O'Brien Co-Hosts University Benefit

Popular TV news anchors Soledad O'Brien of CNN, Brenda Blackmon of WWOR-TV, and Maurice Dubois of WCBS-TV are scheduled to host the benefit a fund-raising gala of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies tomorrow night.

Celebrities including Jamaica sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, award-winning actor Danny Glover, Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall will be honored Thursday at the event, which will be held at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

The annual benefit helps raise grant money and scholarships for needy students at the University of the West Indies. There will also be a silent auction. The event is being held with support from actor and singer Harry Belafonte.

“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.

Soledad MC at Lupus Foundation Gala

Grammy Award-winning performer Patti LaBelle entertained a crowd of 600 on May 7 at the annual Lupus Foundation of American Awards Gala.

The awards gala raised nearly $1.5 million to support lupus research and education programs, which benefit the millions of people who suffer from lupus and the families who support them.

CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent Soledad O’Brien served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Gala, which honored U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, (D-Iowa); Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC; and Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D., President of Research and Development, Executive Vice President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The honorees were recognized for their efforts to bring national attention and resources to lupus, a devastating and life-threatening disease that affects more than 1.5 million Americans and five million people worldwide.