Courtesy of Loop21
Tavis Smiley’s criticisms of President Barack Obama just cost him $37,000.
Smiley was slated to be the keynote speaker at a Martin Luther King luncheon hosted by the Peoria Civic Center in central Illinois next week. However a group of Obama supporters threatened to boycott the luncheon if Smiley was allowed to participate.
“What’s important to us is putting together a luncheon that celebrates the life and work of Dr.King,” said luncheon organizer Alma Brown. “And it became evident over the last few days that people were upset about comments that Tavis Smiley had made, comments that we weren’t aware of unfortunately so we made the decision to cancel his contract.”
Smiley is being replaced by radio show host and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson.