Tom Joyner: Tavis Is Fascinated with His Own Legacy
By Gary A. Johnson, Black Men In America.com/January 27, 2013
Here we go again. Can’t we all just get along? I don’t know who’s in the news more these days. Tavis or Rhianna?
PBS host Tavis Smiley and his colleague and partner former Princeton professor Cornel West, criticized President Obama last week for using a bible belonging to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for the President’s inaugural swearing in ceremony. I’m not sure about the criticism. It’s not like the President stole the bible. The King family gave the bible to the President.
Well, Tavis’ former employer, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner apparently heard enough. Last week Joyner wrote a commentary called “Tavis vs. MLK,” published on Black America Web.com. Here are two prominent highlights in Joyner’s commentary:
- Tavis is fascinated with his own legacy, and that’s not good. He wants more than anything to be remembered the way Dr. King was, and to some how make that kind of mark on the world.
- Tavis is afraid of what will be said about him and it’s driving him crazy.
Tavis has consistently claimed that he holds no ill will towards the President and that he is simply attempting to hold the President accountable.
Most people who follow Tavis are not neutral in their view. For another perspective read Harold Bell’s recent commentary “There’s A New Sheriff In Town.”
What do you think?
(Photos from Getty Images/AP)
Black Men In America 
January 27, 2013 at 10:19, pm
Overall a vast % of black’s have fell for the classic divide and conquer trick.The brother has a commonsense right to ? everything that is being done and said. All these black’s protecting this other guy and has him built up like some sacred cow are like the slaves on a plantation who would protect a slavemaster even when the slavemaster would beat and abuse them.
They can’t even see that or just in denial overall.
January 28, 2013 at 1:26, am
Black Americans practice idolatry. From the minister in the pulpit to elected officials. Blacks in position of authority like Tom Joyner don’t have the spine to hold our leaders accountable. We are at the bottom of education, employment and all other societal institutions. The only thing that we lead in is incarceration. The Senate is apartheid.
January 28, 2013 at 2:07, am
Overall you are right.I have gotten tired of all these black’s trying to get me to worship one person or some one man.
I might read the books or listen to some speeches,but we need to do what Walter Rodney went thru in London as a student.
Become intellectual guerillas,so some of us can read and get a better understanding what is really happening now.
January 28, 2013 at 3:16, pm
Hey sometimes you have to call it as it is. I’m not mad at Tom. If more of us were looking to create industries to employ our own today and for generations to come, I guess that would be a way of reducing the need for “idols” as it would be the norm.
March 22, 2013 at 3:29, pm
I AGREE TAVIS SMILEY HAS A EGO . . TAVIS SMILEY SHOULD PROTEST THE CONDUCT OF BLACK PREACHERS WHO ARE NOT LIKE DR. KING….
May 25, 2013 at 12:14, pm
I am sorry that I am just getting around to read these responses to Tom Joyner’s blog on Tavis Smiley. Yes, Tavis does have an ego problem. Most blacks were color blind during the first 4 years of our first Black President. Including yours truly, we were all hoping for the best. Four years later Tavis is looking and sounding like a prophet.