A speech from Soledad O'Brien

Back before Martin Luther King junior day, Soledad O'Brien gave the annual MLK address here on campus. As I entered Memorial Hall to take my seat, I noticed something. I was in a mixed crowd. Don't get me wrong, Carolina isn't lily white by any means, we are filled with a diverse student body and faculty, but I am solidly in the majority at almost any event I attend. I rather enjoyed watching people interact with each other, the laughter the hushed conversations.

When O'Brien took the microphone she told a personal story. This was not a speech to dwell on the past, but through her own life show a modern day tale of civil rights. She hinged her speech on what she dubbed modern day context to civil rights ideals: love thy neighbor. She said that this is the new idea because civil rights can't be boiled down into black and white anymore. "Today, racism is less clear and overt than it was in my parents day when they got married in 1965," she said. As a child of a mixed-race marriage, the union of her parents was illegal for many years. The racism experienced by her mother is not the experience of many youth today, she argues. "Today it's 'you don't fit.'"

Her speech was empowering, from a civil rights standpoint, but also from a life standpoint. The struggles she used as examples, and the lessons gleaned from them can be applied to all facets of life. "Just because external forces tell you it can not be done," she said. "Does not mean it can not be done. ... There are opportunities for us mere mortals, and I see them every day." She talked about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how in the St. Bernard Parish, which is 97% white, there were no cameras on them either. They, too were ignored. But she noted the ways the communities came together to rebuild and to endure together. "Given the opportunity, people can do great things," she said. "Love people. Serve humanity." And while she said that discussions of a "post racial" world are a complete joke, because that world will never happen, she left the audience with an adaptation of the famous "I have a dream" speech. I have a dream is about empowerment. It's "I will stand with you and empower you."

As everyone filed out of the auditorium, people muttered to themselves and their friends. I watched as Soledad graciously chatted with a few fans at the corner of the stage. I left feeling empowered and excited about the impact I could have in the world.

Love People. Serve Humanity.