Books by Tavis Smiley

My Story of Growing Up in America / The Covenant with Black America  /  The Covenant in Action

Never Mind Success: Go for Greatness  /  Keeping the Faith   /  Black Rage, Black Redemption

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Books by Cornel West

Democracy Matters: The Fight Against Imperialism  /  Race Matters  / Cornel West Reader  /  The Future of the Race  

The American Evasion of Philosophy  /  African American Religious Thought  /  The War Against Parents 

The African American Century /  White on White / Black on Black  / Prophesy Deliverance  / The Soul Knows No Bars

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Pass the Mic! Tour 

Responses to Editorial

My boy Tolbert up in Philly, though I haven't read his piece, I understand he didn't like the "Pass The Mic" tour.  Can't wait to see yours. 

Charles Siler

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Outlaws and Superstars: Cornel, Tavis, Michael Eric and Rudy

By Arthur R. Flower

Recently my boy Rudy over at ChickenBones did a review of a Black Superstar Review touring Baltimore in which three black public intellectuals, Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, and Michael Eric Dyson did a show at Baltimores Lryic Theatre.

Clearly Rudy was not impressed. I understand his irritation. Apparently they came out rocking and rolling a blend of hiphop preaching like they do before an adoring crowd of over a thousand blackfolk at $60 a pop. (Surely $20 would have been sufficient.) Got to give the brothers their propers, their heart is good, and they perform a service. But it irritates those of us laboring unappreciated in the vineyards to see Slick get over like it does today.

Mostly because it reflects a grievous African American loss of direction in the Struggle and where we are as a People when Media Superstardom defines our leadership.

Which in order to be anointed must almost by definition have to be shallow and commercially inclined. (Or demagogic and bombastic foolishness).

I like Cornel and I think he plays a significant role but I remember when him and Skip Gates did a book called The Future of the Race and I picked it up looking to see something real and it was like academic popcorn. I was offended that they had wasted a good title like that.

I try my best to be Serious and Significant and whenever I Speak I try to make a Contribution and I get ignored by everybody. I carry the prophetic curse. I speak and no one listens.

Makes you wonder sometime if you wasting your time and need to focus on making a living like everybody else instead of trying to Save the Race. Trying to be Serious and not just Pandering to the Crowd and the Times. Dyson did this piece Why I Love Black Women that was so shameless it was a farce. These the people everybody jumping up and down about. Cause they got their media game together. I too respect and admire these brothers at their Best. Cause they Committed and they got Game. Ive tried but I just cant get no traction. Emerge Magazine once did a piece on invisible black male writers and I didnt even make the Invisible List.

Oh well. Aint no sense in being upset that folk dont see my Vision. Thats why they call it a Vision. But its hard sometime not to resent it when you just got to sit there and watch Bullshit Walk.

I hear folk talk of public intellectuals and its hard not to sneer. A buddy of mine once said I was an Outlaw. I was offended, "I aint no Outlaw" I told her. She said, I didnt say you were a Criminal, I said you were an Outlaw. Since Ive known you youve operated outside of the system.

Ive since embraced the term. Outlaw Intellectual. Rather proud of it. Cause I know Im doing what Im supposed to do. Im making my contribution like my mentor, John O Killens, another unappreciated warrior, trained me to do. Ima Do What I Do and hope that History treats me better than my Own Times have.

And am I sometimes dismayed by the media superstar leadership mode that has left us directionless in these perilous times. But Ima keep my Perspective.

Cause I am even more Dismayed that Im not one of them.

I hope one day to get some play, a larger platform from which to make my points and get taken seriously.

And I hope that if I ever do get some play that I dont lose sight of whats Real. Ima keep the Faith. Like John O Killens taught me to.

I am a Master of the Longgame and Im proud of it. And whatever price it cost me to be Real, to be True Force, Im willing to pay it.

Thats why folk like Rudy and myself and the folk over at The Black Commentator and Freedom Rider have begun to forge our own vehicles for Speaking Truth to the People.

I often feel that I am speaking to the void with Rootsblog but Ive decided to maintain it at least a year without whining or worrying about my lack of acknowledgement for what I do - for my efforts to make a contribution. By then I hope it will just be a habit.

Cause I am a child of the 60s and I believe in the Struggle. I am a Drummajor for Righteousness and Ima do what Im Supposed To Do and Im not going to worry about not getting no props for it.

History will Absolve me.

I am Flowers of the Delta Clan Flowers and the Line of O Killens.

I am an Outlaw.