Cable News Network (CNN) special correspondent Soledad O’Brien visited the University of Alabama to give her presentation titled “Diversity: on TV, Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives” on November, 9th. The presentation fell during the same week a statewide convention on diversity was scheduled to take place on campus, where 12 of Alabama’s higher learning institutions were represented. Coincidence? Definitely not. Both events are evidence of a long overdue effort on behalf of Alabama’s administration to adequately address diversity issues on campus; this is a task that the administration seemed somewhat reluctant to deal with earlier in the year. Several incidents related to diversity occurred this year on campus, which left students wondering exactly how the administration handled the situations, if they had at all. “Not Isolated”, a protest attended by 200 students, was the not-so-subtle hint that the administration needed to wake up and realize that there was a problem with diversity acceptance on campus that needed to be addressed.
To speak of these needs, who better to lecture on diversity than Soledad O’Brien? A biracial woman at the top of her field in journalism, she has dedicated her life to progressing diversity in our nation and overseas. While O’Brien’s presentation was inspirational for many reasons, the crucial point made by O’Brien was stressing the importance of having conversations with students about diversity. This is something that our campus is clearly in need of. Even though they’re potentially awkward and uncomfortable, conversations about diversity will inevitably expose the benefits of having a diverse community. If O’Brien’s theories are true, conversations about diversity need to start taking place between UA students to achieve a more unified student body where everyone can feel safe and welcome. Conversations on diversity force people to confront others’ realities, which will result in mutual acceptance of each other, a hallmark of true diversity.
O’Brien brings conversations of diversity into the homes of the general public through the media. Her documentaries expose the compelling stories of under-represented and largely ignored minorities. Essentially, her documentaries accomplish the same things that conversations about diversity do: they force people to confront an unfamiliar view of reality that eventually fosters respect and acceptance of diversity. Ultimately O’Brien’s work dispels common stereotypes through the use of unbiased journalism. As she puts it, “it’s about removing people from the box we tend to put them in.” This shows that the goal of ‘In America’, her most famous series, isn’t to highlight the differences between people but to uncover similarities that everyone shares. ‘In America’ effectively humanizes its subjects, who previously may have been defined in terms of race, religion and/or sexual orientation while their inherent humanity was left marred by stereotypes.
O’Brien has acted as a witness for the people in her stories, which she says is the person “not willing to move on” from the difficult or uncomfortable stories. By being a witness, O’Brien has drawn attention to issues that normally wouldn’t receive any. She continues to be dedicated to giving attention to the underrepresented and often stereotyped minorities. In sharing their stories, she is promoting diversity. It was during high school that O’Brien recognized the value of being a witness for marginalized members of society. O’Brien said, “I learned that I should focus my career on telling stories that may not otherwise be told, early on.” Her own diverse background (she is the daughter of an Afro-Cuban and Irish-bred Australian) motivated her in developing this career focus of producing accurate, unbiased representations of marginalized groups that can’t represent themselves. Yet at the end of the day, O’Brien is a journalist who wants to tell interesting stories. Sometimes the stories are shocking and even heart breaking and other times they’re uplifting and inspirational. No matter the subject, O’Brien’s work has promoted a true definition of diversity and appreciation of it.
O’Brien said she has learned that diversity is “about what we share and about what we all do in our separate ways.” Essentially, diversity refers to the variations of the fundamental aspects of the human condition, which we all possess. These variations are responsible for the ability of different people to develop different skills sets, habits and points of view, which is why a diverse workforce is better equipped to perform efficiently. O’Brien said this reasoning is simple and logical. Variations in backgrounds and experiences directly affect the types of skills that one develops, which in turn allows for specialization amongst diverse employees.
Not surprisingly, a diverse workforce is better prepared to deal with the increasingly diverse consumer base and potential global clientele. For these reasons, O’Brien said, diversity in the workplace has proved to be beneficial to the bottom line. Studies performed during the early 90s confirmed it. It has also been proven that companies who hire solely based on talent and qualifications will naturally develop a diverse workforce over time. O’Brien’s lecture suggests that diversity is inevitable because it’s for the natural advancement of society. Yet many employers continue to not hire based solely qualifications.
[pagebreak]
When O’Brien entered the workforce, she experienced this first-hand. She once was told that she “was not dark enough” to fill the only position reserved for a minority. That was a long time ago, but just earlier this year the NCAAP drew considerable attention to the absence of minority journalists during prime time news shows, including CNN. Recently it was announced that O’Brien will host a morning news show next year that will uphold O’Brien’s reputation to “bring to light a wider range of stories.”
O’Brien has given this lecture at college campuses across the nation. In 2008, I was in attendance at Georgia State University when she gave this same lecture. The event occurred just weeks after Obama was elected president. While much of it focused on how and why Obama was elected, O’Brien stressed that we are living in a time of transformation. While the election is evidence of the increased diversity in the United States, it shouldn’t overshadow how far we still have to go. For this country to truly progress, diversity needs to be appreciated; tolerance is no longer the goal. For this reason, O’Brien has continued to deliver this lecture each year since then. “I believe the time is now and the opportunity is now to use your voice,” O’Brien proclaimed to University of Alabama students. As college students, we’re in a unique position during this transformation period.
Our adult lives will be spent in a world drastically different from when we were children. The majority-minority demographic is increasing each year. Currently, 10% of the U.S’s counties have equal majority-minority demographics. As college students, we’re the next generation that will come to power. We will change the world in numerous ways, but the world is also going to change us. I think that illustrates a hidden point of O’Brien’s lecture: we need to let the world change us. O’Brien suggests that diversity is a natural progression; the benefits of diversity cause it to be that way. If having a more diverse workforce will improve the bottom line, doesn’t it stand to reason that diversity could improve the economic climate as well?
That is why O’Brien suggests discussion will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of each other. This isn’t surprising though, as people constantly resort to discussion in order to raise awareness. Having conversations about diversity will expose the similarities that unite us all. The administration at Alabama has begun the discussion about diversity on campus by bringing O’Brien to lecture. Her work perpetuates the conversation in the media, where there is unequal opportunity for minority journalists and stories about minorities. If O’Brien’s documentaries were aired during prime time, which has never happened, their influence would reach the people who need it most. Yet prime time proves to still be reserved for pleasing the majority audience. O’Brien has tackled many college campuses to raise awareness of the benefits that diversity can provide, to the generation that will either embrace or hinder it.