To Soledad O’Brien, there is nothing worse than having the opportunity to do something and not taking action.
The award-winning journalist ended her presentation for the Excellence in Leadership Speaker Series on Monday in John R. Emens auditorium with her favorite quote by John F. Kennedy, inspired by Dante Alighieri.
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality.”
Throughout her entire presentation, O’Brien maintained that position, giving many examples of times she has taken action.
“There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing when your voice is needed,” she said. “Being the perpetrator of something bad is less bad than being the person who stands by and has an opportunity to say or do something and chooses ‘not me, not this time.’”
O’Brien expressed a lot of respect and admiration for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
She said the famous “I have a dream” line was ad-libbed and likened this to the way students should lead.
“True leadership is about going off script because you know it’s more important to be on the right side of history,” O’Brien said. “People like to say Dr. King was like Jesus come to earth, but he wasn’t. The point was he was a regular man who decided, given the opportunity, that he would stand for something.”
She said ultimately, it’s our job to bear witness to what’s happening around us, even if it might not be the easiest thing.
“I think it’s very critical to have a certain sense of bravery about the stories you want to tell,” O’Brien said. “Because my experience has been that every good idea you have, someone will be there to tell you why it’s not a good idea and why you’re wrong. It’s very hard to be the one who zags when everyone else is zigging.”
Lauren Berger, assistant director in the Office of Student Life, said they chose O’Brien because she has an interesting story.
“I think students can learn the power of having a positive attitude and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to persevere and be successful in your profession and giving back to your community, making a difference,” Berger said.
Freshman journalism major Sarah Ehringer originally went to the event for her Excellence in Leadership class, but found O’Brien’s presentation to be enthralling.
“I liked her anecdotes about her life and her stories about growing up,” Ehringer said. “I learned you can change the world if you stand for something.”
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