Home / University of Delaware / 2012
№ 2012.025 — University of Delaware — Commencement address
Soledad O’Brien
Soledad O'Brien addresses University of Delaware's class of 2012 with humor about graduates returning home and persistent alumni associations before turning to her family history. She recounts how her interracial parents married when such unions were illegal and ignored advice that they couldn't succeed, framing her career as a reporter who tells the stories of ordinary people to reveal a shared humanity. She urges graduates to listen to others, reject discouraging advice, and refuse neutrality in times of moral crisis.
Key moments
- 01 Joking about the boomerang generation and the relentless Alumni Association
- 02 Telling the story of her interracial parents marrying when it was illegal
- 03 Describing her documentary work giving voice to overlooked communities
- 04 Sharing the starfish story from a missionary in Haiti and urging graduates not to remain neutral
Transcript
The full transcript is hosted by the original publisher. Commencement Archive links to the source rather than republishing copyrighted text.
Read the full transcript at source →Provenance
Imported from Open Commencement DB
Open Commencement DB transcript; not independently verified against the original recording