by Wells Fargo? Shouldn't you be a little upset about the mortgage fraud the Predator known as Wells Fargo has reaped upon the black community? Shouldn't you be taking Wells Fargo to task and using those