Broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien will present “State of Race: On TV, Behind the Scenes and in Our Lives” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, in Graham Chapel for the Assembly Series. The talk is the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture.
O’Brien
O’Brien has been an eyewitness to some of the world’s most significant events since joining CNN in 2003. Her reports on Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Southeast Asian tsunami in 2004 and the London terrorist attacks, to name a few, have garnered a large and faithful following, as well as a number of prestigious journalism awards.
But perhaps her most lasting contribution is her award-winning special series and documentaries on the changing nation. To address the dearth of reporting on communities of color and to fight the status quo reporting of stereotypes, O’Brien has created compelling stories with lasting value, most notably the “Black in America” and the “Latino in America” series.
Her recent memoir, The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities, recounts her most compelling moments as a reporter and how they have shaped her perspective on America. Besides being a successful journalist and writer, multi-ethnic O’Brien is a working mother, an active humanitarian and a strong proponent of education and mentoring.
Prior to joining CNN, O’Brien worked for NBC News in New York after serving as a local reporter for the NBC affiliate in San Francisco. She began her career as an associate producer and news writer in Boston. O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from Harvard University.
The lecture is sponsored by the Association of Black Students. For more information, visit assemblyseries.wustl.edu or call (314) 935-4620.