Purpose and Storytelling with Soledad O'Brien

For award-winning journalist and documentarian Soledad O'Brien, her purpose is defined by the values that have been shaped over a lifetime of experiences. The path to finding that purpose is often a zig zag - not a straight line, she told attendees of the closing keynote at the 2023 ASAE Annual Meeting.

O'Brien, who is biracial, grew up with parents whose interracial marriage was illegal for the first years of her life. At times not treated well, including her own memories of being spit on in the streets as a child, her mother told her, "we knew America was better than that." It left her with the understanding that every one of us is responsible for committing to positive change in this world, which O'Brien has committed to through her storytelling over more than 40 years in the news business.

After years working for local TV news stations, NBC News and CNN, O'Brien experienced an "Aha" moment in her own career after spending a month in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. She witnessed and covered the aftermath of the storm that devastated the city, and her purpose of helping people through storytelling became clear.

She found there was also an audience for stories for and about diverse communities. In the 2000s, O'Brien created the documentary news series, Black in America (later followed by Latino in America, Muslims in America and Gay in America). With each series, the myths of who was interested and who would watch were dismantled as the audiences grew across racial lines.

O'Brien's current syndicated show, going into its ninth year, is titled Matter of Fact, and it tells "stories that are as diverse as America." She said the show continues to grow because the focus is on the people who are experiencing an issues, not the issue alone, and there are no talking heads leading the conversation with fear or divisiveness.

O'Brien encouraged the audience to approach their work with a some of the lessons she's learned: lead with honesty and respect, learn to get uncomfortable, rely on data, and be curious.