CNN news anchor, Soledad O'Brien was at the MTV headquarters this Monday with an exclusive screening of her upcoming documentary Latino in America, in which she explores the Latino experience in the United States. She herself is Latina as her full name suggests, Maria de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien. Her mother is Afro-Cuban and her father is from Australia, with an Irish and Scottish background - that explains the freckles on her face!
Last month, when Blogamole interviewed Soledad O'Brien at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 32nd Annual Awards Gala, la periodista shared with us her parents' experience in the United States and how they were forced to go to Washington D.C. to get married because interracial marriage was illegal at the time in Maryland, where they met. Now, 40 years later, there are a different set of challenges that lie ahead for people of color. In this 2-part documentary, O'Brien introduces us to Latinos of all different ages and across the U.S., who share their personal stories.
The first part of the documentary is called "The Garcias," which O'Brien tells us is the 8th most popular surname in the U.S. today. In this portion of the story, we are introduced to a handful of Garcias from all across the nation, including Cindy Garcia, a student who is struggling to catch up on credits - taking classes from 8am to 8:30pm - in order to graduate high school. Two weeks shy from finishing her classes, Cindy discovers something life-changing that may keep her from completing her credits.
In the second part of the documentary, O'Brien takes us to different Latino communities, including Miami, where we meet Martha, a 15-year-old girl who came to the U.S. illegally by crossing the Rio Grande river on a tire tube, despite not knowing how to swim, because she wanted to find her mother. Although she finds her, she is faced with an unfortunate circumstance that lands her in court, facing deportation. We witness as she struggles to stay in the U.S. instead of being sent back to a country where no one can take care of her.
Inspired by the stories collected for her documentary, O'Brien decided to write a book with the same name, Latino in America, where she not only includes more revealing accounts and never-before-seen interviews and exclusive photos from the special, but also tells the story of her own life. El libro esta disponible in stores now.
Here is a short clip of Latino in America where Soledad O'Brien interviews Eva Longoria Parker. Watch to find out why Eva Longoria's nickname was "the ugly one" growing up!
Photos via Getty Images
