consecutive years (1997–99) for his work on BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley. Smiley's advocacy efforts have earned him numerous awards and recognition including the recipient of the Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award from the National Association of Minorities in Communications. In 1999, he founded the Tavis Smiley Foundation, which funds programs that develop young leaders in the community. Since its inception, more than 6,500 young people have participated in the foundation's Youth to Leaders Training workshops and conferences. 2007 - Smiley gave a commencement speech at his alma mater, Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana (the university recently honored Smiley by naming the atrium of its School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) building, The Tavis Smiley Atrium). 2008 - Smiley gave the commencement address at Connecticut College, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate. On December 12, 2008, Smiley received the Du Bois Medal from Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. 2009 - Smiley was awarded an honorary doctorate at Langston University after giving the commencement address there. He was also awarded the 2009 Interdependence Day Prize from Demos in Istanbul, Turkey. In popular culture Smiley was named No. 2 change agent in the field of media behind Oprah Winfrey in EBONY Magazines POWER 150 list. Time added him in 2009 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World". In 2014, Smiley received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring his contributions to television. Smiley is referenced in the KRS-One song "Clear 'Em Out." Bibliography References Sources LaRue, William. "Tavis Smiley: NPR Host Brings Latenight Talk to PBS". The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York), February 1, 2004, STARS section, pp. 4–6. Slade, Scott. "Author Issues Wakeup Call". Kokomo Tribune (Indiana), June 20, 1996, p. 7. External links Tavis Smiley on WNET/PBS Tavis Smiley at NPR Tavis Smiley: The State of the Black Union Interview Tavis Smiley on Rev. Martin Luther King and His Opposition to the Vietnam War – video by Democracy Now! 1964 births African-American businesspeople African-American Christians African-American journalists African-American radio personalities African-American television personalities African-American television producers Television producers from California African-American television talk show hosts African-American writers 21st-century American memoirists American Pentecostals American philanthropists American political writers American male non-fiction writers American social commentators American talk radio hosts American television talk show hosts Businesspeople from Indiana Businesspeople from Los Angeles Indiana University Bloomington alumni Journalists from Mississippi