Latino Stories Are American Stories

"Time to Realize Latino Stories Are American Stories"
by Soledad O'Brien and Rose Marie Arce, October 20, 2009

If you want to write something, film something, sing something, produce whatever content possible for an American audience, then you must also produce content for and about Latinos.

Not to be wise-ass Latinas, with all due respect to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, but our nation has 51 million Latinos, from Pico Rivera to Puerto Rico. Half the country's new residents are Latinos, one of four children under 5, the largest minority in 20 states.

If you're not telling their story, you're not telling the American story.

That was what we wanted to accomplish with our book “Latino in America,” published by Penguin to complement our documentary of the same name, airing on CNN Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. EDT. The book builds on the documentary's reporting to give a personal perspective to write Latinos into the American story where they are often missing.

Just 6 percent of people working in TV news and 4 percent of the newspaper reporters in this country are Latinos. So it's not surprising that there is a lot of segregated news content out there, things that run only in Spanish or only target Latinos, and there is an emphasis on Latinos mired in conflict, even though that is not the way many of us live our lives.

There are some stereotypical expectations of someone with a name like Maria de la Soledad and her team (Rose Arce is co-author of the book “Latino in America” and one of several producers on the documentary).

Some folks expect us to tell the same Latino stories flavored with some authenticity. Instead we've told the stories of people with roots in 21 different countries whose Latino experience is about what happens once they've arrived.

We look at them as the Americans they are; 71% of them are U.S.-born. Our Latinos are more like America Ferrera in “Ugly Betty” rather than being cast as sidekicks like Lupe Ontiveros, who has played a maid in hundreds of movies including “As Good as It Gets.” Lupe, ironically, is one of the loudest voices on why we need to give voice to the Latino mainstream and dispense with the stereotypes and immigration conflict storylines.

You can do this, too. Shed this idea that someone is a minority in America just because they are of Hispanic descent.

We asked Eva Longoria what being Latino in America meant to her and she said: "We're ninth-generation Americans. We didn't just cross over. We're on the same land that we got in our Spanish land grant from our ancestors. We were Mexico and then the border moved and we were Texas, and then the border moved again, and we were America without ever moving."

Once you do that, Latino stories have universal impact. It's not just a Latino story that Latino teens are among those facing substandard, overcrowded schools in Los Angeles, or experiencing frightening rates of suicide attempts or pregnancies or bigotry. Nor is it only interesting to Latinos to see how Latino sport, food, music and work and family ethics are enriching U.S. culture.

Everyone has a stake in this story because it's the story of tomorrow's America. That is a story that needs to be told.

Soledad and George Lopez from Latino in America

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Soledad O'Brien at Hearts of Gold

Hearts of Gold, a not-for-profit organization that improves the lives of New York City’s homeless mothers and their children, will present its 13th Annual Fall Fundraising Gala, “It’s A Love Thing,” on Thursday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. at Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street.

The event will feature co-Mistresses of Ceremonies Soledad O’Brien, Anchor and Special Correspondent for CNN and Goodwill Ambassador for Hearts of Gold.

Soledad will be joined by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s Tamara Tunie, also an accomplished producer and director as well as a member of Hearts of Gold’s esteemed Advisory Board.

The family-friendly evening will include a cocktail reception and a live auction. The highlight of the 1970s-themed night will be a runway fashion show with the fall collections of Beth Bowley, Teenflo, Transit, Zapa, and other designers yet to be announced. And, for the first time this year, the gala will also feature an after-hours party dubbed “Love Unlimited” to be held following the fashion show and auction at Metropolitan Pavilion.

Proceeds from “It’s A Love Thing” and “Love Unlimited” will be used to support the more than 450 children and over 375 mothers in residence annually at three Manhattan shelters. Though New York City has the country’s second-largest homeless population, Hearts of Gold Founder & Executive Director Deborah Koenigsberger’s vision is to expand the organization, so that struggling families get real-time support not just in New York but across the nation. The funds raised in the annual gala are critical for both the organization’s immediate local needs and longer-term national goals.

“I know our entire nation continues to struggle with the prolonged economic downturn, but NYC’s homeless mothers and children are among those hurting the most. The families that Hearts of Gold serves need our help more than ever,” said Deborah Koenigsberger, Founder & Executive Director.

“I am honored that Soledad and Tamara are generously supporting Hearts of Gold again this year as we improve the lives of these families in their time of immediate need and put them on a road to stability and success.”

Individual tickets for “It’s A Love Thing” are available for $250, $500, and $1,000, with tables starting at $2,500. Tickets to the after-party, which runs from 10:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. and includes open bar and dancing, are $50. A limited number of event sponsorship opportunities are still available. Companies or individuals interested in participating in the event can learn more, purchase tickets, or make a donation by calling (212) 206-1461 or by visiting www.heartsofgold.org.

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O'Brien Narrates Documentary on Global Education

CNN journalist Soledad O'Brien narrates a documentary on global education, particulary using summer and afterschool hours to develop students as global citizens.
http://www.asiasociety.org/video/

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Soledad O'Brien Talks with My Latino Voice

Soledad O'Brien talks with "My Latino Voice" about her experiences making CNN's Latino In America.
Part 1


Part 2

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Latino in America Premieres On CNN Today

Latinos in America debuts in two parts today and tomorrow on CNN.

Among those interviewed by Soledad O'Brien was actress Eva Longoria Parker (at right).

For information on the documentary, see
cnn.com/latino.in.america

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Soledad and Latino in America Gets Rave Review

Here's the opening of a very positive review of CNN's Latino in America documentary and Soledad O'Brien.

One of the great joys of TV journalism is seeing first-rate correspondents matched up with subject matter that they are passionate about. Think of the late Ed Bradley sitting down to interview a pop culture pioneer whom he admired like Lena Horne, or NBC's Richard Engel in the line of fire covering a war.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien achieves that kind of stature with "Latino in America," a four-hour, two-night documentary series on the experiences of the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority, beginning Wednesday night at 9.

Some might argue that the 43-year-old journalist had already arrived in that elite company with "Black in America" in 2008 and "Black in America 2" this year. But while I think her work was first-rate in those shows, there is something extraordinary about O'Brien's performance and presence in the new Latino documentary.

read the full review at http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/

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Soledad's Life in Black, White and Latino

Soledad O’Brien, now 43, is the daughter of a black Cuban mother (Estela Lucrecia Marquetti y Mendieta, seen in the photo left), who left Havana in 1947, and a white Australian father (Edward Ephram O’Brien), reared in a town called Toowoomba.

She writes in Latino in America, the book that accompanies the CNN documentary of the same name, about her experience growing up with five siblings in Smithtown, Long Island, NY in a "mixed family in a single-race town.”

Here are a few excerpts:

My family moved to Smithtown on the North Shore of Long Island when my father began teaching fluid mechanics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
We grew up among well-educated white kids, with a nice home and good schools, and pursued a life that seemed limitless. My parents hoped that the fact that one of them was white and the other black would not define us.

They believed that time would change the way people viewed our family. But our new history was being written in a town that today is 95% white and has roughly 100,000 residents and a median household income of about $100,000.

Mom, Dad and the O'Brien kids

When I was growing up, I’m sure it was not as large or as wealthy as it is today, but it was just as white.

Her appearance, and that of her siblings, seemed "black" to those around here, but her mother raised them as "classically Latino."

She required a devotion to our family and a strong immigrant work ethic. She always worked; we always worked. She cooked; we ate. She focused on us; we focused. My parents were not radicals as individuals, but their way of life was radical by definition. They were a mixed family in a single-race town.

School is one place where confrontation is always present, and her mixed heritage invited additional confrontations.

In middle school when I was 13, I’d be stopped in the hallway, with a question. “If you’re a nigger, why don’t you have big lips?” I was often asked. “Why is your name so weird?” People would apologize for asking me if I was black. I didn’t know how to take the apology. I just ignored them and pushed forward with a quest to become a typical Long Island teenager. I chopped off the end of my name and had people call me Solie, which I spelled with a heart over the “i” in true Long Island high-school-girl fashion. But my hair would never “wing” like Farrah Fawcett’s.

Despite her fairly glamorous status in the news world, her high school days were less glamorous and less social.

It was clear to me I wouldn’t ever date as long as I stayed in Long Island. First of all, my parents would never allow it, and, truth be told, there were no potential suitors. I was also brainy, and that didn’t help.

Her mother taught at Smithtown High School West, but Soledad attended to go to Smithtown High School East across town. With two parents in education, there was a family focus on hard work in school as a means of success.

Soledad started at Harvard in 1984 where a new world opened for her.

What was a burden in Long Island became instantly interesting on campus. I reclaimed Soledad and studied Spanish. I made friends of all races and socioeconomic classes. I dated for the first time — white guys, Asian guys, Puerto Rican and black guys. I felt comfortable.

My siblings also went to Harvard, and now my sister Maria is a law professor, Cecilia is a corporate lawyer, Tony heads a documents company, Estela is an eye surgeon and Orestes is an anesthesiologist. We may have not blended into Long Island, but when it came to academic achievement we didn’t struggle.

Soledad O'Brien on Jeopardy

October 2009

Soledad Video

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien speaking about CNN's "Latino in America" documentary and her own mixed-race identity at the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. (10-5-09).

Soledad O'Brien Competes on Jeopardy Today

Tune in for the second round of the new Jeopardy! celebrity tournament, which airs today, October 15th.

Contestants for this round are:

• NBA Superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, playing for The Skyhook Foundation
• Actor and Grammy-winning musician Michael McKean, playing for the International Myeloma Foundation
• CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien, playing for the Soledad O'Brien and Brad Raymond Family Foundation

The Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational tournament is a season-long event, with three celebrities taking the podiums on the third Thursday of each month for the first nine rounds. Then we'll move on to the semi-finals, and in the final round, one celebrity is guaranteed to win a million dollars for his or her charity.

Last month, Andy Richter beat CNN's Wolf Blitzer, so this is Soledad's chance to bring the glory home to CNN.

CNN Asks Are You A Garcia?

The last name, Garcia, is now the 8th most popular name in America. It's reflective of the rapid changes taking place as the largest ethnic immigrant wave takes root in the U.S.

As part of its Latino in America series (hosted by Soledad O'Brien and debuting October 21 & 22), the network asks: Are you a Garcia?

If yes, CNN wants to hear your family's story, from families with centuries-old roots in America to recent immigrants or those who are living the American dream.

You can share video and photos of your Garcia family story.

As part of its iReport.com site, viewers contribute their own reports. This is a user-generated site. That means the stories submitted by users are not edited, fact-checked or screened before they post. Only stories marked "On CNN" have been vetted for use in CNN news coverage.

Latino in America Advance Screenings

Las Vegas was one city in a tour of at least 15 cities that had advance screenings of CNN's Latino in America series that will debut on next week (October 21 and 22).

At these screenings, audience members become involved in discussions about and beyond the documentary, and hopefully start conversations about their own local issues.

Patterned after last year’s Black in America, the show is an exploration of the role of Latinos in today’s — and tomorrow’s — United States.

Latino In America, hosted by CNN personality and Black In America host Soledad O’Brien, will focus on the growing U.S. Hispanic population and the pertinent issues that face the community.

According to Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions, “The In America brand strand gives us the opportunity to look at groups of people in America that have been misreported or in some cases neglected by the media. We found out with Black In America that many people who watched were not only black but Hispanic as well. This is the fastest-growing minority group in America today, but we don’t understand how really diverse this group is. The show focuses on how Latinos are changing America and how America is changing Latinos.”

Latino in America Book Available

The accompanying book to the CNN series, Latino in America, is now available. The paperback is written by Soledad O'Brien and Rose Marie Arce.

The book ties into what is probably one of the most heavily anticipated CNN documentaries ever.

Soledad O’Brien brings readers closer to today’s Latino experience as well as her own journey. The Latino in America delivers more personal and revealing accounts than the documentary and will contain never-before-seen interviews, photos, and exclusive insights from O’Brien’s travels across the U.S.


Latino In America, the CNN documentary hosted by CNN special correspondent and Black In America host Soledad O’Brien, focuses on the growing U.S. Hispanic population and the pertinent issues that face that community.

The series is in two parts: part one explores the lives of people across the country who share the surname “Garcia,” the eighth most popular family name in America. The second part focuses on how four different communities are meeting the challenges of disparities, immigration and discrimination in terms of language, education, citizenship, and cultural identity.

Along with many ordinary citizens, some celebrities, such as Edward James Olmos, Eva Longoria Parker, Jesse Garcia and Lupe Ontiveros, are also featured in the documentary.

The documentary debuts October 21 and 22 at 9 PM ET.

CNN also plans to create a Spanish-language version of Latino In America.

O'Brien to Host AdColor Awards

AdColor, a national coalition that promotes diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries, is honoring Latino talk-show host Cristina Saralegui and 20 others in the industry at an Oct. 4 awards dinner at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix.

CNN anchor, Soledad O'Brien, will host the awards show.

Soledad O'Brien at the Latino Leaders Network Luncheon

Soledad O'Brien speaks at the Latino Leaders Network Luncheon, September 22, 2009.