Tavis Smiley is a public figure that has captivated the minds of Americans for years as a talk show host, an author, a political commentator and a philanthropist. He is well known for his “State of the Black Union” dialogues which discussed relevant African American issues with key community leaders. The discussions were aired on C-SPAN and recently the duo teamed up with Nationwide Insurance to bring together a diverse panel of leaders to discuss America’s future in “Americas Next Chapter” (ANC). ANC was broadcasted live on C-SPAN from the Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University. It brought together liberals, conservatives, journalist, political commentators and many more for a lively discussion of what America’s next chapter had to offer. The event was, as anticipated, vivacious and insightful.
The night lent itself to some “shining stars” and among them was John S. Chen, chairman of Committee of 100. Mr. Chen gave an interesting perspective as it pertained to taking America “back” to greatness. Though the discussion in nature centered on the things America was doing wrong, Mr. Chen cautioned us not to beat ourselves up too much. Many of the evening’s comments suggested China would out perform the US in the coming years and we should be preparing ourselves to compete with China on a global scale. Mr. Chen noted that being able to have such a discussion with a diverse crowd and free from fear of oppression is not possible in China. He highlighted the attitude difference between Chinese and Americans, which has lead to China’s success, but reminded everyone that China has its problems too. He said the Chinese people are hungrier for success, but implied that there is type of political and social tension in China, which is not present in the US. He also encouraged America to not only look at Asian countries as competitors, but also to consider other countries, such as Sweden and Germany.
The diversity of the panelist should be highlighted, but it is also what brought mild scrutiny from spectators. When speaking with Mr. Smiley after the show a question was raised regarding the absence of an African American female. The suggestion for Mr. Smiley was to cast an African American woman in future panels: to put a “sista” on the stage next time. In full disclosure, The Intersection also wondered about the lack of representation of young people and health professionals. Nevertheless, the product of Mr. Smiley’s panel discussion may have laid many casting critics to rest. There may not have been a “sista” on the stage, but minority women were well represented by Maria Teresa Kumar, executive director/co-founder, Voto Latino. As a “sista” myself I noticed a moment when I did see a sista on the stage. It comes up in the video segment at 1:34:45 when Maria Teresa Kumar gives her critique of Tea Party leaders.
The effervescent Dr. Cornel West, Princeton University professor and author, sparked the discussion of the Tea Party as he commented on racist elements in the movement. Dr. West resonated the idea that there should be an emphasis on the poor and working class in America if we plan to move toward greatness. He referenced, possibly strategically, Dr. Martin Luther King and Dr. Dorothy I. Height who focused on the less fortunate as well. He expressed the lack of urgency to help the poor and working class by American politicians and by President Obama as “moral constipation”, which comes from “The right and the good being stuck and you can’t get it out.” Dr. West’s compelling arguments and enthralling cadences have been known to excite a crowd and he did not disappoint his constituents. In fact, he may have gained a Twitter following with one of the panelist: Arianna Huffington.
Another crowd favorite was Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post. Though she expressed her admiration for Dr. Cornel West’s “poetic” discourse, she was not at a loss for witty comments throughout the night. Ms. Huffington is self-proclaimed as a manifestation of the American dream and says she sees it slipping away because we are in danger of loosing the middle class. She sited statics, which report the US as 10th in terms of upward mobility and ranking below France. She proposed taking Dr. West’s ideology of helping the poor and expanding it to the middle class. Ms. Huffington was sure to express her optimism in the American compassion, but warned that America could become a third world country if we do not help the middle class.
The evening was full of fascinating discourse and innovative solutions. The ideas ranged from decreasing government transparency to using immigration as an economic booster. Maria Bartiromo, anchor of CNBC’s Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo; David Frum, speechwriter for former President George W. Bush and founder of FrumForum; Dana Milbank, lead political columnist for The Washington Post and David Brody, CBN News chief political correspondent, made the evening’s discussion very dynamic.
I am honored to have represented The Intersection as an ANC blogger for the event. To Mr. Smiley, PBS, C-SPAN, Nationwide Insurance and the host of other ANC contributors, thank you for all the work you did to make this happen and keep up the good work. Discussions like these help to compose a positive future for America’s next chapter.
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