Podcast appearances and mentions of Tavis Smiley

Political scientist, associate professor at Fordham University and author Christina Greer gives her analysis about what's next for D.C. as National Guard troops arrive, along with other trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass offers her advice for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser about how she can handle and prepare Washingtonians for National Guard troops on the streets.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, is back, fresh off the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza where he was arrested by Israel Defense Forces.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Béchir Sylvain, the Haitian-American co-star of this summer's megahit “Jurassic World Rebirth” and this year's host of the Haiti International Film Festival, joins Tavis in the studio with the fest's creator Jacquil Constant. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Nii-Quartelai Quartey joins Tavis Smiley.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and Director of The Center for Urban Journalism at Morgan State University, Leonard Pitts Jr., gives his analysis about Trump's D.C. takeover and other trending political news.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Diane McKinney-Whetstone, acclaimed author, goes inside her latest novel, “Family Spirit: A Novel,” about a Philadelphia family of clairvoyants as they grapple with their “Knowing” — their extraordinary gift passed down through generations.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Latham Thomas, world-renowned doula and founder of Mama Glow, takes us inside her new audiobook, “Peaceful Parenting: Mindful Meditations for Pregnancy, Parenthood, and Promoting Harmony at Home.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu, co-stars of the new Amazon Prime series “Countdown,” stop by the studio to celebrate their show's success and reflect on their previous projects, like Uli's role in “Young Rock.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Traci A. Curry, director of the new NatGeo series “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,” takes us back 20 years ago this month in her five-part documentary executive produced by Ryan Coogler.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Lula Washington, founder and artistic director of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, talks about their upcoming celebration of 45 years of socially conscious dance, resistance, and legacy at The Ford in Los Angeles.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Fred Redmond, the highest-ranking African American labor official in history as Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, says we're in the middle of another Hot Labor Summer with a big Boeing strike, a beautiful bus tour, and bad Black unemployment numbers.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Julie Su, the former acting Secretary of the U.S. Labor Department, takes us inside the July jobs report and gives us a human reality check on how AI will impact our working lives.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Scholar, leading public intellectual, author and special contributor, Dr. Cornel West shares his analysis about the Trump administration's proposal for a $1B settlement with UCLA and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Adolph Reed, Jr., Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, and Kenneth W. Warren, University of Chicago English professor, share their new book which drops this month, “Black Studies, Cultural Politics, and the Evasion of Inequality: The Farce this Time.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana University alum, gives his take on Elon Musk's America Party and his pitched battle with Big Pharma.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Professor of African American Studies at UCLA and writer Marcus Anthony Hunter gives his analysis about the future of the Voting Rights Act at 60. Rodericka Applewhaite, former Director of Black Media for the Biden-Harris adminstration and now VP of Media Relations at Focal Point Strategy Group, is back to reflect on a profoundly different political landscape since her time inside the White House.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Mondaire Jones, U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner, reflects on today's 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and shares why he co-authored the John Lewis Act when he served in Congress.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chair and co-host of “The Weeknight” on MSNBC, is back to explain why the current threat to the Voting Rights Act is coming from inside his own party.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Willa Robinson, retired owner of Willa's Books, and Ryan Sorrell, founder of the Kansas City Defender, tell us how her iconic store will live on as a local newsroom and public archive.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Executive Vice President of the National Wildlife Federation and Founder/President of Revitalization Strategies, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, talks about the EPA's decision to abandon science and the law as it guts regulation of climate pollution.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Physician scientist Dr. Robert Drummond joins Tavis to unpack the latest move by Trump HHS secretary RFK Jr. to cancel $500 Million dollars for vaccine research.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Scholar, leading public intellectual, author and special contributor, Dr. Cornel West, talks about new developments in Gaza, the racist roots of redistricting, and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

August is National Wellness Month and the President of Action4Equity, Kellie Easton, talks about The Better Ancestors Framework and how we can shift from a healthcare system grounded in structural racism to one grounded in healing and justice for everyone. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) unveils his “bicameral, bicoastal” resolution to recognize August 11, 2025, as “Hip Hop Celebration Day” and responds to the latest news from Capitol Hill.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Associate Professor and Founding Director of The Race, Politics, and Policy Center at George Mason University, Dr Michael K. Fauntroy talks about Trump's attack on diversity and Black leadership at George Mason University and the Voting Rights Act at 60 years old. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Basil Watson reveals the inspiration behind his sculpture of escaped slave and South Carolina lawmaker Robert Smalls, which will become the first statue of a Black individual in the State House.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Marique Moss, Afro-Indigenous educator, cultural strategist, and small business owner, takes us inside her delicious debut book, “Sweetgrass and Soul Food: A Memoir in Poems,” which even comes with its own soundtrack!https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68gSmGehcZVfX6tnD78874Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Victoria Chege, one of the thousands of federal employees who were laid off via email last February, tells us why her TikTok protest videos are gaining traction and how these cuts will devastate services in Black communities.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Public intellectual, professor and author Dr. Cornel West shares his thoughts about the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and why we must know the truth, regardless of attempts to delete history.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams joins Tavis to talk about the midtown Manhattan shooting, his re-election campaign and Housing Week in NYC.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

The Nation magazine's editorial director and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel gives her analysis about the future of public broadcasting, Gaza and other trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Lindsey Stewart, Black feminist philosopher and an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis, talks about her new book, "The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine and 400 Years of Black Women's Magic" and how Black women's ancestral spiritual beliefs forged a secret well of health and power for modern America.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Connie Rice, civil rights attorney and co-founder of the Urban Peace Institute shares her analysis about Former Vice President Kamala Harris announcing she won't run for governor of the Golden State and what it means for California and the country.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Founder of Repairers of The Breach and Moral Mondays, Bishop William Barber, talks about the latest about the Texas redistricting controversy and their latest moral movement campaign.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Former U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) joins Tavis from the studios of WVON in Chicago to talk about the new memorials and walking tour honoring the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, which he found with Fred Hampton.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

John E. Jacob, former president of the National Urban League and author of his new memoir, “I Will F.E.A.R. No Evil,” takes us back to 1980 when candidate Ronald Reagan addressed the Urban League's convention, two days after his seminal Philadelphia, Miss. speech.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and now president of the National Urban League, tells us why Black America is in a State of Emergency with the Trump administration.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Public intellectual, professor and author Dr. Cornel West, shares his thoughts about Vice President Kamala Harris' announcement, starvation in Gaza and more.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Christopher Sebastian Parker, UC Santa Barbara Professor and Founder and CEO of Black Insights Research, gives his take on Trump accusing former President Obama of treason, how Black voters are preparing for the 2026 elections and other trending political news.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, discusses why Black workers don't have the privilege to wait for a new Congress or President to gain economic justice along with other trending political news.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Interim Executive Director of the Providence Foundation, Dexter Hall, talks about the impact of Trump's recent executive order on homelessness and the risks of criminalizing those who suffer from poverty, mental illness and addiction.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Roye Okupe, founder of YouNeek Studios, takes us inside “Iyanu”, the #1 series on The Cartoon Network, and tells us about his highly-anticipated San Diego Comic-Con appearance this past weekend.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Cllr. Dr. Lilian Seenoi-Barr, who became Northern Ireland's first Black mayor in the city of Derry last year, shares the good, the bad, and the ugly part of being Black in the occupied territories controlled by the British government.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Des Lee, musician and author of “My Saxophone Saved My Life: The Miami Showband Massacre and My Quest for Answers" tells us how he survived the Miami Showband Massacre 50 years ago this Thursday (July 31, 1975) and connects the dots to the far-right gangsters burning racist bonfires in Northern Ireland this month.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Ernie Suggs, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter and author of "The Many Lives of Andrew Young," talks about Ronald Reagan historic “states rights” speech in Philadelphia, Mississippi 45 years ago; where the presidential candidate appealed to white supremacists, mere miles from the murder site of civil right workers, Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Mark Barabak, political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is back with details on Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)'s redistricting plan and his state's summer of discontent.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Professor, author and founder of the nonprofit Economic Education, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, gives her analysis about the reign of terror of ICE raids and other trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Classically trained keyboardist, musical director, and nephew of gospel legend Andrae Crouch, Kenneth Crouch, joins Tavis in the studio for a career conversation about his backstory, the impact of jazz and gospel on his life, and what he wants his musical legacy to be.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.