Broadcaster Tavis Smiley to Lead Conversation on Remaking America

Smiley and his All-Star Panel Discuss How to Restore Prosperity in America

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Record unemployment, corporate avarice, empty houses but homeless families, dwindling opportunities in a politically paralyzed nation—these are the realities of America, land of the free and home of the perennially poor and the new poor --- the former middle class.

This January, broadcaster Tavis Smiley will convene a panel of thought leaders and advocates to explore how to restore prosperity in America.

The nationally televised discussion, "Remaking America: From Poverty to Prosperity," will be held from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Thursday, January 12, 2012, at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW, Washington, D.C. The event, sponsored by WK Kellogg Foundation and the AARP Foundation is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5 p.m. and advance registration is required at www.tavistalks.com/remakingamerica.

"We are facing a critical time in our history that we cannot sidestep," says Smiley. "The time is now to get serious about eradicating poverty before poverty eradicates us."

During the LIVE broadcast on C-SPAN, panelists will discuss solutions for restoring America's prosperity. Additionally, the participants will discuss a forthcoming White Paper from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), to be released earlier in January, which reveals the "new poor" and how the face of poverty in America has changed. 

Panelists include: Cornel West, Princeton University professor and author; Suze Orman, America's leading authority on personal finance; Michael Moore, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker; Barbara Ehrenriech, prolific author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; Jeffrey Sachs, poverty expert and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University; Majora Carter, Urban Revitalization Strategist; and Vicki B. Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. Additional panelists to be announced.

The conversation will rebroadcast for three nights on Tavis Smiley on PBS beginning Monday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 18 and will continue during The Tavis Smiley Show and Smiley & West both distributed from Public Radio International (PRI).

"How is it possible to sleep at night when poverty in America is forcing our children to surrender their life chances before they know their life choices?" questions Smiley. "Let's not wait on our government. We can be the catalysts for change -- today."

About TAVIS SMILEY PRESENTS
Tavis Smiley Presents is an event production company dedicated to bringing thought provoking discussions, engaging town hall meetings, and consumer expos to communities across the country. During the last 10 years, its programs have reached more than 500,000 conference attendees and attracted millions of television viewers nationwide.

Tavis Smiley is the host of Tavis Smiley on PBS, The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI, and is also co-host of Smiley & West, a weekly current affairs and political program featuring one of America's favorite public intellectuals Cornel West.

SOURCE Tavis Smiley Presents