Dallas South #2 from year two

This was a pretty big deal for me.  CNN contacting me about running  a post about the MLK special and  I asked for an email interview with Soledad O’Brien.  Simple enough, but then they asked  if I’d like to do the interview live.  Uh…yeah.  Interviewing Ms. O’Brien was one of the coolest things I’ve done with this blog to date.

Here’s something I wrote in the comments section of the post.

I had talked to some folks who mentioned how the sound in the interview cuts out a little towards the end, thinking that the call was dropping or something.

To pull the curtain back a little, I was conducting the interview sitting in my car over the phone. Well when you hear some noise around minute 7 or 8, it had actually started raining outside. I prayed that it wouldn’t last, and it was only a sprinkle, but that’s what you’re hearing – Rain hitting the top of the car.

Thanks again to Soledad and CNN.

April 3rd, 2008 · 14 Comments

Dallas South is excited to share with you an interview I conducted with CNN Anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien. We talked about tonight’s special airing at 8 p.m. Central on CNN titled The King Assassination:Witness to Murder.

You can click on the sound tab below to hear the entire 10 minute interview.

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I started the interview by asking how the CNN Special came about. Here’s her response:

The project really came about more than a year ago because of our bosses at CNN, who thought more than a year ago that it was time to (take) a look at the opportunities and obstacles that African-Americans have had in this country. And the timing would work out well if you looked down a year and you saw it was the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. So it begs the question…what has happened since his assassination?

I then asked her if she saw any differences in the way the media covered African-Americans since the Jena 6 rally.

If there has been a change, i don’t think it’s bee a seismic change. I think what’s made a big change, actually, is the election. Because some of the issues that have come up in the election are issues that involve black and brown people. People are bringing more of those voices on T.V. where we really haven’t seen them.

Please take a few minutes to hear this awesome interview (and hear her thoughts on the role of black preachers and churches). If you like what you hear, leave a comment to let Soledad know who much we appreciate her and the work that she does. And give me a pass on the first 30 seconds of the interview…I was really nervous.