Gulp... I'm now a TEDx speaker 😲... Well, don't that be all!
I cannot express how honored I am to have shared the red circle with so many greats, and to have done it in the name of my home neighborhood, it's just icing on the cake. Truly amazing.
Most who know me aren't surprised. So why am I?
Because I have a history of intentionally ducking the spotlight. (For the record, there was a literal spotlight shining in my face during this Talk. 🤭)
In middle school, they wanted me to MC a program. In high school, my journalism teacher (God, bless her) tried with all her might to get me to train in broadcast journalism. In college, the Howard University radio station and TV network attempted to persuade me to show up. As a NEWSPAPER reporter, I somehow wound up reporting for NPR and made a few appearances on the news stations to discuss my stories with the audience.
Time and time again, the stage has been thrown at me, and I've politely insisted it isn't a space for me.
But here's the thing: God has His plans. And the gift He saw fit to give me is communication, in every form. It appears I don't get to choose to ignore that gift.
After filling out an application on the fly, I was invited to the TEDxThird Ward stage (curated by Durrel Douglas and coached by Emem Washington) to talk about intellectual capital. I wanted to duck out SO BADLY, but figured obedience has always been a better option.
And I feel a yearning this year to get the message about intellectual capital out as far as it can go. This was not on my bingo card as a way to do that, and I'm so grateful my vision is insufficient.
So, without further ado, here's the TEDxThirdWard talk that I hope spreads intellectual capital to those who weren't meant to have it. (It ain't perfect, but the message is crystal clear.) Enjoy! And be sure to leave a comment.