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I Have Only Begun To Tell Our Stories

   Let me start by saying I think it's an enormous victory that a major network has enhanced its coverage of our community this year, culminating in a two-part…

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   [Editor’s note: The four-hour Oct. 21-22 CNN series "Latino in America,” produced by Soledad O’Brien, stirred considerable controversy for its perceived portrayal of 51 million U.S. Hispanics as “problem people.” At the invitation of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP), O’Brien, of Cuban descent, responds to that criticism and talks of plans for future coverage  Her full 1,200-word answer, condensed here for Hispanic Link News Service readers, may be accessed at www.hispaniclink.org.]

   Let me start by saying I think it's an enormous victory that a major network has enhanced its coverage of our community this year, culminating in a two-part, four-hour documentary called "Latino in America." I am also very proud to have co-authored with Rose Arce, a book about our community, "Latino in America," published in October by Celebra (Penguin USA).

   Some of the chief goals of both projects were to initiate conversations about our community, enhance our visibility and start a conversation about relevant issues. All the comments that The NiLP Network drew make me feel as if we have been successful on all those fronts, just by having engaged you.

   When I began to plan our project, I saw it as a news documentary about a vast population, people with roots in some 21 countries who had distinct histories and very different experiences. My team decided we would focus on what happens after we've arrived, about an identity born of this country, people who have some shared values but don't necessarily have similar racial or ethnic roots, or even language.

   We also decided, in the spirit of CNN, we were doing a NEWS documentary. That means we follow real people through their human experiences wherever they may take them, how they confront the greatest issues our community is facing, whether that be by achieving their dreams or confronting obstacles. If they falter, we watch them falter. When they succeed, we are there to record the moment. 

   Some of you have spoken about negative images in the documentary. A lot of it reflects the socioeconomic status of the person defining the terms, their own life experience. Many educators have hailed us for telling the story of what an enormous sector of our young population is facing in overcrowded and underfunded schools that do not address their unique needs as children of families struggling with a host of economic, cultural and immigration issues. Others would rather we had highlighted only success stories.

   The same was true of immigration stories. So many in our community told us we could not do a story about Latinos without showing how our controversial immigration debate is tearing apart families and encouraging some folks to target the most vulnerable among us. Others wanted no immigration experiences in the documentary because they considered them depressing.

   At the end of the day, I am a journalist. I made every effort to report the unfolding drama of human beings in our community. I could have re-worked and re-shot this forever trying to hit the right balance. I am unapologetic about our need to cast a light on some of the stories of the most vulnerable among us. I have fought too long over my career to get the media to talk about the terrible hate crimes committed against our people. We cannot close our eyes and say we'd rather see a profile of a thriving Latino business.

   I feel the same about teen dropout rates, suicide and teen pregnancy. Our community suffers disproportionately from these ills. Not talking about these issues is not going to make them go away, nor is doing PR for those who have escaped them going to change the reality too many face.

   I am continuing to tour this country, to educate myself about our community and its issues.  I pledge to you that I continue my mission to illuminate the many good things about our culture and our life here. There are many stories yet to be told, about our incredible successes. I have just begun to tell them.

   ©2009

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