DISQUS

markusrobinson · 9 months ago

We debated Tavis's blog contest in November, and its interesting to finally see the bloggers chosen to cover the event. It looks to me like a very good representation of the blogging medium.

Facebook User · 9 months ago

I agreed with a lot of the concerns about the contest. It feels now like they did well on finding an interesting cross-section of bloggers to include, so now we just have to wait and see on Saturday if the experiment works.

kim_at_theloop21 · 9 months ago

At The Loop, we're going to be tweeting and liveblogging, as well. In fact, we're tweeting the young scholars forum at this moment.

Tiredofthese first overcomers · 9 months ago

really, who cares about Tavis Smiley's State of the Union? What actually gets accomplished besides Tavis hawking his book, dvds, and other well-known thinkers pontificating about the problems in Black America? We have yet to hear about them DO ANYTHING!!

markusrobinson · 9 months ago

You know I have debated the purpose/use of the SOTBU internally for quite some time. I agree that Tavis could lighten up on the commercials about the book, DVD, and his museum tour, but coordinating this stuff doesn't come cheap, and someone's got to pay for it. I also believe that Tavis has way too many people on his panel to have a true conversation about race, but I must admit, if you filter out all the chatter there are little nuggets of inspirations. I don't expect these people to do anything other than to inspire us to mobilize. True change wont happen with the SOTBU, but someone on that panel may be the voice that helps spark a change in us.

Facebook User · 9 months ago

I just read this quote on American Exception, Jelani Cobb's blog, and I think it fits well here. It's from Carter G. Woodson's Mis-Education of the Negro:

"The race needs workers, not leaders. Such workers will solve the problems which race leaders talk about and raise money to enable them to talk more and more about. When you hear a man talking, then, always inquire as to what he is doing or what he has done for humanity. Talk and resolutions do not avail much. If they did, the Negro race would be in a paradise on Earth."

maurice jefferson · 7 months ago

i wish that i could get a copy of the 10th annual state of the black union to show at my church i think this is something that all need to bare witness to. Tavis you are amazing and i hope you keep up the good work.we are a little church in Minden,Louisiana and the news about alot of events sometimes get to us kind of late,so if there are copies we would love to have one for our youth department.