A week with brave, wise persons who share their stories of prejudice and discrimination. In doing so, they break down the dividing walls and draw us together.

The Beauty of Human Skin in Every Color
Angélica Dass
TED2016 Vancouver BC, February 2016
“In the end, with this color and this hair I can’t belong some places.” Dass’s experiences inspired her international portrait project, Humanæ, which documents humanity’s true colors rather than the untrue white, red, black and yellow associated with race. Simple. Powerful. Game-changing.

What do you think when you look at me?
Dalia Mogahed
TED2016 Vancouver BC, February 2016
After 9/11 “I went from a citizen to a suspect.” A moving story of the power of media in promoting prejudice and the greater powers of empathy and solidarity.

What I’ve Learned from my Autistic Brothers
Faith Jegede
TED@London, April 2012
“Normality overlooks the beauty differences give us. The fact that we are different doesn’t mean one of us is wrong, it just means there’s a different kind of right. … You don’t have to be normal, you can be extraordinary. Because, autistic or not, the differences we have are a gift. Everyone’s got a gift inside of us. And in all honesty, the pursuit of normality is the ultimate sacrifice of potential. The chance for greatness, for progress, for change dies when we try to be like someone else. “

Why I love a country that once betrayed me
George Takei
TEDx Kyoto, June 2014
During his childhood in WWII, Takei and his family were imprisoned by their fellow Americans in America. His wise father and the heroics of an all Japanese-American fighting unit in WWII, gave him a rich understanding of democracy and what it really means to be an American. “They gave me a legacy and with that legacy comes a responsibility. I am dedicated to making my country an even better America.”

A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender
Lee Mokobe
TED Women 2015 Monterey California, May 2015
“I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered, tight roping between awkward boy and apologetic girl. And when I turned 12, the boy phase wasn’t deemed cute anymore…. No one ever thinks of us as human because we are more ghost than flesh…. And now oncoming traffic is embracing more transgender children than parents.”  Listen several times, letting the heartbreak and wondering wash over you.    

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I’m trying an experiment in 2016. Maybe you’d like to try it with me.

Here’s where I am
I’m tired of the spin. I’m tired of ideas, news, and entertainment really being one long sales pitch for profit or power.

I’m longing for creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. I’m in search of passionate people willing to speak to the truth and complexity of living with a heart of hope. I want to hear from authentic humans who are in the trenches working for the greater good.

I think I’ve found them in the TED community.

“TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.”

TED’s been around for 30 years. I’ve heard about them and even watched a couple of talks, but I’ve never spent any concentrated time mining the good stuff. So….

Here’s the plan
Watch 5 enthusiastic, inspiring TED Talk presenters a week for a year.
Apply and share the goodness.