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Soledad O’Brien discusses King’s vision and legacy

Gives UNC’s 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture

CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien, best known for documenting racial tensions in the United States, said Wednesday night that the country still has significant barriers to overcome.

More than 800 people gathered in Memorial Hall to hear O’Brien deliver UNC’s 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture.

With grace and candor, O’Brien urged the audience to aspire to live in a manner that honors King’s final vision throughout the hour-long lecture.

“He said he wanted to be remembered as someone who loved people and tried to save humanity,” O’Brien said.

“Leadership is a mindset; regular people are doing extraordinary things. I see it in the stories I cover. There’s a mindset that says, ‘There’s no one else to do this, so it will be me.’”

O’Brien is a product of King’s vision. Her Afro-Cuban mother and Scot-Irish father, who was born in Australia, married in 1958, when it was still illegal for biracial couples to marry in most of the United States.

“My parents taught us there is a moral authority in refusing to capitulate because someone says you have to,” she said.

O’Brien has made a career out of documenting the progress of King’s legacy. She hosted the landmark documentary series, “Black in America,” which began in 2008.

The series sparked so much conversation that CNN created a second series documenting the Latino experience.

“I think Soledad is fearless in the questions that she asks,” said Averi Harper, a sophomore electronic communications major.

“It’s inspiring to me, especially as a minority who is interested in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.”

Prior to the lecture, junior Jakelin Bonilla was presented the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. Bonilla, who researched in Peru as a Burch Fellow last year, said she is passionate about creating change in the Latino community.

“I am humbled to be given a scholarship under the name of Martin Luther King,” Bonilla said. “I hope my generation can follow through with Dr. King’s vision.”

Many contend that vision has been fulfilled and that the United States has entered an era of post-racism. But O’Brien said that idea is unrealistic.

“Talking about a post-racial America is a cop-out; it’s a joke,” she said. “It’s a way to get off the hook and not tackle the tough conversations that Dr. King was willing to have.”

It’s been more than 40 years since King delivered his famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech in Washington, D.C., and though the political and social landscape of the country has changed dramatically, O’Brien said people have to remember the essence of the speech.

“It’s very easy to boil Dr. King down to a sentence,” she said. “But that speech was about empowerment, saying, ‘I will stand with you and use my power to bolster the lack of power you have. I will stand with you.’”

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