Soledad O'Brien to be next Women in Government speaker at Pitt State

Hearst Television's Matter of Fact anchor Soledad O'Brien. Photo: Jay Mallin

Soledad O'Brien, an award-winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, producer and CEO, will be the next speaker in the Women in Government speaker series at Pittsburg State University in Kansas

O’Brien will present “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Linda & Lee Scott Performance Hall at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a brief meet-and-greet.

Past speakers in the series have included former First Lady Laura Bush, White House press correspondent Helen Thomas and Tina Chen, a chief of staff to former First Lady Michelle Obama.

SOURCE: www.joplinglobe.com/news/soledad-o-brien-to-be-next-women-in-government-speaker/

Soledad O'Brien on Campus at William & Mary

Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien will visit William & Mary this month as the university’s Hunter B. Andrews Distinguished Fellow in American Politics. She will give a public lecture on November 14.

Her campus visit is part of a yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of African-Americans in residence at William & Mary. Her public lecture, titled “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes, and in Our Lives."

O’Brien is currently the anchor for the nationally syndicated show Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien and chair and founder of the PowHERful Foundation (formerly Starfish Media Group).

Soledad is also the host of American Graduate Day, a public media effort to highlight individuals and organizations that are working to improve the high school graduation rate and put the nation's youth on a pathway to career success.

Soledad O'Brien Speaks at Webster University

O'Brien at the Civil Rights Museum

A diverse crowd of people formed the audience as Soledad O’Brien spoke at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.

“Stories of diversity make us all strong, and they’re interesting, and they fill in the gaps of history with the voices of the people who are not often heard,” O’Brien said.

“Controlling your narrative is where the power lies,” O’Brien said. “The media often controls the narrative. Sometimes, they have a bad habit of abusing that power.”

O’Brien also spoke earlier to a group of communications students and told them about the beginnings of her career as a journalist and the experiences that changed her life.

“As I was climbing the ladder, it never occurred to me that I could cover some of the biggest stories of our time,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said that her first eye-opening experience as a journalist was when she covered the lasting effect of Fidel Castro’s rule. She said her previous stories lacked character depth until she had to uncover the motives of the people who supported him.

“Why were people lined up mourning a dictator?” O’Brien said. “Up until then, most of my stories lacked context. The poor were always poor. The mother who drowned her children was crazy, and everything was black and white.”

O’Brien said overgeneralization in news reporting is a problem in today’s media.

“There’s no nuance, you’re either good or you’re bad,” O’Brien said.

SOURCE: websterjournal.com/2017/02/22/

Soledad O'Brien on #OscarsSoWhite: Why Did It Take So Long to Have This Discussion?

Soledad O'Brien wrote an essay on the hollywoodreporter.com website about the recent situation concerning the 2016 Oscar nominations and the lack of diversity.

"It's critical to think about whose voice is being heard — and whose voice is never heard," says the award-winning journalist and documentarian.

In my experience, diversity doesn't just "happen." It has to be very intentional. People have to have a genuine desire to make a change.

It's hard to tell what's going to happen this time around. There are some bright signs, including the fledgling efforts of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And, most importantly, there is an active, honest conversation going on.

It began with black artists — and lots of people of color — who said “enough.” And that's certainly why AMPAS announced that it will attempt to increase the diversity of Oscar judges, along with changing the rules of how and when they are qualified to vote. But the dialogue has now spread to other people, organizations, others who feel the sting of discrimination, and opponents...

I'm hoping that's what Hollywood is about to do, now that a bit of pressure has made them aware of how frustrating the problem is and how widespread. All it will take is giving people a chance to prove they can excel — and a conversation that allows people to discuss why it's worth it.                                             Read the full article

Diversity Talk at the University of Chicago for Soledad O'Brien

Soledad O'Brien was interviewed by The Chicago Maroon, the student newspaper of The University of Chicago, while she was on campus recently as the inaugural speaker for the University’s new diversity awareness campaign RISE (Reflect. Intervene. Speak. Engage.)

O’Brien, whose father is white and whose mother is Afro-Cuban, spent the day on campus meeting with students to discuss issues of diversity and gave a keynote address at Rockefeller Chapel in the evening.

Chicago Maroon: Why did you decide to participate in the RISE initiative and headline the first event?

Soledad O’Brien: I was invited, and I think a lot of the reason I am invited to be part of these conversations is because of the bulk of the work I’ve done. Whether it was Black in America, Latino in America, the Muslim in America documentary, or Gay in America, I think there was a sense that there was some insight into how do you both tell stories and live in a world that has become increasingly diverse. I probably would add to that list covering the election, when you look at who voted and all the demographic breakdowns, which really show a shift in this country. So I think there was a sense that since I’ve spent a lot of time studying diversity and really telling stories about individuals in diverse communities—their challenges, opportunities, successes, and failures—that I could sort of kick off this conversation, maybe with a big, 35-thousand-foot perspective on diversity as a whole.

continue reading

Photo: Peter Tang/The Chicago Maroon
Soledad O'Brien discusses diversity issues in an address given at the University of Chicago

A Colloquy with Soledad O'Brien at U of Maryland

On April 11, the Office of the Interim Associate Provost for Equity and the African American Studies Department presented a day-long colloquy on Diversity, Democracy, and Higher Education.

The keynote speaker, Soledad O'Brien, started the day's events.

The program includes panels on Who are we? What do we teach? and presentations from the 'This I believe...' essay contest. Audience members had the opportunity to ask questions.

English Department, University of Maryland

Soledad O'Brien Speaking in Ohio April 4

The Lecture Series at Miami University in Ohio has a reputation for bringing unforgettable speakers to Oxford. This year that list includes Soledad O'Brien.

On Monday, April 4, 2011, she will deliver a talk titled "Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes, and in Our Lives."

The series strives to bring speakers that bring more than some fame and will challenge students and encourage intellectual curiosity onto campus.

O'Brien on Diversity

      


Soledad O'Brien delivered a talk on "Diversity: On TV, Behind The Scenes And In Our Lives" as part of the H.O.P.E. Diversity Scholarship Program on February 17 at The Luhrs Performing Arts Center in Shippensburg, PA.

Soledad O'Brien, television journalist and anchor for CNN, is the daughter of an Australian father of Irish descent and an Afro-Cuban mother.

She graduated from Harvard University and moved up the ranks in TV news programs before landing her position as a CNN anchor. She was part of the CNN team that won a Peabody Award for the coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Alfred I. DuPont Award for the coverage of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster. She also was awarded the President's Award by the NAACP and the Women of Power Award by the National Urban League. She is a member of both the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Diversity Lecture by Soledad O'Brien Set For February 17

Soledad O'Brien will lecture on "Diversity: On TV, Behind The Scenes And In Our Lives" as part of the H.O.P.E. Diversity Scholarship Program on February 17 at 8 p.m. at The H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center, Shippensburg, PA.

Soledad O'Brien, television journalist and anchor for CNN, is the daughter of an Australian father of Irish descent and an Afro-Cuban mother.

She graduated from Harvard University and moved up the ranks in TV news programs before landing her position as a CNN anchor. She was part of the CNN team that won a Peabody Award for the coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Alfred I. DuPont Award for the coverage of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster. She also was awarded the President's Award by the NAACP and the Women of Power Award by the National Urban League. She is a member of both the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

O'Brien To Speak at Illinois State University

Soledad O'Brien will speak at the Illinois State University’s "Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner and Evening" on Friday, Jan. 21.

The event, which begins at 5 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Brown Ballroom, will feature cocktails, dinner and a presentation by CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien. She will present “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives.”

Information at http://www.UniversityEvents.ilstu.edu/mlk

O'Brien On Diversity at NCC

The Nassau Community College Black History Month committee brought Soledad O’Brien, award-winning CNN anchor and special correspondent, to campus to speak about "Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and in Our Lives" on February 9th.

Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN. Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe and produced award-winning documentaries on the most important stories facing the world today. In 2009, O’Brien reported for Black in America 2, a four-hour documentary focusing on successful community leaders who are improving the lives of African Americans. O’Brien’s reporting for Black in America in 2008 revealed the state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She has also reported for the CNN documentary Words that Changed a Nation, featuring a never-before-seen look at Dr. King’s private writings and notes. Prior to joining CNN, O’Brien worked for NBC, having begun her career at various NBC affiliates.

O’Brien was part of the coverage teams that earned CNN a George Foster Peabody Award for its Hurricane Katrina coverage and an Alfred I duPont Award for its coverage of the tsunami. Among her numerous other awards are an NAACP President’s Award for her humanitarian efforts and journalistic excellence; a Gracie Allen Award for her reporting; and a 2009 Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

O’Brien is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is a graduate of Harvard University.

SoledadOBrien.info

O'Brien Is Keynote Speaker in Springfield

Soledad O'Brien at the Springfield Urban League's 83rd annual dinner December 4, 2009. Photo: Armando L. Sanchez/The State Journal-Register

Soledad O’Brien gave the keynote address for the Springfield (IL) Urban League’s 83rd annual dinner this month. The event's theme was “empowered by diversity.”

O’Brien, 43, is the daughter of an Afro-Cuban mother and an Australian father of Irish descent. Her full name is Maria de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien.

“I check all the boxes” indicating race, O’Brien joked during an interview before her speech.

“I think there is a value to being an insider and outsider, and in a way, I get to be both.

The number of minorities, black and brown people, will be the majority. To me, that just means that everybody has to feel they have a place and can contribute. We have to see the nation as this one big boat that we are all on together. A success for one of us is a success for all of us. And, conversely, the failure of a group is a failure for all of us. If the boat springs a leak, we are all going down.

You cannot have a graduation rate of 50 percent and expect that the nation is going to be fine. I think people are getting that now in ways that, 10 years ago, they did not."

SoledadOBrien.info

Soledad O'Brien To Speak At Yale Law

Soledad O’Brien, CNN Anchor & Special Correspondent, will be appearing on November 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Yale Law School's, Levinson Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public.

She will be speaking on “Diversity in the Media: Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives.”

Read an interview with O'Brien from the New Haven Advocate.

SoledadOBrien.info

O'Brien at Hofstra University September 24

CNN Special Correspondent Soledad O’Brien and The Washington Post Columnist Eugene H. Robinson will discuss “Race, Diversity and a New America” at Hofstra University on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 3 p.m. in John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus. The discussion will be moderated by Acting Dean of Hofstra’s School of Communication Cliff Jernigan.

Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN: Special Investigations Unit. Reporting hour-long documentaries throughout the year and filing in-depth series on the most important ongoing and breaking news stories for all major CNN programs.

"Define ’09: New Challenges, New Solutions" is a yearlong series of programs at Hofstra University designed to examine the new presidential administration, its policies and initiatives, the challenges we currently face and ways of addressing our country's most pressing issues. All Define '09 programs are free and open to the public.

“A More Perfect Union” Emceed by Soledad O’Brien

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to call for a renewed commitment to diversity in today’s challenging economic climate.

Ballmer’s remarks were in conjunction with the 10th Annual A. Leon Higginbotham Award Dinner in New York, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. Microsoft was recognized for excellence in diversity and pro bono efforts during the June 3rd gala, “A More Perfect Union”, emceed by Soledad O’Brien, anchor and special correspondent, CNN Worldwide.

“Diversity is critical to the success of our economy and to the advancement of our society. Workplaces that welcome different experiences, perspectives and capabilities and foster talent and creativity can be great engines of innovation – which is needed now, more than ever,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.

The prestigious Higginbotham award is named in memory of Chief Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., a civil rights advocate, author and federal appeals court judge. Mr. Higginbotham was the first African American judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Pennsylvania. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995. His countless achievements include appointment by President Kennedy as the first African American to serve on the Federal Trade Commission and authoring the acclaimed, “In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process, A Study of the Treatment of Race in the Colonial American Legal System.”

The award is being presented at a time when the economic climate is having an impact on diversity initiatives in many areas, including the legal profession. Recently, the National Law Journal reported that a survey of 94 leading law firms, conducted by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), revealed that 25% of the firms polled expected to cut diversity initiative funding in 2009.

Source: prdomain.com

Soledad Talks To Students About Change

After covering the presidential inauguration earlier in the week, Soledad O’Brien shared her experiences to a full house at Duke University as part of the university's Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration.

“When you grow up named Maria de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien you can’t help but talk about diversity,” she told the students.

She related stories about the making of the 6 hours CNN documentary series, Black in America and said she plans to complete a follow-up series next summer focusing on solutions to many of the problems the first six hours confronted.

“Diversity is not easy. Even in our editorial meetings there were unpleasant conversations. With a diverse group, there’s yelling and arguing. It’s not a comfortable tight box, but the end result will have multiple visions.”

As a young journalist, O’Brien encountered several obstacles like a television station manager who asked her to consider changing her name and one who told her there was only one spot for a black journalist at the station and was concerned that she wasn’t “dark enough” to pass. (She is the daughter of a black Cuban mother and a white Australian father.)

“When people put up obstacles, you go around them,” said the Harvard graduate. “It’s not easy to be judged in one glance.”

She said that “change is in the wind,” and not just because the country elected the first black president.

“Nothing changed on Wednesday [the day after the inauguration]. What changed was the way to access hope. Our problems won’t be solved by one guy. It takes all of us. Both Obama and King operated under the notion that our nation has the ability to change. It’s an amazing thing to be able to course correct. To make real change, you have to confront the truth. I’m more concerned about being real” and doing nuanced, smart, good journalism that’s thought-provoking and represents a wide-range of viewpoints. It never really occurred to me that I was doing journalism for a certain group of people … I’m just trying to do really good stories that make us all human.”

Soledad at GSU

Excerpts from Soledad O'Brien's recent talk at Georgia State University.

She speaks about the only Latina woman she saw on TV news growing up, how Obama won, her siblings and parents from the perspective of 21 years in TV news.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAxI1-s3I2w

O'Brien To Speak at Georgia State University

Soledad O’Brien will speak at Georgia State University at 3:30 p.m. Monday (Nov. 17) on the topic, “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives.”

Held in the Student Center Ballroom, O’Brien’s lecture is free and open to Georgia State students and employees, as well as individuals not affiliated with the university. There is no advance ticketing.

As a special investigations correspondent for CNN, O’Brien has information on some of the most prominent issues of the day, which she brings into homes around the globe in her wide-ranging and insightful reports.

O’Brien has covered stories ranging from the World Trade Center attack to the incarceration of Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Pope Benedict XVI, CNN Presents: Black in America, a CNN on-air and digital initiative revealing the current state of black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

O'Brien To Speak At Vanderbilt

"We are people who are interesting and diverse in so many different ways. It can only improve the opportunities of stories that you can tell," said journalist Soledad O'Brien.

O'Brien will participate as the keynote speaker of this year's North Star Leadership Series on Oct. 14 at Vanderbilt University. She will talk about the importance and relevance of diversity in her life and career.

"2008 is certainly the right time to be expressing diversity in this country on a lot of levels. I will talk about diversity and how it's played a role in my life. We have people who are interesting and diverse in so many different ways. It can only improve the opportunities of stories that you can tell."

O'Brien is an award-winning and critically acclaimed anchor and special correspondent for CNN: Special Investigations. Her recent project was an examination of the state of blacks in America 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. O'Brien has also served as a special correspondent for the 2008 presidential election reviewing and analyzing exit poll data.

Soledad Talks on Diversity

The 2008 22nd Annual National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Conference highlighted the strides made by the cable and telecommunications industries in embracing diversity, but speakers and attendees alike agree that there still is a lot of work to do.

Soledad O'Brien keynoted their luncheon highlighting CNN's Black in America documentary.

"My mother asked, 'What about Afro-Cubans in America?' I said, 'Can I get through this one first?'" joked O'Brien.

O'Brien's mother, a black Cuban, had to marry her white Australian boyfriend in Washington, D.C. in 1958 because interracial marriage was illegal in Baltimore where they lived. Her parents taught her and her siblings to persevere and to always find solutions around the obstacles that they would encounter in life.

Such determination, O'Brien said, was demonstrated by her elder sister, Estella, who fought against those who urged to abandon physics as a major at Harvard because women and minorities were not expected to do well in such an academic field. Her sister not only earned a master's degree in astrophysics, but doctor of medicine and doctor of philosophy degrees, eventually becoming eye surgeon.

And, while delivering the keynote speech during the opening ceremony for the University of Delaware's ninth annual Latino Heritage on Sept. 18, O'Brien noted that solutions for today's problems will likely emerge from diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds.

“Things are changing; we've seen it in this election cycle. Not only is the McCain-Palin ticket diverse, the Obama-Biden ticket is diverse. This is an opportunity to change the thinking. This is an opportunity to change the paradigm of what used to be to what we can expect to get - history will be made in this election cycle.”

O'Brien said the current climate is a sharp contrast from her own experiences years ago when she was denied jobs because she was either "not black enough" or wouldn't change her name, which was considered “tricky.”

The CNN team that produced Black in America was itself a diverse group. “High ability and high diversity gets you a bunch of smart people with very different experiences who can all add to the discussion,” she said.

“The time is now and the opportunity is now to have your voice heard. We have so many big issues we need to solve and they are not going to be solved by one smart person leading the way. These are problems that are going to be solved by everyone bringing their diversity to the table and throwing highly thoughtful and intelligent and wide-ranging solutions together. All of us, in our diversity, bringing solutions to the table. That is what's critical.”

O'Brien, who drew a standing ovation, also was honored by Newark Mayor Vance A. Funk III with a plaque naming her mayor of Newark for the day.

Soledad earned a bachelor's degree in English and American literature from Harvard University. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.