Theme: Opening Closed Doors

TEDxLAPL is an independently student organized event licensed by TED and partnered with the Los Angeles Public Library. The event will take place at the Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, located in downtown Los Angeles, California. Libraries are treasure troves of knowledge and ideas. That makes the downtown Central Library the perfect place to have our event. Like the library itself TEDxLAPL wants to involve the community, and entice a sense of mobility and awe. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading we hope you will join us in our first TEDxLAPL event.

630 W 5th Street
Los Angeles, California, 90071
United States

Street Poets Inc

Street Poets is a non-profit poetry-based violence intervention and community-building organization. Creating healing circles for at-risk youth and young adults can breathe, write, laugh, cry and rediscover their authentic voices in the midst of a world increasingly ruled by fear and permeated by violence.

America & Penelope Lopez

America and Penelope Lopez are first-generation Latina twin sisters born and raised in East Los Angeles. They received various tech awards like the NASA International SpaceApps Challenge, AT&T Developer Summit, and many more.

Blythe Hill

Blythe Hill is the founder of Dressember Foundation. Dressember is a collaborative movement leveraging fashion and creativity to restore dignity to all women.

Candice Mack

Candice is the head of Young Adult Services for the Los Angeles Public Library, President of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and project manager for the Career Online High School, a high school degree program offered through the LA Public Library.

Gracye Cheng

Gracye Cheng is a recovering lawyer. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Harvard College. She revisits the hardships of earning her degree only to realize that the job made her unhappy. Gracye shares her views on quitting and how to overcome the difficulties that come with quitting.

Kai Kight

A heralded violinist,composer and speaker, Kai has taught individuals and organizations form MBAs to students how to become innovative leaders in their lives and work. For more music by Kai Kight go to the following link: www.kaikight.com/music

Luis Rodriguez

Luis is Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. He also has 15 books, co-founded Tia Chucha's Center, ran for California governor in 2014, endorsed by the Green Party.

Martha Sanchez

Martha is a community activist and board member with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).