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).

Birmingham Hippodrome
Thorpe Street
Patrick Studio
West Midlands, Birmingham, B5 4tb
United Kingdom

Alexandria Chantiluke

Entrepreneur

Birmingham born menswear fashion designer Alexandria Chantiluke spent much of her childhood exploring the creative arts and continued this passion into further education. In 2015, she was selected as a finalist in the Savile Row Training Academy: National Design and Tailoring Awards. She won the annual Hawes and Curtis shirt design competition and her design featured as part of the autumn/winter 2017 collection. She graduated in July 2016 with a BA Honours in Fashion Design from Nottingham Trent University. She is inspired by her heritage and the motivation for her work often stems from themes of black culture as she enjoys studying black British history, black masculinity, postmodernism and hip hop culture. In 2017 she was named Radical Designer of the Year at an international design competition and in 2018 she was named one of Birmingham's top 30 under 30 for her work in fashion and the Birmingham community.

Aliyah Hasinah

Activist + Curator

Aliyah Hasinah is a curator, writer and aspiring film maker whose work focuses on decolonial approaches to history and the present day. Aliyah is also Birmingham Producer for black and brown womxn’s platform ‘Heaux Noire’. She was a co-curator if the internationally acclaimed exhibition ‘The Past is Now’ at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and has worked across the arts for the last 6 years. Aliyah places love and care at the Centre of her projects as a form of reimagining decolonial futures. She has worked with, consulted for and been commissioned by the likes of the RSC, Birmingham Hippodrome, Eastside Projects, SBTV, Channel 4 Random Acts, Maslaha, The National Trust, Apples and Snakes, Warwick Castle, BBC Three and many more, Aliyah doesn’t care for these credits but people reading bios do. Her writing has been published in several zines, articles and anthologies including ‘The Things I Would Tell You: Muslim Women Write’ as edited by Sabrina Mahfouz.

El Sam

Musician

El Sam is a British Alternative, Indie pop Singer-songwriter and producer, who lived in Syria for many years and moved back to the UK shortly after the Syrian war started. It was then that El Sam started writing music. El Sam has wrote, self produced two Albums and held two successful sold out album launch party. 2018 El Sam release several singles that have been supported by multiple radio stations including BBC introducing. 2019 El Sam has been named in the top 25 artist for bbc introducing artist to watch out for in 2019, calling the list the sound of 2019.

Gabriella Gardosi

Research Student

Gabriella Gardosi is an artist turned scientist, currently studying photonics at Aston University. This year, she began WEST (Women in Engineering, Science and Technology) a society for women studying STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) at her university. Since speaking about women’s issues, she has realised that the vision of an inclusive culture is to engineer a world for, truly, everyone. Her next projects include: getting solar panels to rural African homes, engineering a solution to clean local canals and researching microresonators of light.

Jamelia

Singer

Jamelia is a proud Birmingham recording artist, television presenter, actress and an overall kick-ass female activist. She has released three studio albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in the UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top-ten singles. In addition, Jamelia has won four MOBO Awards, a Q Award and has received nine BRIT Award nominations. Launching a new fragrance as part of a campaign to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS, in January 2007. Jamelia is also active in working with ActionAid, Princes Trust and the Food Aid branch of the UN, the World Food programme which has seen her visit Kenya, Uganda and India. In 2008, Jamelia earned the role of appearing alongside Helena Christensen and Erin O'Conor, fronting her own ethnic haircare range 'Model Me', in conjunction with 'Toni and Guy', and was stocked. Jamelia has met Nelson Mandela and performed for him for both his 46664 concert in Johannesburg and his 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park.

Janel Anthoneshia

Musician

The versatile styles of the Jamaican born singer/songwriter has been described as hauntingly beautiful. With a mixture inspired by gospel, rhythm and blues to soul and reggae—Janel Antoneshia "sounds like her voice has been roaming the earth for a few hundred years". This songstress’s overall desire is to continue creating music that's closely connected to the growth of herself and others. Featured on BBC Introducing and BBC WM.

Jaspreet Singh

Activist

Jaspreet is a Postgraduate International student from the Land of Five rivers called Punjab. He is the former President of the Birmingham City University Students Union and is the current Student Director at the National Union of Students. He is an active volunteer at the British Organisation of Sikh Students. Interfaith dialogue motivated him to get involved in the British Society. He is the member of the Birmingham Commonwealth Association’s Education Group. He is working to launch the Sikh Heritage Month in the UK. He aspires towards creating a dialogue around the nations which are national-less under the current political systems.

Jay Crutchley

Director

Jay is a Theatre Director as well as previously delivering and co-producing art activism projects across Birmingham. Jay has worked on theatre projects in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Kent, London and internationally in Greece, India & Vietnam. His work primarily focuses on using Theatre as a tool for social & political change. In 2016 Jay was selected to be a part of the Birmingham Rep’s Foundry programme for emerging Directors giving him a residency within the building. He is passionate about providing opportunities for young people to progress in the arts.

Leia Griffin

Young person

Leia is a Birmingham-based gaming enthusiast, currently learning to design and develop a range of video games. Leia is also one of our young speakers from Princes Trust, a youth charity working with and supporting young people to reach their fullest potential against all odds.

Liza Bel

Economic Opportunity EMEA & Africa Lead

I work for Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm and I'm a founder of How Is Africa, a social enterprise that created an open blogging platform for African youth. Radio host in my former life, I designed community development initiatives in East Africa and built an education programme in digital citizenship for Google UK. I'm passionate about creating multimedia content, innovation for social impact and storytelling as a vehicle for empathy in the time of unprecedented technological change

Neelam Heera

Founder of Cysters

Neelam Heera is the founder of Cysters, a grassroots organisation dedicated to supporting women with reproductive and mental health issues. Cysters work with marginalised communities and remain culturally sensitive despite tackling challenging topics around women's intimate health. The group work with the local community to reduce cultural barriers, tackle exclusion and ensure equal access to healthcare. Neelam is also a Trustee for Stop Hate UK and the Brain Association. She has recently been awarded a Points of Light from the Prime Minister and is named as Birmingham’s 30 under 30.

Odd Soul

Artist

Forged in Birmingham’s bubbling Selly Oak music scene, Odd Soul blend jazz, soul, post-rock and hip-hop to create a fresh, vibrant and intricate sound. Odd Soul take jazz and soul influences from the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote and Jordan Rakei, and fuse them with the stratospheric post-rock stylings of Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai, creating dramatic soundscapes punctuated with catchy melodies the occasional musical firework. The band are fronted by the dual vocals of Gabriella Liandu (voice) and Rohit Jepegnanam (voice, guitar), alongside the "impressive collective talents" (Ian Paget, Indie Midlands) of James Dickinson (keyboards, backing vocals), Olli Smith (drums), Seb Read (bass) and Simon Meikle (guitar).

Ruth Kokumo

Musician

Ruth Kokumo is a neosoul singer-songwriter based in Birmingham, where you can find her singing alongside her guitar and band. She takes vocal inspiration from the likes of Amy Winehouse and Nina Simone and musical inspiration from legends like Fela Kuti and James Brown. Ruth recently released her first set of singles including Conquer and You Don’t which smoothly captures the emotions witnessed her live performances. Last year Ruth completed a tour of Helsinki where she was warmly welcomed and expecting to return after the release of the EP she’s currently working on called Ruby. You can follow Ruth Kokumo’s journey with music on her social medias and you can find her music on all major digital platforms

Tamara Piggott

Environmental Activist

Tamara is a vegan egalitarian with a passion for ethical business. After working and interning within the fashion industry for 4 years she started Here's Real in 2017, a small ethical fashion Community Interest Company with the aim of challenging our disposable attitudes towards fashion. This year they are focused on workshops, screenings, and panel discussions to shed light on issues surrounding fast fashion and to provide skill based solutions. They believe mending our clothes and making ethical purchases id the secret to true intersectional feminism. Her aim is to spread the power of people's beliefs with their actions.

Vital MC

Host, Artist and Radio Presenter

VITAL is a music artist born and influenced by his Wolverhampton and Jamaican roots, he is a strong believer in family morals and expresses this through his music and home life which is documented through his social media. December 2016, VITAL released an E.P. entitled "POWERS" that hit the iTunes Hip Hop top 20 charts. Engineering and creatively directing his own music and videos has birthed much online and public success with approximately 2,000,000 YouTube views collectively including on his personal Channel. 5 music videos featured on Channel AKA and television appearances on MADEinBrum + BBC 1's Midlands Today. Soon After the BBC West Midlands gave VITAL his one Radio Show: The Midlands Source, every Tuesday 7-10pm. All about Music, Arts & Culture in the West Midlands -95.6fm / DAB / Online

Yasmina Nuny

Poet

YASMINA NUNY is a poet from Guinea-Bissau. She was born in Portugal and was brought up in different African countries before going to the UK for her studies. She began performing in 2016 at open mic events around Birmingham and owes a lot to the second city for her development as an artist. She has since been featured at events like Heaux Noire (London), Funkenteleky (Birmingham) and the Verve Poetry Festival R.A.P. Party (Birmingham). Yasmina has also had her poetry published in two other Verve collections, including The Poetry Jam Anthology Wild Dreams & Louder Voices (2018) and Nafeesa Hamid’s Besharam (2018).