Soledad O’Brien Discusses Service at MLK Lecture at UNC

Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill

Soledad OíBrien concluded her keynote address at the MLK Celebration Lecture and Awards Ceremony at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by asking the audience, “What are you going to do?”

Her talk was interspersed with clips from her Latino in America and Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11 documentaries highlighting how “uncomfortable conversations” could and should be opened and discussed. Her talk focused on the opportunity each and every individual has to spark social change.

“Every step forward toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle. What will be my service? To tell the stories of all Americans — whether they look like me or not, whether they agree with me or not — and seek to understand them and accurately reflect their stories.”

As with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom she described as a regular man who decided he would do great things, “That means for the rest of us that we have that same opportunity,’’ said O’Brien.

O’Brien said her role in sparking social change is to continue to tell — and most importantly listen to — people’s stories.

In 2013, O’Brien launched Starfish Media Group, a multi-platform media production and distribution company dedicated to uncovering and producing stories that challenge the issues of race, class, wealth, poverty and opportunity through personal narratives. She originated the documentary series, In America, which included Black in America and Latino in America and is still produced by her production company.

Sources

• diversity.unc.edu/soledad-obrien-discusses-service-at-mlk-lecture/
• dailytarheel.com/article/2017/01/soledad-obrien-honors-martin-luther-king-jrr-s-legacy-with-celebration-speech
• heraldsun.com/news/look-to-yourselves-soledad-o-brien-says-it-s-our

Soledad O'Brien at USF's MLK Convocation Tonight

Soledad O'Brien will speak during the University of South Florida's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Week, held Jan. 15-23.

O'Brien, the originator of CNN's Black in America series, was selected by the student-run University Lecture Series as someone who represents and speaks to a variety of identities, and provides a wealth of experiences and knowledge, according to USF.

Her free lecture will be at the MLK Convocation tonight, January 20, at 8 p.m.

Soledad O'Brien keynote at Southeast Missouri State University's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner

Soledad O'Brien, award-winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, producer and television personality, will present the keynote address at Southeast Missouri State University's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Jan. 21 in the Show Me Center. This year's theme is "Words That Changed a Nation."

O'Brien Hosts 'Let Freedom Ring' Event in DC

Soledad O'Brien and Hill Harper hosted the "Let Freedom Ring" commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter also joined the tribute at the Lincoln Memorial.

Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Foxx and Forest Whitaker were among the celebrities joining the three presidents to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, spoke at this year's march, along with Winfrey, Foxx and Whitaker. Winfrey and Whitaker are starring in Lee Daniels' The Butler, a movie about a man who served for seven presidents as a White House butler.

Musicians including LeAnn Rimes and BeBe Winans were scheduled to perform.

The Mountaintop

CNN's Soledad O'Brien takes a look at a controversial new Broadway play, The Mountaintop, that fictionalizes the night before MLK was shot. Inside the room where he spent his last night.

Here's a promo video - the full version of this piece airs tonight 8pm EST on CNN Presents with Soledad and Sanjay Gupta.

The Next Big Story Continues

In this second excerpt from Soledad O'Brien's memoir, The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities, we have moved to 2006 in her story.

Soledad had just obtained exclusive access to Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers. Through rare access to the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, Soledad was able to examine the personal determination and private courage and concerns of the preacher and civil rights leader.

She had just done a report on the papers as co-anchor on CNN's American Morning.

On this American Morning, I have an exclusive look at a man at least half the world admires. I feel like what he is saying speaks to me. I am energized, a new member of the quarter million people who joined him on the mall, and a new recipient of the grace he handed out in Selma.

Then, out of nowhere, The Reverend Jesse Jackson calls with an invitation to meet and talk and it brings my reverie to a halt. We greet warmly and sit. A young, clean-cut security guy hovers near by. He stays close enough to be summoned for a quick question but not close enough to overhear. I notice the china is clinking, like real good china. I have four small kids so I never hear that particular sound. The restaurant is on the first floor of a famous hotel and the place is nice. The Reverend Jackson begins talking in his strong Southern accent. His voice is very low. He says "call me Jesse," but that's something I feel like I cannot do. I am confident he doesn't remember the first time we met. It was my job in 1989 to escort him through his live shots at WBZ TV around Boston Nelson Mandela's historic visit to the U.S. I was his "babysitter," the one making sure no other media plucked him away. He was our contributor. He whispers something. He is speaking so low I can barely hear him. I strain to get closer...

The papers became the focus of a CNN special called MLK Papers - Words That Changed A Nation which aired in February 2010.

continue reading the book excerpt online at cnn.com

 

The book is also available as  audiobook on CDs or as an mp3.

At the University of Vermont Soledad O'Brien Talks About Service

Soledad O'Brien, just a few days home from being in Haiti covering the earthquake for CNN, spoke at the University of Vermont.

Her keynote was part of a week of events designed to explore Rev. Martin Luther King's ongoing relevance.

Her speech connected many aspects in a history of human neglect.

The failure of Haiti as an infrastructure is a hundred years old," she says. "Haiti did not happen in a vacuum. They have a government that fails them. You cannot ignore a country for so long and then be surprised when there is a price to pay."

According to O'Brien, pre-earthquake Haiti had an 85 percent unemployment rate, 60 percent of the population had no access to healthcare, and an estimated 225,000 children were working as slaves, farmed out as household help.

"As we sit and watch the pictures," she says, "we have to ask ourselves, 'Are we okay with this?'"

She emphasized to the audience that service is a key to progress and to our national morality. She says that was clear in both her time spent after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and in Haiti.

"The only way you can lead effectively in a challenging environment is to serve. By being a serving leader, [King had] the authenticity, the consistency, and ultimately the authority and his message came through."

She quoted Dante's Inferno "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."

"There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing when your voice is needed. Even the perpetrator of something bad is less bad than the person standing by who has an opportunity to speak or to act and chooses not to. There are talkers and there are doers. Which are you? Which am I?"

SoledadOBrien.info

Soledad O'Brien Is Keynote Speaker at Penn State MLK Commemoration

CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien will deliver the keynote address at th 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at Penn State University.

This year's events mark the 25th commemoration at the University Park campus, dating to 1985 when then University President Bryce Jordan first appointed a commemoration committee. Today, a campus and community committee works with a student committee to develop events, which include the annual Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18.

O'Brien will speak at the Evening Celebration, which begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Soledad O'Brien, a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, has been awarded the NAACP President's Award in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service and the Hispanic Achievement Award in Communications.

The Evening Celebration also will feature performances by student performing arts company NOMMO, which specializes in African dance and drumming, choral ensemble Essence of Joy, students from State College Friends School and poet Nathan James.

There is no charge to attend the celebration, but tickets are required and can be obtained at the Eisenhower Auditorium ticket office.

SoledadOBrien.info

Soledad Keynote Speaker at UVM Martin Luther King Celebration

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien will deliver the keynote speech for UVM's 2010 Martin Luther King Celebration, Education and Learning Week. O'Brien will speak on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m. in Ira Allen Chapel.

O'Brien has provided award-winning coverage for CNN on many of the top news stories of recent years, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 terrorist attack in London, as well as extensive coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, she has reported for CNN Presents: Black in America, an on-air and digital initiative that explores the state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The event, sponsored by the Office of the President, Student Life, and the Office of the Associate Provost for Multicultural Affairs and Academic Initiatives. will include a special guest performance by the New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church Children's Gospel Choir.

More information

SoledadOBrien.info

Video from Eyewitness to Murder/ The Assassination of Martin Luther King

Soledad O'Brien hosts Eyewitness to Murder/ The Assassination of Martin Luther King available in segments on YouTube

CNN To Replay "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination"

In commemoration of the 41st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, CNN will replay their Black in America documentary titled, "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination."

Soledad O'Brien reports on how convicted criminal and armed robber James Earl Ray spent a year on the run, which included plastic surgery, prior to his assassination of the civil rights leader.

"What's amazing to me is that in some ways you know you're standing literally in a pivotal spot, in history, in time, in this country," she said while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Replay of MLK "I Have A Dream" Speech

CNN has reached agreement with the estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. that will allow the network to replay King's "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety today at tomorrow at 12 Noon ET.

The airing of the speech is part of CNN's MLK Day programming. Anchors Soledad O'Brien and Don Lemon lead coverage along with CNN political analyst Roland Martin from the Mall, not far from where King gave that speech on Aug. 28, 1963.

The 16 minute speech is currently available on YouTube



VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk
TEXT http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html
AUDIO http://www.mlkonline.net/sounds.html

O'Brien at Duke University

Soledad O’Brien, CNN anchor and lead reporter for the Black in America series, will speak as part of the Duke University Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at the Bryan Center.

The event will be held January 22 at 7 pm and admission is free.

“Build the Dream” Radiothon for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial

Clear Channel Radio has enlisted the help of Steve Harvey, Doug Banks, Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden to participate in the company’s “Build the Dream” Radiothon for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. Harvey, Banks, Joyner and Baisden host their own radio shows and the Radiothon will help raise money on behalf of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation Inc.

The Radiothon is on Thursday, August 28 and the company has already received commitments from singer Aretha Franklin, actors Samuel L. Jackson and Ice Cube, retired Gen. Colin Powell and journalists Al Roker and Soledad O’Brien to participate.

Ms. O'Brien's recent Black in America and Special Investigations on the MLK papers and the anniversary of Dr. King's death for CNN, make her a very visible face for the project.


On November 13, 2006, thousands attended the Ceremonial Groundbreaking on the National Mall co-hosted by Tavis Smiley and Soledad O’Brien. Those in attendance included Presidents Bush and Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Senator Barack Obama, Diane Sawyer, Dr. King’s children - Yolanda, Martin III and Bernice, Members of the President’s Cabinet, and Members of Congress.

The national foundation has set a total fundraising goal of $120 million to complete the project. Congress first authorized the development of a memorial to Dr. King to be located in Washington D.C. in 1996. The foundation held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Nov. 13, 2006. It will be built on the National Mall, next to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

Celebrity participants will be featured on select Clear Channel Radio stations, where they will be asked to share their thoughts about the importance of Dr. King and the significance of building a national memorial.