One on One With Travis Smiley
The Covenant With Black America, a collection of essays on issues critical to Blacks, is not the first call-to-action book aimed at Black America, but it is the most successful. The first book from a Black publisher to top The New York Times’ bestseller list, The Covenant has spawned a movement that includes community town hall meetings and a Web site to help average folks get involved in implementing the book’s recommendations. Radio and television host Tavis Smiley, the brainchild behind the new book, spoke with Diverse senior editor Christina Asquith about the phenomenon that is The Covenant.
DI: You say you intended The Covenant to be a “roadmap, a blue print, to shift the conversation from talking about pain to talking about a plan.” Has there been too much complaining thus far and not enough action?
TS: Black people have legitimate concerns about any number of crises in America. But I do think there’s been an absence of a game plan. And at the end of the day, if no one is providing any real leadership on these issues, don’t the people have a right to complain?
DI: What prompted the creation of this book?
TS: Many people in our community feel a piece of Black America died on that balcony with Dr. King back in 1968. Since that time there has been an absence of a blue print that we can all embrace for advancing our community. Not to suggest progress has not been made, but collectively there’s not been a game plan around which to coalesce.
