From the mind of MsJayy: Exactly. If we’re sitting around starting things (or NOT starting them) & quitting cause folks don’t like what we’re doing or how we’re doing it, none of us would ever get anywhere. Of course by now we’ve all heard Tavis’ truth. I still think part of the incentive for him leaving is the backlash (or rather “BLACKLASH”) but I certainly respect his choice and wish him much success.

From the mind of Ms. Jayy: Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mildred. I guess that’s what I thought was missing too. Now we know that it was Mr. Joyner’s “misspeak” in the midst of his pain. Sorry for the delay in posting your comments/responding and doing the follow-up but I had a little sit-u-a-tion with my blog. We’re back in bizness now.

Really? How so? I can’t see where his comments about Obama have hurt his pockets but then, I’m not really checking for that. I’m not surprised that some feel the same way as you do but I can’t paint everyone with that same brush because it’s not been part of my reality, not how I see folk. Time will tell.

That’s a VERY good point Tosha. Tone really is important. I have a friend who is straight up, no chaser. He calls me “Condoleeza” because, while we end up saying the same thing, he says I’m always trying to be diplomatic. (You know I made that brother explain THAT comparison. LOL) I don’t think it’s me always trying to be diplomatic. I just think that just like there’s a time and place to say any and every thing, there’s also a right way and a wrong way. I’m curious for what this turn of events means once we get beyond the election. How his energy and thoughts will be received/perceived by us moving forward. I just hope folks don’t completely right him off because they disagree with him on Obama.

LOL I know lots of other folk who feel the same way you do Connie. Commentary is all about personal belief. But just because HE personally believed it doesn’t mean everyone else had to. Maybe that’s where things got twisted - we tend to hear someone WE crowned as a “leader” say something and think we automatically have to fall in line with that way of thinking. We have a local radio station here that does a “Twisted Tuesday”…I’m hoping this whole situation is a delayed “Twisted Tuesday” kind of thing & we’ll find him back on air next Tuesday with more food for thought.

EXACTLY! I’m amazed that he quit…and HOW he quit. I really would have expected him to come on air and give his final commentary instead of leaving it totally up to our speculation. Like I said, I love him, his focus, his dedication, and his drive to help elevate others. I don’t always agree with him nor do I think I need to. Like a pastor once said,
“If there are two people in a room and both you always agree, one of ya’ll is unnecessary.” Love him or hate him, I still say that we as a people need his voice.

I appreciate your blog. And agree with most of your points, but I must say that you conveniently left out any discussion of Tavis’s treatment of the other presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. I used to be a huge supporter of Tavis Smiley until I noticed that he was imposing a double standard on the black candidate and giving the white candidate a pass. I feel black people would not have had a problem with Tavis admitting that he was a Hilary supporter and then treating the candidates fairly. It was this obvious one sidedness that upset Tavis’s audience. Tavis has shown his true colors, and it will be a long time before I pay any attention to what comes out of his mouth!

Clarence, I can’t say that I’ve heard Tavis mention Clinton very much - I’ve heard him call her on a few things but then again, my schedule has been a bit fluky since the beginning of the year so I don’t always get to hear him. True, he should treat all the candidates equally. You get no disagreement from me there. But I don’t think that’s the only thing that’s upsetting people. I’ve had people tell me that as an African-American I should support Obama (mind you, no one other than me & God knows who I support at this point) BECAUSE he’s Black. That doesn’t work for me. Personally, I care more about the fact that folks make educated choices than that their choice lines up with mine. That’s the place I thought Tavis was operating from (initially) but I could be wrong. What I need to know is that this decision isn’t coming from a place of ego. It’s okay for him to be hurt by the feedback, to need a minute to decide what he wants to do and how he’ll do it, to step back and ask if he’s not only DOING the right thing…but if he’s doing it in the right WAY. I can support him in that. But ego? I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Thanks for your feedback Clarence. Be well!

For someone in the black community with so much clout, just quit that easily; make me wonder if he was doing it for our people or just recognition for self gratification.
I love Tavis views, even if I did not see eye to eye on all of them. All my life I wanted to be a speaker for our people- to teach young Black Men about the basics of life however, I cannot do it on a large scale because I am not famous like you and Tavis. Today our Historical Blacks Collage and Universities (HBCU’s) are filled with black females and the enrollment of black males are at an all time low. This is alarming to me because I believe that they are being influence greatly on the bling instead of assuming their roles as men. Tom I hope that you have done that everything humanly possible to retain Tavis and I know you did. If Tavis insist on being stubborn, I want to personally inform him that there are millions of black me who looks up to him and if a few words hurt a black leader, maybe it is time to let someone else handle his responsibilities

I don’t think it was “easy” for him to quit. I don’t. I could be wrong but I don’t think it was. We’re talking about a man with a passion for elevating people. For him to step off a path that gives him that venue, it can’t be easy. I don’t want to reduce anything he’s done up to this point to him just doing it for self, for recognition. No one will EVER be able to convince me of that. Hell, if Tavis stood before me himself and told me that, I’d tell him he was lying. LOL

Do I think he was hurt by the feedback he got from Black America? Yes. When you are giving of yourself the way Smiley does, giving over your life in a way to a cause that is so much bigger than yourself and you do so without expectations – it hurts when folk don’t receive it in the manner in which you intended. I admire anybody who can continue to give of themselves, their time, their talents, their energy. And while I know many don’t do it to get the pat on the back, I also know that every once in a while it does feel good to have someone embrace you and say, “Thank you.”

The mantle of “black leader” is a heavy one to bear. Personally, I think too many of us sit back and look to someone else to do the leading. We can all lead from wherever we are in life. I don’t think Tavis (or Tom Joyner for that matter) ever set out to *be* leaders. I think they just followed their hearts. And we all know that following your heart ain’t for the weak.

And um…Floyd? You do know that you don’t need to be “famous” to lead. Don’t get caught up in how large or small you think the “scale” is. Somebody out there somewhere is waiting on you. Don’t hold up the line Bruh. Keep pushing. The world needs YOU.

Wow. I was with you up until that “another black american man, letting the world down” comment. I respect your position though. I’m sure that, just as you see him being “just another black american man letting the world down”, in some respects Tavis feels like he’s been let down. That’s a lot of pressure to put on ANYBODY…let alone *JUST* another black american man. Regardless, I give him props for all he’s done & hopefully will continue to do on behalf of Black folk all over whether he’s on TJMS or not. Keep pushing!

From the mind of Ms.Jayy,
I can’t believe I heard what I heard. I admit it’s a hard place to be. I’m so surprised by this turn of events. I truly thought he was in it for the long haul. I just don’t see how he thinks this will lessen the comments. Sure, take a break if you need to but we still need that voice. You hit the proverbial nail on the head re: Dr. King. And others. If you’re in it to be liked, in it to win friends…you’re in it all wrong. Maybe this is just a dream…or a late April Fool’s day prank….