Soledad O’Brien is the anchor for CNN morning show Starting Point and a special correspondent for CNN/U.S. Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe and has produced award-winning, record-breaking and critically acclaimed documentaries on the most important stories facing the world today. In 2010, she wrote a critically-acclaimed memoir The Next Big Story: My Journey through the Land of Possibilities, which chronicles her biggest reporting moments and how her upbringing and background have influenced these experiences.
A graduate of Harvard University, Soledad lives with her husband and four children in Manhattan. Here, she talks about her upcoming Black in America special “Who Is Black in America?” which is set to premiere on CNN on Sunday, December 9th (Check local listings).
Soledad profiles
filmmaker Ava Duvernay in "Who is Black in America?"
Kam Williams: Hi Soledad, thanks for another interview.
Soledad O’Brien: Thank you, Kam.
KW: Congratulations on your excellent election year coverage on CNN. But did you ever worry about being pigeonholed as partisan during the presidential campaign? How do you maintain your image as impartial when you have Republicans taking potshots at you? For instance, Romney advisor John Sununu suggested that you put an Obama bumper sticker on your forehead, and Fox News President Roger Ailes condescendingly referred to you as “That girl that’s named after a prison.”
SO: It’s going to get crazy at times during any election year. That’s just what happens. The goal for me is to be focused and really well-read so I’m prepared to ask the tough questions of both sides. You’re always going to have those people who love you and those who hate you, but after four kids and a quarter-century in this business, I have a very thick skin. [Chuckles] The only thing that bothers me is if I feel I haven’t done a tough interview. The people who come on regularly know they’re going to be challenged, and that they can challenge me. They also understand that I’m not a pushover and that I don’t crumble because I come armed with the facts.
KW: Let’s talk about your upcoming special. Where did you come up
with the idea for Who Is Black in America?
SO: We were thinking about universal themes for Black in America that really
touch people, that really matter to people, and one of the themes that we
kept coming up with was colorism, discrimination based on skin tone. It was
fascinating to hear the conversations that were happening between people who
were light-skinned, people who were dark-skinned, and people somewhere in
between. Just the hurt, the pain and anger on all sides was very
interesting. So, we thought we would explore that because it seemed like a
very interesting story to tell, especially since we were seeing a big
change, generationally. The conversations I was having with men and women of
my age group were very different from the conversations younger men and
women were having with people of their age group. It’s fascinating to hear
the take of those that we feature in the doc around 17, 18 and 19, as they
kind of grapple with their identity and with where America is today.
KW: I think I heard
CNN’s Roland Martin mention in promo for your
show that he had someone in his family pass for white.
SO: Yep, and that’s not an unusual story. That’s another question people
would like to explore. What makes you black? How can you consider yourself
black while someone with the identical genetic makeup considers themselves
white or tries to pass for white? Those are the sort of big questions we
wanted to grapple with.
KW: I suspect that the influx of immigrants from South America,
India, Africa, Mexico and so many other countries, along with mixed
marriage, is changing the definition of what is black?
SO: I think that’s true. I also think that there’s a real interesting
conversation going on generationally. One of the young women we profile, who
is biracial, very much has a hard time identifying as black. And yet, she
has a sister who would say the exact opposite. [Chuckles] So, this isn’t a
documentary where we come up with the right answer at the end. It really is
much more a conversation about colorism because, ultimately, what is at the
heart of all this is this sense that there’s some better skin color to be,
and that people are discriminated against. So, it’s not just that people are
grappling with identity but that there’s a lot of pain and shame and
embarrassment and hurt and anger on account of colorism. And we wanted to
understand what that was.
KW: Tell me a little about Nayo Jones, one of the young women you
profile on the special.
SO: She’s biracial. Her father is white and mother’s black. She lives with
her dad and very much identifies with her white side. She’s a
super-talented, smart young singer and poet. She goes through life with
people trying to figure out what she is, and asking, “What are you?” which
really makes her mad.
KW: What about Perry DiVirgilio?
SO: In a way, he’s the center of all the stories. He’s a biracial guy. His
dad is white, his mom is black, and he runs the poetry workshop in
Philadelphia on understanding who you are where all of these people’s lives
intersect. They’re sort of the right age for it because they’re the
coming-of-age age. When you’re a slam poet, part of the agenda is to connect
to your material. And your success is a measure of your honesty and your
authenticity. I think a lot of those slam poets don’t want to tackle the
hard stuff, and Perry really pushes them and challenges about what their
identity means to them by asking, “What is making you angry?” “What are you
afraid of?” and “What are you ashamed of?” So, he’s sort of the centerpiece
of our documentary not just for his own story but because he connects to all
the young people as the poet/mentor who tries to get them to be honest. What
you realize is that most people aren’t that honest, and this is one of the
rare times when you capture people on camera speaking about how they feel
about race and identity.
KW: How do you see this coming-of-age generation as different?
SO: I think those in our documentary share a sense of optimism, and I’m
curious to see where it goes. Overall, it was very interesting to see all
these different people trying to tackle the problem of colorism, because in
some ways it’s such a deep psychological problem. Perry, our poet, thinks
so. He believes that young people being able to articulate their poetry so
unbelievably is really about understanding who they are. The exercises that
he does in his poetry workshop are just fascinating.
KW: Do you think you might have different generational reactions
to the special?
SO: I’m sure. Some of the younger people exhibit a certain flexibility.
They’re like, “Why can’t I be biracial? Why can’t I be both?” I never felt
that was an option for us. Maybe it was, but I never felt like I had an
option for both. My identity was very strong. I never believed people who
said things like, “You’re not really black,” or suggested my identity might
be anything but black. Today, I think there is this sense of flexibility
among younger people. Whether or that remains as they get older remains to
be seen. The ultimate question we examine is, “Who decides?” Is it you? Is
it society? I think it’s a really interesting documentary. Again, we didn’t
set out to solve the problem. I just don’t think people talk about the roots
of colorism, and this fifth Black in America special was a great opportunity
to do so.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Soledad, and I look forward to
speaking to you again with questions from my readers after the show airs.
SO: Talk to you then, Kam. Bye!
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