PHOTO: PHILIP FRIEDMAN; PEACOCK
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On my SiriusXM program, I spoke with the enormously impactful Soledad O’Brien, the award-winning journalist and executive producer whose illuminating documentary, “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” is currently streaming on Peacock. The film challenges the narrative about the civil rights icon, and corrects the historical record in a way that echos so much of Soledad’s work in righting the wrongs of journalism.
Rosa Parks is ensconced in the American imagination as a middle-aged seamstress who somehow got caught up in the civil rights movement when she just was tired and wanted to sit down on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. In fact, Parks was deeply involved in activism, a radical Black liberationist in the mold of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. The documentary uncovers so much, including how Parks and other women in the movement didn’t get credit for the work they did, and is a must-watch.
Soledad and I spoke about the documentary, how she came to it and what Rosa Parks means. And, having been an anchor at CNN for many years, as well as having worked at NBC and MSNBC for years before that, Soledad discussed her work then and how the industry has changed.
She also offered her relentlessly on-target critique of the terrible political coverage by corporate media today — both of President Biden and Democrats, and Donald Trump and Republicans. Many of you know Soledad’s criticisms well if you follow her on social media, where she has over 1.3 million followers on Twitter.
This was a terrific conversation, and I was glad to get a chance to speak on air with Soledad, as we’d been planning to do it on the show for a long time. Listen in and let me know your thoughts.
A great conversation with Soledad O'Brien