Story provided by Oklahoma State University

Soledad O’Brien will be the keynote speaker for Oklahoma State University’s 2022 MLK Celebration. 

An award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, and philanthropist, O’Brien is scheduled to take the stage at 6 p.m., Jan. 20 at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets must be reserved in advance at okla.st/soledad. 

O’Brien also is the founder of O’Brien Productions, a multi-platform media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. She was a Harvard University Graduate School of Education Distinguished Visiting Fellow, and she has served on many boards, including the Harlem School of the Arts, the National Archives, and the Rand Corporation.

O’Brien has anchored shows on CNN, MSNBC and NBC, and hosted projects for Fox and A&E. Soledad currently anchors and produces the Hearst TV political magazine program “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien” and is a correspondent for “HBO Real Sports.” She is also host of the Quake Media podcast “Very Opinionated with Soledad O’Brien.”

Dr. Leon McClinton Jr., OSU director of Housing and Residential Life, said the OSU Division of Student Affairs and the Division of Institutional Diversity are excited to welcome O’Brien to campus. 

“As we work to elevate our discourse surrounding race, equity and inclusion, we look to new ideas, new modes of thinking,” he said. “So when we get an opportunity to bring a voice like O’Brien’s to campus, it’s momentous. We’re looking forward to hearing her share her amazing story and rich perspective for the benefit of our students, this campus and this community.” 

OSU’s 2022 MLK Celebration will begin with a community service project the morning of Jan. 17. That afternoon, the OSU community will join with the broader Stillwater community and Stillwater United for an MLK Day March. Additionally, from 7-8 p.m., Jan. 16 at the Stillwater Community Center, Stillwater United will host a MLK Day commemoration. For more information, visit library.stillwater.org/mlk_day.php. 

OSU’s events wrap up with a full-day trip to Tulsa’s Greenwood District on Jan. 22, where attendees will have an opportunity to engage in an intimate learning experience surrounding Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre. Transportation and activities are free for the first 100 OSU-Stillwater participants who register.

OSU’s MLK Celebration includes a student art contest and an essay contest, which includes $3,000 in total prize money. For more information about these contests and other MLK events at OSU, visit go.okstate.edu/mlk2022.