"This whole notion of a post racial America was nonsense from the very beginning. It was a bad idea, a bad notion, a bad formulation when it was first raised"

In this quote, Tavis Smiley is expressing his belief that the concept of a "post-racial" America was never practical or attainable. He is saying that the concept was flawed and misdirected from the very beginning, and that it was an error to even propose such an idea. Smiley is most likely arguing that racial inequality and discrimination are deeply deep-rooted in American society and can not be quickly eliminated, and for that reason any attempt to produce a "post-racial" society is bound to stop working. In general, Smiley appears to be calling for a more sincere and practical approach to resolving racial problems in America.