Tavis Smiley: Bill Clinton is the Only Person I Know Who Knows the Black National Anthem (Part 6)

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Part 7:    • Tavis Smiley on Saying "Black People ...  
Part 5:    • Tavis Smiley on 20-Year Friendship w/...  
Part 1:    • Tavis Smiley on Being 1 of 10 Kids Af...  
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In this clip, Tavis Smiley spoke about his friendship with Bill Clinton, who he interviewed while he was with BET, and Tavis explained that after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill didn’t do an interview for 9 months. Tavis then spoke about Bill doing a 1-on-1 interview before the midterm elections, which was the first Clinton did after the scandal. Tavis pointed out that the country was introduced to him outside of the Black culture, and Tavis went on to detail doing a tour of Africa with Clinton, where they did a famous interview. During the interview, Tavis asked Clinton about being called “the first Black president,” and he admitted that Clinton got a kick out of it. Despite their close friendship, Tavis spoke about the disagreements he’s had about Clinton’s stance on certain things, and he added that Clinton respects his opinion.

Moving along, Tavis addressed the changes made at BET after Viacom bought the company, and Tavis explained that Bob Johnson stayed on as president and CEO of the company. Tavis then pointed out that Johnson fired him after he interviewed Sara Jane Olson, who was on the FBI most wanted list for 30 years. Tavis explained that he offered the interview to CBS, who was owned by Viacom, but they turned it down. Tavis added that ABC bought the interview, which went viral, and led to Johnson questioning the situation and later firing him.

The conversation then turned to the adversity Tavis has faced during his career, which led to him stating, “Persistence always overcomes resistance.” From there, Tavis spoke about his experience working on NPR, and he explained how he didn’t like how the company was treating Black people. After leaving NPR, Tavis went to PBS, and Tavis explained why he doesn’t prefer television or radio as a superior form of media.

Interview by: Shawn Prez
Check out his youtube channel at:    / powermovemakers