Keynote speaker Soledad O’Brien (above) motivated a packed house of 800+ conference attendees through her personal growth as a bi-racial producer\reporter, several recurring topics came out of her stories of family, professional interviews and production of the Black in America a 5 partl series which O'Brien anchored for CNN . Black in America documents the successes, struggles, and complex issues faced by black men, women and families. In the first installment, O'Brien investigated how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent a year on the run just a month before his path collided with Dr. King in Memphis,
Tennessee. In "The Black Woman & Family", O'Brien explored the varied experiences of black women and families and investigated the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students, and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. The fifth installment of the Black in America series aired in December 2012. |
