As a part of the College of Arts and Letters Signature Lecture Series, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson and Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and executive producer Soledad O’Brien spoke on Oct. 2 at Wharton Center.
Wilkerson and O’Brien both talked about the significance of having a real conversation about race, in which people can talk about their perspectives and beliefs without worrying about being criticized.
“Obviously, college is an important and really relevant place to have a conversation, but I would add, a safe conversation. I think sometimes, conversations, especially the ones that involve race, are often a little challenging to have,” O’Brien said.
Wilkerson agreed, but would like to see an expansion of language.
“I think we should challenge ourselves when it comes to the vocabulary and the language that we use though, so we can think differently, because otherwise we can kind of go on this endless loop of repeating and saying similar things,” Wilkerson said.
O’Brien talked about Starfish Media Group, a media production company and distributor that for which she is chairperson.
“It’s given me some really great opportunities to try new things as the field of journalism changes a lot, so it’s been a lot of fun,” O’Brien said.
Wilkerson talked about the possibility of her book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” being represented through a different medium.
“I would like to make sure that it is something that is reflective of all the work that went into it and the dignity in the people and the authenticity of the story,” Wilkerson said.
The lecture coincides with MSU's Project 60/50, a yearlong celebration using the 60th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to engage the MSU campus and greater community in a broad range of civil and human rights conversations.