Tavis Smiley Biography

Fast Facts

• Created the Tavis Smiley Foundation, which aims to support young leaders in the black community
• Harvard University's W․E․B․ Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research awarded him with the Du Bois Medal in 2008
• Participated in Princeton University professor Cornel West's Poverty Tour, which aimed to bring light to the daily struggles of impoverished people
• Received the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award from the National Association of Minorities in Communication
• Awarded an honorary doctorate in 2008 by Connecticut College, where he gave the commencement address
• Smiley developed an interest in politics during his early teens, which ultimately lead him to campaign for a sear on the Los Angeles City Council in 1991