Note: In response to our critique of what we considered Ms. Dorothy Tillman's divisive remarks about Latinos during the Black Agenda conference organized by Tavis Smiley on March 20th, here is Mr. Smiley's official response.Statement from Tavis Smiley on his recent Chicago State symposium about the Black agenda in the era of Obama
By Tavis Smiley (March 31, 2010)
Contact: The Smiley Group, Inc Communications Office
(323) 290-4690 | lsargent@tavistalks.com
"As is my custom, I respect panelists enough to express their own views in their own unique way.
If I or anyone else on the panel had thought that Ms. Tillman was being racially divisive, we would have corrected her immediately. It should be noted that she started as a youth activist being trained by and working for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please know that most everyone on the panel has a history of working to build coalitions with our Latino brothers and sisters. Indeed, the very next day, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Cornel West and I attended and spoke in solidarity at the immigration reform rally in Washington D. C., as was noted in the New York Times, Monday, March 22, 2010.
Ms. Tillman's comments were an attempt to say that the president needs to address the concerns of all groups who supported him---Latinos, gays and lesbians, environmentalists, African Americans, etc. It was not a divisive either/or argument, but rather both/and. Professor Ron Walters also addressed this issue during the dialogue and he wasn't attempting to divide either. Additionally, Rev. Jesse Jackson talked about Blacks and Browns working together and made a historical reference to the iconic César Chavez by name.
I earnestly regret that anyone feels that Ms. Tillman's comments were meant to demean or divide. As I have done throughout my career, I will continue to provide platforms on both my national radio and television programs to address the pressing concerns of the Latino community."