[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 105 (Monday, July 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1453]]


                       IN TRIBUTE TO TAVIS SMILEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 26, 2002

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, three years ago, many of the communities 
in my Eastern North Carolina District were devastated and nearly 
destroyed by a succession of hurricanes and floods that swept through. 
Lives were shaken or lost, and the hopes of many nearly dashed. 
Particularly hard hit was historic Princeville, North Carolina--settled 
and incorporated by former slaves. When you live in a rural area it is 
sometimes easy to feel alone. One of the early sources of inspiration 
and hope to my constituents was the voice of Tavis Smiley--whom 
Newsweek profiled as one of the ``20 people changing how Americans get 
their news.''
  In the immediate aftermath of the storms, Tavis Smiley surely 
demonstrated that he is one of the nation's ``captains of the 
airwaves,'' calling attention to the plight of the people in 
Princeville through his national radio audience and in appearances on 
national television, ranging from The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR, The 
Tom Joyner Morning Show, BET Tonight, and CNN among others.
  Tavis Smiley is one of the few powerful voices in America's mass 
media today who makes the term ``advocacy journalist'' something to be 
proud of. One of the most successful African-Americans in the media 
today, Mr. Smiley is also the founder of the Tavis Smiley Foundation, a 
nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage, empower and 
enlighten Black youth.
  His role in rallying Americans to understand the magnitude of the 
incredible natural disasters that befell Princeville and other 
communities in Eastern North Carolina had an enormous impact on our 
ability to cope and have hope, and his efforts created a groundswell of 
support from around the country to rebuild and revive. In the hearts 
and minds of Eastern North Carolinians, he's not just a ``captain of 
the airwaves,'' he is a Prince of Public Service.

                          ____________________