Theme: 20/20 Vision

A community-organized TED-like event designed to spread ideas, spark conversation, and address changes affecting South Los Angeles. TEDxCrenshaw is an independently organized local group compromised of passionate volunteers who are dedicated to ideas worth spreading.
The theme 20/20 vision represents where we want to be as a community. When you drive down South LA streets, how many injustices do you see? Too many. We want to make those injustices clear and encourage participation in growing solutions.

Dorsey High School
3537 Farmdale Ave
Los Angeles, California, 90016
United States

Jeffery Wallace

President/CEO

As the Founding Executive Director and President and CEO of LeadersUP, Jeffery is a visionary and architect who established the framework for LeadersUp, an organization whose mission is to create employer-led solutions for addressing youth disconnection that yield successful outcomes for both business and communities.

Malik Yusef

Spoken Word Poet/Songwriter/Producer

Five-time Grammy winning artist, poet, songwriter and producer, Malik is the Director of Arts & Culture for Hip Hop Caucus. At Hip Hop Caucus, Malik directs organizational and campaign strategies that utilize arts and culture to reach communities and move them to action. Malik is an influencer and thought leader to the world’s biggest entertainment industry influencers like Kanye, Beyonce, and John Legend just to name a few.

Niki Okuk

Worker-Owner

Member of the LA Union Cooperative Initiative (LUCI), Niki earned a MBA from Nanyang University in Singapore including a sustainability certificate at the MIT Sloan School of Business. She has built a demo- cratic sustainable business, co-founding RCO Tires, a tire recycling and manufacturing company in Compton, California.

Paradyse Oakley

Student/Social Changer

A 16-year old senior at Lawndale High School, Paradyse is the President and Founder of P.O.P.S. (Pain of the Prison System) and Life (ZOE) Club on her high school campus. Her passions are Health, Prison Reform, Edu- cation and being a voice for the youth in South Los Angeles. She aspires to become a Criminal Justice Lawyer or Public Servant in the political arena.

Reba Stevens

Community Advocate

Community advocate for over 17 years, Reba has been dedicated to using her real life experience as a consumer of homelessness and mental health services, to improve how these systems can be responsive and accessible to those who need them most. She lived on and off the streets for 21 years, now she works tirelessly as an advocate for those who are homeless and/or in need of mental health services.

Starlett Quarles

Host/President

Recently honored as one of “Los Angeles’ Most Influential African American Movers and Shakers” by Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network - LA, Starlett Quarles is a passionate, long time Community Advocate for the progress of Black Los Angeles and urban communities across the Country. A Third-Generation Angeleno and Community Builder, Starlett’s family has been instrumental in the Redevelopment of South Los Angeles’ urban landscape through the legacy of her grandfather’s Framing and Construction Company; as well as her father’s Real Estate Development Firm. As a result, Community Building is in her DNA. Starlett’s professional experience ranges from being Program Director for a non-profit Community Development Corporation, to Marketing Director of her father’s Real Estate Development Firm, The Bedford Group. In addition, she is also President of urban X marketing, a niche marketing firm that specializes in Urban Marketing, Branding & Community Public Relations.

Suresh Jayakar

User Experience Designer

Born overseas in India and growing up in the South Bay, Suresh found his love for design last year. As a User Experience Designer, his job is to talk to people, listen to the problems they have, and use technology to solve those problems.

Tyree Boyd-Pates

Professor of Africana Studies

Tyree is a graduate of Temple University with a Mas- ter’s degree in Pan African Studies. Currently, he is a Professor of Africana Studies at California State Uni- versity Dominguez Hills. As a writer for outlets like Huffington Black Voices, Tyree expounds on Black Cul- ture from a millennial vantage point and mobilizes communities of color through journalism, social media and education. Recently named Fusion’s Rise Up: Be Heard Fellow, Tyree founded his own radio show, The Corner.