Community Initiatives

Each organization is dedicated to the same three E’s that drive Tavis Smiley’s life: Enlightenment, Encouragement, and Empowerment. “Our real work is aimed at advocacy,” says Smiley. “It’s getting people to understand their own worth, their own value, and the contributions that they can make by enlightening people, encouraging people, and empowering people to make a difference, to find a way to give back.”

 

Photo of the Week:

At the American I AM exhibit, now in Los Angeles, Anne Brown takes a closer look at the typewriter her uncle, Alex Haley, used to write Roots.
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SITE OF THE DAY

  • "Regal" magazine

    Launched in November 2006, this magazine bills itself as seeking to be a platform where Black men can debate important issues that are germane to their struggle and experience.

HISTORY MAKERS

Tavis
  • Hermene Hartman

    Media pioneer; founded N'DIGO—Chicago's leading African American magazine; coordinated Operation Breadbasket's Black Expo; first woman vice chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago—the nation's second-largest community college system; operated The Hartman Group, a full-service public relations firm.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

  • “Believe in beliefs.”

SUPPORT THE TAVIS SMILEY FOUNDATION

TavisEnlighten, Encourage and Empower

Help enlighten, encourage and empower youth by providing leadership training that will promote the quality of life for themselves, their communities and our world.

BOOKS BY TAVIS

Tavis Smiley Books The Covenant with Black America

This New York Times #1 Best Seller is a rich collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances.

Buy Now »