Within this first minute of the documentary, O’Brien, Matthews and the audience agreed that Parks’s story would encapsulate viewers. “Here is a person that everybody knew and nobody knew.” “It underscores our entire point of the doc,” O’Brien said. Three of the four Hollywood stars erroneously pitched their guess of who, anyone, in this modern day, would identify as Mrs. The film opens with a clip from the classic game show “To Tell the Truth,” where two imposters attempt to match wits with a panel of celebrities. Unbeknownst to many, Parks’ six decades of activism went relatively unseen and unheard of despite being in full, unrestricted view. Both the novel and film feature manifest a formidable corrective to the well-known image of Rosa Parks from a meek seamstress to an intentional national heroine. Matthews, Ph.D., O’Brien engaged in timely dialogue with the audience.Īdapted by Jeanne Theoharis, the basis for the documentary derived from Theoharris’s 2014 NAACP Image award-winning literary biography of the same name. Moderated by the Dean of FAMU’s College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Dr. at the Lee Hall Auditorium, where O’Brien shared excerpts from the Peacock-streaming documentary film. O'Brien interacts with students, faculty and staff during the dinner.Įd O'Donnell, associate professor of history and faculty chair of the Hanify-Howland Committee, with O'Brien.The event occurred at 6 p.m. Boroughs, S.J., president, delivers remarks at a dinner for O'Brien prior to her talk. In keeping with the traditional practice of the Hanify-Howland Series, O’Brien conducted a seminar on campus, which allowed students to interact with the speaker in an intimate and intellectually exciting environment.

O’Brien signs copies of her book “The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities” following her talk. Seniors Luke Sullivan, left, and Kelsey Russell, co-chairs of the committee that selected the Hanify-Howland speaker, introduce O'Brien. Since 1965, the Hanify-Howland lecture series has brought to the Holy Cross campus a series of distinguished speakers who have exemplified in their own work the spirit of public service that the series was established to encourage. Luth Athletic Complex and Recreation and Wellness Center InitiativeĬNN journalist Soledad O’Brien delivers the 47th Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture on March 19.Īn audience of students, faculty, staff and members of the public attended the talk in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom.McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.Orientations & Information for Incoming Students.

The Next Big Story by Soledad O'Brien