First Friday Spring 2023
Courage to Make a Difference
Hear from Soledad O'Brien, journalist, documentarian and philanthropist in a conversation about courage, working in today's media environment and making a difference in the world. St. Thomas alumna and journalist Georgia Fort '11 is our host for this special virtual First Friday.
Spring Ahead: This May First Friday will be taking place one week earlier, on Friday, April 28.
12-1:00 p.m.
Via Zoom
Soledad O'Brien
Soledad O'Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author and philanthropist. The CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions, O’Brien currently anchors and produces the Hearst Television political magazine program “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.” She also reports regularly for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
She has anchored shows on CNN, MSNBC and NBC, and hosted projects for Fox and A&E. O’Brien has contributed to the three major broadcast networks, Oxygen, Nat Geo, the PBS NewsHour and WebMD. She was a special correspondent on Al Jazeera America’s news program "America Tonight" and produced several documentaries on social issues for the network.
During the 2023 ThreeSixty Journalism Homecoming celebration, Soledad O’Brien was awarded the inaugural Opening Doors Honor, which spotlights an influential leader who promotes opportunities and successes among diverse voices in media, business or community. Read the Newsroom story.
Georgia Fort '11
Georgia Fort '11 is a two-time Emmy nominated journalist. Her reporting has been published on CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS affiliates. Her mission as a storyteller is to change the narrative by dedicating her work to media reform and narrative justice.
In 2021 she joined the Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice project. She also founded BLCK Press Center for Broadcast Journalism, a nonprofit online site based in St. Paul that publishes news and other content about the Black experience in America.
She was an associate producer for PBS Frontline’s “American Voices," has worked as a field producer for the NBC Today Show online and was co-director of “Amazon Prime’s Rondo: Beyond The Pavement.” Fort recently launched “Here’s the Truth with Georgia Fort,” a weekly half-hour television show designed to bring her award-winning reporting to television.