User:Andrewmanker/sandbox

Tavis Smiley - Biography
Tavis Smiley is a writer who runs a talk show and commentates on the radio. He has been hosted by NPR, ABC, CNN, Good Morning America, and other various radio and television shows. However, his primary focus is his own talk show on NPR and his show on PBS called Tavis Smiley. (Samuel, Leah. “Tavis Smiley.” Progressive, vol. 68, no. 3, Mar. 2004, pp. 33–36.). He was born in Gulfport, MS on September 13, 1964. In 1986, Smiley obtained his Bachelor of the Arts from Indiana University and is a member of the Los Angeles Young Black Professionals. He was awarded the NAACP President’s Award in 2000; additionally, (amongst many other awards) Smiley was given the Du Bois Medal in 2008 from Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. His first taste of politics started in high school when he was able to hear U.S. Senator Birch Bayh speak. Following his high school career, Smiley heads of to college in Indiana and quickly took part in debate and student government. ("Tavis Smiley." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2018. Literature Resource Center.) He consistently uses his fame and public face to bring attention to the plight of Black America in addition to his contribution to another twelve books. (Sanneh, Kelefa, “What He Knows for Sure.” The New Yorker, vol. 84, no. 23, Aug. 2008. ProQuest.) Tavis Smiley, a prolific commentator on politics and various social issues, used his platform to showcase his books; more specifically, his book, The Covenant with Black America. (Tavis Smiley." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2018. Literature Resource Center). (Dixler, Elsa. "Paperback Row." New York Times Book Review, Feb 10, 2008, pp. 32. ProQuest)

The Covenant with Black America
Smiley’s anthology is a collection of ten essays written by scholars and activists who are fighting to balance the scale between White and Black America. They offer a call to action for Black America, filled with “practical advice,” to close the gap between them and White America. The overall message of the anthology has remnants of the “nineteen-seventies’ campaigns of Jesse Jackson” (Sanneh, Kelefa, “What He Knows for Sure.” The New Yorker, vol. 84, no. 23, Aug. 2008. ProQuest.) Yet, the anthology's ultimate goal was to help Black America gain social, economic, and political power because without that power, the disparities between Black and White America will continue to grow. (Alexander, Amy. “Tavis Smiley’s Covenant.” Nation, vol. 283, no. 8, Sept. 2006, pp. 8–12. EBSCOhost) In 2006, the anthology found its way in the slot of The New York Time’s number one bestseller. (Waldron, Clarence. “Tavis Smiley.” Jet, vol. 110, no. 17, Oct. 2006, pp. 14–57.) The Covenant’s ten essays, all focused on different areas of social and political disparities, offer theories to help alleviate these disparities. Listed as “Covenants,” the ten essays are as follows: “Securing the Right to Health Care and Wellbeing,” “Establishing a System of Public Education in Which All Children Achieve at High Levels and Reach Their Full Potential,” “Correcting the System of Unequal Justice,” “Fostering Accountable Community-Centered Policing,” “Ensuring Broad Access to Affordable Neighborhoods That Connect to Opportunity,” “Claiming Our Democracy,” “Strengthening Our Rural Roots,” “Accessing Good Jobs, Wealth, and Economic Prosperity,” “Assuring Environmental Justice for All,” and “Closing the Racial Digital Divide.” Cornel West concludes the book with a final call to action. (Smiley, Tavis, editor. The Covenant with Black America: Ten Years Later. Hay House, 2016.) Nonetheless, by reaching the bestsellers list, Smiley was able to reach his goal of forcing America to consider the nuances of American racial disparities that are introduced within these essays: people will have to discuss these issues. (Garner, Dwight. "TBR: Inside the List." New York Times Book Review, Mar 26, 2006, pp. 26. ProQuest).

=== I: "Securing the Right to Health Care and Wellbeing" - David M. Satcher, M.D., PhD === As the sixteenth Surgeon General of the United States, Satcher defines health as reflective of both mind and body. In this essay, he elucidates the needs of Black America to have a culture between healthcare provider and patient; in addition, he focuses on the disproportionate representation of Black America in the healthcare system and justice system. Satcher, M. Satcher. “Securing the Right to Health Care and Well-Being.” Smiley, pp. 2-16.

II: "Establishing a System of Public Education in Which All Children Achieve at High Level and Reach Their Full Potential" - Edmund W. Gordon, Ed D
Edmund Gordon illuminates, in this essay, the relationship between educational opportunity with "race, ethnicity, gender, etc." He attributes this the title of the "Black-White achievement gap."

III: "Correcting the System of Unequal Justice" - James Bell
As the president (and founder) of the W. Haywood Burns Institute, an institute to help communities reach equality, James Bell advocates for justice within the juvenile system and adult justice system in his essay. He calls for help in liberating the members of the Black community that have been imprisoned by the "flawed justice system." Bell, James. “Correcting the System of Unequal Justice.” Smiley, pp. 49-66.

X: "Closing the Racial Digital Divide" - Tyrone D. Taborn
Article 1 - Talk:Southern United States literature

This article is rated start class and I would say that most of the information is relevant but there seems to be a decent gap of information regarding authors, the style of writing that is unique to this region of literature. In addition I think the overview could use some clarity and reorganization. I also felt like Southern Literature character tropes should be included because without this information, Fitzgerald's Southern Belle character is lost. I want to restructure the sections labeled history and contemporary southern literature: they need added information and some clarity/additional information within the subsections. I also think more subsections should be added to help readers dissect the information that they need.

I will be working on this page for my project.

Article 2 - Beat Generation

Although this article is rate B-class, I think it may need some cutting down and added research. I think that when researching topics/eras like the Beat Generation it is helpful to see an "influenced by" and "people they influenced" sections to see where they fit into history and why they are so well-known. Some of the sections could be reorganized and I also found it interesting that, although they are mentioned in the introduction of the page, the noted "Beat" writers don't even have their own section. I also was confused by some of the subsections that didn't seem to correctly fall under the categories of their bigger section titles.

Article 3 - Typecasting (acting)

This article is rated c-class and is in desperate need for citations and reliable sources. Including references, this page only has 6 sections and could use a revamp in titles and information. Major reorganization needs to be made in addition to adding some completely new sections - for instance, I think typecasting has social and cultural effects that are not even brought up at all. I think that a minor history of Hollywood casting might also prove useful for a page like this. I wonder if it also might be useful to add any information that could piece together a timeline for viewers. I think it might also be necessary to consider looking at a more world-view of this category of film.

Article Evaluation

I would argue that about 70-75% of this article is actually relevant; however, I do think that there might be too much history and less information regarding the development of American Theater. I felt like this excessive history can almost be distracting. In addition, I felt like there was not a clear string of though within each subsection. I did not catch any information out of date, but I have not explored every source. I did think a few details were left out for significant playwrights as well as the 21st century dramas. I think, as far as improvements go, some of this article could be cut down and some information could be updated and improved for clarity.