Soledad O’Brien Gives Keynote Address at Diversity Day

Broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien kicked off Westminster’s Diversity Day on April 28 with a keynote address about diversity and how diversity is woven into her breaking news coverage around the globe and her award-winning documentaries.

 

“Diversity is the wider circle; it is everybody’s individual story,” she told the audience of students and faculty in the Werner Centennial Center. “What I have found wherever I have gone is that human beings are much more similar than dissimilar. I have opportunities to tell stories of our shared humanity. My job is to capture that humanity. Diversity is how we are all pretty much the same in different ways. I want people to say, ‘That story is so much about me.’”

 

She also explained that because the United States is undergoing such rapid change, diversity is a key element in every story she covers. “Diversity is about what it means to be an American today,” she said. “My focus is to increase understanding and awareness and improve lives.”

 

O’Brien shared some of her history growing up as the daughter of a white Australian father and a black Cuban mother, and some highlights of her more than 20 years as a journalist. In closing, she told the students, “Everyone in this room has the opportunity for a great education. You have a responsibility to use it. You can’t be the person that stands by.”

 

Following the presentation, O’Brien answered questions from the audience, met with faculty members, and signed copies of her critically-acclaimed memoir, “The Next Big Story: My Journey through the Land of Possibilities.”

 

A graduate of Harvard, O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN’s “In America” documentary unit, which has won awards for documentaries that include “Black in America 1” and “2,” “Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination,” “Rescued,” and “Latino in America.” She also is the author of the book “Latino in America.” She has received numerous awards including the Emmy, the George Foster Peabody for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the Alfred I. DuPont for her coverage of the tsunami in Southeast Asia and the Gracie Allen for reporting on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. The National Association of Black Journalists named her the 2010 Journalist of the Year.

 

A team of 50 students and eight faculty members worked throughout the academic year to plan Diversity Day, which included morning and afternoon group sessions for faculty and students. Students broke into groups to discuss socialization (What's in your bag?), stereotypes, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality, and faculty heard from guest speakers Sheri Schmidt, director of equity and social justice at The Ethel Walker School, and Joan Edwards, diversity, inclusion and cultural competency advisor at Kingswood Oxford School, who also works in admissions there. The day ended with everyone gathering in the Werner Centennial Center for closing comments and to view a student video about what is diversity.