Keeping the Faith with Tavis Smiley
Denise Brown
Issue date: 10/25/02 Section: Campus Life
Morgan State University public radio station WEAA presented a book signing and luncheon with Tavis Smiley this past Saturday at the Southern Blues Cafe located in Baltimore.
Keeping The Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America is a celebration of black love and a testament to the many ways it inspires, heals, and honors. Each essay in the collection is highly personal and moving. The reader empathizes with such stories as a daughter dealing with the challenges of an aging parent, a young man finding his way out of gang life, or a novice teacher reminiscing about the one person who believed in her. Tavis Smiley opens each section with a personal essay about his own life challenges and celebrations.
"It was 'black love' that lifted me during the darkest moment of my professional career. It was 'black love' that lifted me out of the despair. When your back is against the wall and you are on your back, there's nothing like the power of the black love to lift you up. And that's why I believe that beyond God's love, black love is the most powerful force in the universe." --Tavis Smiley, "What Black Love Is." This is just one excerpt from Mr. Smiley's book "Keeping the Faith."
Tavis Smiley has collected personal essays from black Americans writing about their most important life changing and sometimes, life-saving experiences. These moving stories are all about faith: faith in God, faith in others, and faith in one's self.
"The next generation will be charged with keeping the black love of our people alive. We still have racism to over come. We have several issues that affect us that we need to combat. And one of the things that I think ails Black America in particular and American in general, is that there is not enough sharing between the generations. Future generations can only avoid the pitfalls in the road with the proper map. I hope this book serves as a road guide for future generations about how to overcome. Love is to be shared by all ages and so this book can speak to everyone," stated Tavis Smiley.
Keeping The Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America is a celebration of black love and a testament to the many ways it inspires, heals, and honors. Each essay in the collection is highly personal and moving. The reader empathizes with such stories as a daughter dealing with the challenges of an aging parent, a young man finding his way out of gang life, or a novice teacher reminiscing about the one person who believed in her. Tavis Smiley opens each section with a personal essay about his own life challenges and celebrations.
"It was 'black love' that lifted me during the darkest moment of my professional career. It was 'black love' that lifted me out of the despair. When your back is against the wall and you are on your back, there's nothing like the power of the black love to lift you up. And that's why I believe that beyond God's love, black love is the most powerful force in the universe." --Tavis Smiley, "What Black Love Is." This is just one excerpt from Mr. Smiley's book "Keeping the Faith."
Tavis Smiley has collected personal essays from black Americans writing about their most important life changing and sometimes, life-saving experiences. These moving stories are all about faith: faith in God, faith in others, and faith in one's self.
"The next generation will be charged with keeping the black love of our people alive. We still have racism to over come. We have several issues that affect us that we need to combat. And one of the things that I think ails Black America in particular and American in general, is that there is not enough sharing between the generations. Future generations can only avoid the pitfalls in the road with the proper map. I hope this book serves as a road guide for future generations about how to overcome. Love is to be shared by all ages and so this book can speak to everyone," stated Tavis Smiley.
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