Soledad O’Brien

Soledad O’Brien is an influential broadcast journalist and executive producer who just so happens to be multiracial. Born in St. James, New York, O’Brien grew up with her Cuban mother and Australian father. Interracial marriage wasn’t legal in Maryland at the time her parents wanted to be together but this didn’t stop them. They drove to Washington D.C. for the ceremony because the law was less strict there. Soledad was the fifth of six children who all graduated from Harvard University. Growing up her parents were never afraid to water down their relationship or who they were in public. They were proud of the love they had and taught it to their children every day.

O’Brien married Bradford Raymond in 1995.She was pregnant with her first child when she received her degree from Harvard University in 2000. She went on to have 4 children; two daughters and twin sons.

O’Brien started her career as an associate producer for WBZ-TV then joined NBC News in 1991. O’Brien was a co-anchor at NBC News with David Bloom. She presented stories on important events such as the 1990s school shootings in Oregon and Colorado and John F. Kennedy Jr’s plane crash. In 2003, O’Brien got a job at CNN where she reported programs that aired live from New York City.

O’Brien was always interested in giving a voice to minority groups in America. In 2009 O’Brien created a documentary called “Latino in America.” It brought light to the hard lives of the Latino community and how they faced each day in America. This documentary was the stepping stone to her CNN special “Black in America” which aired in July of 2007. This program highlighted the successes and struggles that black men and women have faced 40 years after the tragic death of Martin Luther King Jr.

Soledad O’Brien continues her work today helping others have a voice and a story through the media outlets she organizes.

 

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Source: Diane Cohen/New York DailyNews