A Celebration as Diverse as the Latino Story
By Evelyn Garcia-Morales
Program Manager
Hundreds of people gathered for a special evening reception to honor Soledad O’Brien, Anchor and Special Correspondent for CNN on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM.
At the welcome reception sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company, eager participants waiting to meet and greet the star of the night, walked the halls of the Cultural Center decorated with Día de los Muertos altars, Cuban art, and the Guadalupe: Goddess of the Americas exhibit. The ambiance was perfect for a celebration of Latino heritage.
An exuberant performance by the Ballet Flamenco Yjastros, a nationally and internationally recognized group, who showcased the beauty of the rhythm and sounds of flamenco set the stage for an extraordinary night.
NHLI’s Chairwoman, Ingrid Duran, commended Soledad O'Brien for her vision and reporting during the production of CNN’s Latino in America and presented her with a special award for her commitment and efforts to advance the Latino story in America.
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Soledad O'Brien
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The conferences guests enjoyed a special one-hour screening of the documentary - which took nearly one year to produce and is a start that will enable Latinos and non-Latinos to engage in fruitful conversation for years to come. The screening sponsored by Prudential provided a platform to openly discuss Soledad’s storytelling process.
Soledad gracefully answered all questions from the public and went beyond sharing her sentiments about being Latina, a journalist and the complexity of producing a documentary of this magnitude covering the depth of the Hispanics from all walks of life. Soledad shared words of wisdom with aspiring young Latina journalists in the audience to never lose themselves in the male dominated world.
“I had people telling me that I would never make it with a name like SOL-ed-ad in journalism and that never stopped me.”
Click here to read more about Soledad’s vision and take on Latino in America.
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