Smerconish to guest on Chris Matthews’ MLK Day Special

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Michael Smerconish has been selected to share his unique views on race in a live broadcast on MSNBC TV on 1/18, 10pm – 12 am ET. The special, titled “Obama’s America: 2010 and Beyond,” will be moderated by “Hardball” host Chris Matthews and will air on Martin Luther King Day from Texas Southern University.


Michael will join a diverse and distinguished group of panelists from across the political and cultural spectrum in an extended discussion surrounding race and post-racial identity in America. The event promises to explore pressing and provocative issues connected to race and race relations in our time.

Smerconish will weigh in from the center right on issues such as the progress we’ve made, challenges we face around racial equity, whether there is such a thing as generational colorblindness, the “burdens of the first,” and whether there are a unique set of expectations and challenges attached to being the first to break a racial barrier.

“I’ve spent much of the week speaking with radio listeners about Harry Reid’s controversial statement on the President’s skin color and dialect,” says Michael Smerconish. “The timing for a discussion on race could not be better. I am looking forward to Monday.”

Panelists also include Voto Latino founder and MSNBC analyst Maria Teresa Kumar; Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University; actress and activist Rosie Perez; music radio’s Tom Joyner; John McWhorter, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute; Irshad Manji, author, “The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith”; and Jeff Johnson, political commentator and journalist.