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CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Defends Comments After ‘Black in America’ Sparks Controversy; New Project Will Again Focus on Race

May 16, 2013  •  Post A Comment

After receiving criticism for what some called the divisive nature of "Black in America" and recent comments she made about white reaction to the series, Soledad O’Brien said she’s happy to continue the conversation about race and is developing "White in America," reports TVNewser.

Her earlier, criticized remarks were made at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where she spoke about the CNN documentary. She said, "First of all, it’s only white people who ever said that — ‘If we could just see beyond race. If only people didn’t see race, it would be such a better place, and you are responsible for bringing up these icky race issues, Soledad, you should just let sleeping dogs lie.’ I was like, again, ‘OK, white person, this is a conversation that you’re clearly uncomfortable with, and I have no problem seeing race, and I think we should talk about race.’"

In a later response, O’Brien said her comments were then taken out of context by the blogosphere.

She added, "As a journalist, my job is to probe the uncomfortable topics to drive conversation. I’m happy to see that’s still happening as a result of ‘Black In America,’ and I look forward to continuing that conversation as we continue to tell the stories of who we are. We’re not just working on ‘BIA,’ but also developing a ‘White in America.’ Stay tuned for that one.”

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Soledad O’Brien

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