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A number of bloggers are criticizing Tavis Smiley for his role in publishing R. Kelly’s book. Here’s what they had to say about Tavis Smiley on the site What About Our Daughters?

I think it is a legitimate question to ask PBS’s resident diversity check box where he and his business partner stand on the issue of child rape after Mr. Smiley’s publishing company set off a publicity blitz to announce their role in rehabilitating the image of R. Kelly, an accused pedophile with longstanding purported predilections for engaging in alleged sexual acts with underage girls.

Hip-Hop blogger, Bol also had some criticism for Smiley on his blog at XXlmag.

Enter Tavis Smiley, who could use a book to publish, even if it’s a little bit flawed. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, because honestly I’m not 100% certain, but I’m pretty sure Tavis Smiley is one of these writers who doesn’t actually write very much at all. He’s got an autobio out, but it’s also an as-told-to. Then he’s got those books where prominent negro thinkers prescribe solutions for the myriad problems in the black community, as if that’s gonna help.

Speaking of which, didn’t the black feigned outrage community issue a fatwa against Arruh, after the most recent time he got away with “statutory rape?” I thought they were trying to have his songs banned from the radio, like Rage Against the Machine on 9/11. And isn’t Tavis Smiley supposed to be one of their main leaders? I can’t imagine it didn’t occur to him, at some point in the process of signing a deal to publish a book by R. Kelly, that it might not be good for his “brand.” The only thing I can think is that Tavis must be trying to go rogue, Sarah Palin-style, ever since the black community turned on him, for having the sheer balls to question Barack Obama, before it was all trendy.

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