Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union Returns Home to Los Angeles for 10th Anniversary of Conversations

Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union Returns Home to Los Angeles for 10th Anniversary of Conversations

February 28, 2009 Event Focuses On "Making America As Good As its Promise"

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union (SOBU), one of the most anticipated annual events for millions of African Americans during the last decade, will return to Los Angeles -- the site of the first symposium -- in celebration of its 10th anniversary on February 28, 2009, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The symposium is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required online at http://www.tavistalks.com/. Smiley and attorney Raymond Brown will moderate the discussion that will be broadcast live 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific Time to millions of viewers on C-SPAN.

Each year SOBU draws diverse television viewing audiences that have included celebrities ranging from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to comedian Chris Rock, who has jokingly dubbed the event "The Black People Listen Summit!" Rock says, "It's the best show of the year. I watch it, and it's on for 12 hours. It's amazing!"

For the 2009 symposium, Tavis Smiley Presents has woven the past and present by inviting panelists from the original symposium who include Danny Glover, Nikki Giovanni, Naim Akbar, Michael Eric Dyson, Lani Guinier, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Danny Bakewell, Sr., Jawanza Kunjufu, Les Brown, Charles Ogletree, Randall Robinson, Al Sharpton, Iyanla Vanzant, Julianne Malveaux, Maxine Waters, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Cornel West to the present--Arlene Holt Baker, Karen Bass, Peter Harvey, Van Jones, Erica Williams, Emilie Townes, and Marc Morial.

Given the current state of the economy, the fact that a new president will soon take residence in the White House, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Smiley thinks this may be the most urgent conversation of the last decade.

Not only has SOBU brought forth thoughtful discussions about key issues and solutions but attendees and viewers have often come away with platforms and real action plans. One such action initiative is The Covenant movement, which began with the 2006 publication of the New York Times bestselling Covenant with Black America, a collection of essays that plots a course for African Americans. The Covenant In Action, also a New York Times bestseller is a toolkit for turning The Covenant book into a living, breathing movement, followed in 2007. Former President Bill Clinton called the Covenant with Black America "the most comprehensive model for citizen service."

Simon and Schuster (Atria) will release Accountable: Making The Covenant Real. This third volume in the Covenant trilogy offers a pragmatic model for holding the new president and political leaders accountable for what they promised or avoided during their campaigns. It also holds individuals and communities accountable for actions or inactions in keeping The Covenant's agenda on track.

The symposium sponsors include Wells Fargo, and national sponsors Nationwide Insurance, ExxonMobil, McDonald's and SEIU ULTCW 6434.

Source: Tavis Smiley Presents

CONTACT: Vanesse Lloyd Sgambati of Tavis Smiley Presents,
+1-215-877-2012, vlloydsgam@aol.com

Web Site: http://www.tavistalks.com/

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