tavis_smiley_web.jpgNew York Times best-selling author and talk-show host Tavis Smiley has produced Stand, a documentary reflecting accomplished African Americans discussing the advances of average African Americans over the past 40 years.

In the summer of 2008, Smiley was joined by Cornel West, Dick Gregory, Michael Eric Dyson and others to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as to analyze Barack Obama’s journey to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Smiley‘s documentary consists of an old-fashioned road trip through Memphis and Nashville, exploring prominent sites including the motel where Dr. King was assassinated.

A wide variety of controversial topics are debated along the way, while a closer look into their roles in making society a better place are examined.

One reviewer called Stand “a powerful mix between a buddy flick and a road trip movie.” Stand encores on the Documentary Channel on March 9, April 3 and 26.

Photo: Tavis Smiley