How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out [Hardcover]

Tavis Smiley (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2001

One of America's most celebrated and respected commentators, BET talk-show host Tavis Smiley brings together the voices of countless widely admired African Americans in a rich, provocative, and solutions-oriented exploration of the challenges facing Black America.

How to Make Black America Better opens with Tavis Smiley's twelve "challenges" to the African American community. Among the issues that Smiley addresses are getting Black Americans to "think Black first," insisting that Black Americans-including those in entertainment and the media-consider the consequences of their actions with regard to the Black community; and encouraging African Americans to put family first.

At the heart of the book is a collection of original essays contributed by such celebrated figures as Iyanla Vanzant, Marian Wright Edelman, Susan Taylor, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Chuck D., Nikki Giovanni, and Shaquille O'Neal. Ranging from one to several pages in length, each of these essays addresses vital issues in the African American community, from affirmative action to Black-on-Black crime, political power to economic independence, race relations to family life, and much more.

Finally, at the back of the book Smiley has included high-powered excerpts and highlights from the national symposium he organized in Los Angeles on the eve of the Democratic National Convention entitled "Advocacy in the Next Millennium: New Paradigms for Progress," featuring, among others, such luminaries as Magic Johnson, Johnnetta Cole, Cornel West, Maxine Waters, and Jesse Jackson, Sr.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Exhorting black Americans to respect themselves and support their community, BET talk show host Smiley opens with 10 "challenges," focusing on education, health and money. These themes are underscored in the second section of the book, which features a collection of short entries from 28 black movers and shakers, from Maxine Waters to Shaquille O'Neal. While the litany of concerns and lists of remedies may seem repetitious, the net effect is a consensus on the needs of black America: more emphasis on educational excellence, more patronage of black enterprises, more voter registration and political involvement, and more pride in black history and culture. Reform of the prison system is urged by many, as well as a reckoning within the black church with homophobia and sexism. Spokespeople for very different perspectives sometimes offer strikingly similar thoughts: both critic Stanley Crouch and musician Sinbad wonder when it became hip to be dumb. The book ends with transcripts of two discussions with leading black thinkers held at the Democratic convention of 2000. Again, there's much consensus, thanks either to the absence of black Republicans or to a willingness to think inclusively. When educator Jawanza Kunjufu proposes a Ujamaa (cooperative economics) plan for black America, the moderator, attorney Raymond Brown, avoids a response, rather than criticize. Even if they give way to monologues, these two panel talks are longer on substance and shorter on rhetoric than the sometimes tedious earlier sections of the book. (Jan. 9)Forecast: While only the committed will buy and read this cover to cover, there are enough quotable bits to generate interest. Given Smiley's black media connections and the stellar list of contributors, visibility will be high and sales respectable.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Smiley, host of BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley, a one-hour nightly talk show, and commentator on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a national radio program, has invited African American celebrities to share their views on what the black community must do in order to make America better. He starts off with his top 10 list of challenges: think black first, 100 percent of the time; look past what whites are doing to us to see what we are doing to ourselves; every Black American should put family first; Black Americans must consider the consequences for their actions; for every Black American to see him or herself as a part of a larger black community; that every Black American preserve his or her health--physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually; for every Black American to develop an economic plan; make education the number one priority for every Black American; encourage the black church to do more; and for every Black American to establish a Black American legacy. The book also includes excerpts from "Advocacy in the New Millennium: A Symposium" held on Saturday, August 12, 2000, at the Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (January 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385502141
• ISBN-13: 978-0385502146
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,708,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for all Black People, August 31, 2003

By 

"cmance22" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out (Hardcover)

This Book provoides information on every topic concerning the improvement of Black America. With opinions from just about every leading African American, no stone goes unturned in terms of addressing problems and solutions to the Black Plight. If you care about the African Diaspora at all, please read this book right awasy!!!

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected., December 13, 2009

By 

Plain Talk "corey washington" (Augusta Ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out (Paperback)

As a fellow author myself, I am in the process of creating my second book--Plain Talk Vol. 2 (Digging a little deeper) It is a follow up to my first book-Plain Talk-Vol.1. I saw Tavis Smiley's name, but I did not read much from him in the book. I should have saw where it said compiled and edited by Tavis Smiley. I enjoyed the two sessions with the panels at the end of the book. I also enjoyed the various essays by some of the celebrities. I am worried that the black community is looking for leaders instead of being one themselves. I want to hear what ordinary people have to say about making Black America better. Shaq's ideas about the improvement of Black America is not more important than a janitor at your local high school, yet we hear Shaq's opinion more than the regular folks. That's not to slight Shaq in anyway. In fact, he's one of my favorite B-Ball players. I just felt that many of the celebrities featured in the book had nothing of substance to add to the conversation. They were only included in the book because they were famous.Plain Talk - Volume 1

25 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars TAVIS, SHUT UP!!!!, February 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out (Hardcover)

Tavis Smiley rides on the backs of a group of celebrated African American intellectuals to line his own pockets and further advance his multi-media, empty talkfest. This young man babbles and blaters without much substance, but turns out the crowds becasue of his overexposure both on BET and on Tom Joyner's show. Listen to Tavis if you must, watch him if you will, but buying this book is both a waste of time and encouragement to an already shallow talker that keeping it light is all right. If you are going to buy one book, buy Randall Robinson's The Debt. Or check out Farai Chidea's most recent work. But this is fluff (for example, Tyra Banks implores us to all. . . .(is that get along, Tyra or did they only allow you half a page), nothing more. It plays the black community cheap.