Hearst Television's "Matter of Fact" anchor Soledad O'Brien.
Photo: Jay Mallin.
Soledad with children in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg.
One of the best things about the show is that it tells human stories through the
prism of sports. One can watch it without understanding the rules of any given game
in sports.
“We think about life, loss, challenges, humanity, what’s striving for greatness
and what’s failing horribly --- all through the prism of sports and people who are
athletes or people in the sports world,” O’Brien adds.
In keeping with her history of being pregnant during past Olympic Games, she
did not cover the 2021 Summer Olympics in Japan either. O’Brien excitedly worked
on a CBS project that spotlighted women in the workplace in the wake of the global
pandemic. COVID-19 and its aftermath has especially affected women of color’s
employment and O’Brien delved into this issue.
Soledad at Democratic Republic of Congo & Virunga National Park.
Soledad at ground zero to tape for documentary on the women of
ground zero. 2011.
Despite the challenges journalism faces currently, she advises aspiring and new
journalists to stick it out.
“It’s very easy to be disheartened about the data. Sticking it out can be
challenging but finding a passion is amazing,” O’Brien shares. “I’ve had so many
great experiences, met so many amazing people and told great stories all because I
stuck it out even when it would’ve been much easier to up and quit.”
Included among those experiences was traveling to Cuba --- her mom’s
motherland --- for the first time to cover Pope John Paul II’s historic pilgrimage and
meet family. She was recently appointed to the Smithsonian Board of Regents, which
serves as the governing body of the Smithsonian Institution, along with business
leader José Feliciano, to round out the 19-member Board of Trustees of the United
States’ inaugural National Museum of the American Latino. She will play a key role
in determining the future of the museum. LS
Want to comment or have any questions on this article?
Email us at info@latinastyle.com
12 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle V ol. 27, No. 5, 2021
/www.latinastyle.com
link
