In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

CFA Concert Hall
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont, 05753
United States

The Lady B

The Lady B is Seattle’s première TransFabulous, Femtastic, Draglesquing, Sass-Mouthing Negro. She is also a visceral story-teller, performance artist, community organizer, activist, Twerkshop facilitator, and graduate of Middlebury College (Class of 2013 - Dance/Political Science). She investigates how politics are projected onto and performed through the physical body through the lenses of race, sexuality, orientation, gender, and ability – responding through the performance mediums of burlesque, original choreography, Drag, and the spoken word.

Brendan O'Neill

Brendan O’Neill is a full-time paid organizer with Migrant Justice. He is a long-time popular educator, community organizer, and Latin American solidarity movement organizer. He co-founded VT Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project, which was transformed in 2011-2012 into Migrant Justice.

Casey Wanna

Casey Wanna is a current Junior Feb at Middlebury College. She is a Psychology major with a minor in French and Arabic. She returned to Middlebury this year after spending almost two years abroad. Her departure from the campus was quite sudden, and it ended with her in the Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders for almost six months. During that time, she grew and expanded herself in ways she never believed possible. She was officially discharged from the Center in May 2014 after undergoing testing that marked her as having no residual signs of an eating disorder. After those six months, however, she was not ready to come back to Middlebury. Instead, she chose to experience life with her knew found strength and wisdom. Casey hopes to encourage body positivity among people of all ages — a process that begins with this TED Talk.

Elizabeth Ready

Elizabeth Ready is the Director of John Graham Housing and Services that provides five buildings of service supported housing to homeless families and individuals in Addison County. She is an advocate for people who face poverty and discrimination. She represented Addison County in the Vermont Senate for 12 years, and served as State Auditor for 4 years. During her tenure in Montpelier she worked for economic justice, human rights, and environmental conservation. She lives in Lincoln, Vermont.

Enrique Balcazar

Enrique Balcazar has worked on Vermont dairy farms for over three years. He now works for Migrant Justice, an organization that seeks to build the voice, capacity, and power of the farmworker community and engage community partners to organize for economic justice and human rights. Balcazar works as the lead farmworker organizer.

Joshua Allen

Joshua Allen is an organizer, abolitionist and freedom fighter committed to manifesting true liberation. Using a black, gender-non conforming lens and an urban youth perspective they have traveled the country, and abroad, organizing around race and gender. They specifically focus on the abolition of police and prisons as well as ending the genocide against black trans and gender non-conforming femmes, women, and girls.

Wagatwe Wanjuki

Wagatwe Wanjuki is an activist and writer who started blogging about feminism and the campus rape culture as a student at Tufts University. Since then, she’s continued to focus her work on ending campus sexual violence and using new media for social change. Her work as a prominent anti-sexual violence activist has received widespread media attention when she started the nationally trending hashtag #SurvivorPrivilege on Twitter. Wanjuki has appeared on The Daily Show, HuffPost Live, Democracy Now!, and MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes.