Theme: Balancing the Equation

The inaugural TEDxMorehouse event, occurred on March 3rd, 2018 at the Morehouse College Bank of America Auditorium. The event theme was "Balancing the Equation" - and focused on how folks across a variety of fields balanced the dichotomies of their lives. That could be scholarship with athletics, hip hop activism with musical approachability, veganism with socialization and much more.

An incredible diversity of backgrounds was highlighted at the event - including a former Olympian, the "Million Dollar Scholar", a Hip Hop activist, a vegan shop owner, a 23 year old real estate whiz, and an former Apple intern listed on Forbes HBCU 30 under 30. We had over 55 live attendees and incredible support for the initial event! Our intent is to create a legacy of TEDx events at Morehouse & HBCUs moving forward (as the first HBCU TEDx), which we are proud to see with the 2021 TEDxMorehouse event!

Bank of America Auditorium
830 Westview Drive SW
Atlanta, Georgia, 30314
United States

Derrius Quarles

Founder of Million Dollar Scholar & Co-Founder of Breaux Capital

Today, Derrius is acclaimed as an innovator and business prodigy by The New York Times. He is renown nation-wide for having earned over $1M in scholarships. He empowers others to earn life-changing scholarships himself. Having triumphed against poverty, physical abuse, and witnessing domestic violence – Derrius is now an advocate and innovator for the overlooked. As a technologist, author, and entrepreneur – the business ventures and products Derrius has helped launch have positively impacted the lives of over 35,000 people across the globe. He has been honored by the Obama Administration for his activism in expanding educational access and his work has been highlighted by The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Chicago Tribune CNN, and Black Enterprise amongst others.

Ivan Gaskin

Transformational Public Speaker and Real Estate Expert

Born in Atlanta, GA and raised in Seattle, WA Ivan Gaskin, was born an entrepreneur, he began his first business at the tender age of seven cutting his neighbors’ grass. One cut became two, then three and eventually over twenty-five regular customers, two employees and two contracts with the city, all before he entered high school. While building his main business in landscaping, he went on to start other businesses and take on odd jobs doing everything from bread delivery to steel fabrication. From the age of seven to age eighteen, Ivan held over 32 positions, over half of which were self-appointed in businesses that he started. Ivan went on to translate his work ethic in to a scholarship to a better high school across town, which allowed him to become the only one of his five closest friends in middle school to graduate high school.

Michaelangelo Valentino

Founder of Valentino's Workshop, Hip Hop Activist & Masters in Music

I fuse my loves and skill sets as centered in the areas of Hip Hop Culture, Education and Entrepreneurship to provide individuals of low-income communities and students of educational institutions the necessary training to succeed. My emphasis on product and company image branding with my contracted work for start-up tech-education based companies has allowed for all of my projects to collectively gross over $40,000 in funding and an ability to operate efficiently after my departure in the past 3 years. My emphasis on innovative business professional-pop culture/Hip Hop curriculums projects with my privately funded mentorship organization Freshman 4.0 and Mic Check Entertainment LLC business in Atlanta with over 200+ members and accredited paid-internships programs has allowed for me to teach and grow others into full-time entrepreneurial excellence while I am simultaneously do the same.

Steven Brown

Former Olympian and CEO of speedpersonified.com

Steve Brown is a former Olympian, a former NFL player, a Duke MBA and a CEO of speedpersonified.com. His incredible journey started in Washington D.C. and took him to become a world champion in track & field.

Tonya Grace

Philanthropist

Philanthropist, Educator and Founder of Atlanta Filmmakers Alliance