In 2020, as the world closed down and large, in-person events canceled, our TEDxMileHigh team was faced with a challenge. How could we keep organizing TEDx events and producing TEDx talks? The solution, like many event organizers, was switching to virtual conferences, and what a wild ride it’s been!
We have been overwhelmed with the support and viewership we’ve received within the Denver community and around the world. In fact, these events have been so popular that five of our speakers from our last two events have been featured on TED.com. Check out these popular TED talks from our TEDxMH speakers!
TEDxMileHigh is returning live! We are excited to host our next event in-person this October. Join us for TEDxMileHigh: Rethink by purchasing tickets here.
Five Popular TED Talks by TEDxMH Speakers
TEDxMileHigh is the Denver-based TEDx branch of the global TED organization. We are proud to have several of our speakers featured on TED.com, and below are speakers from our virtual events that were chosen to be featured within the last year.
Leslie Herod: What If Mental Health Workers Responded To Emergency Calls?
“Why are we asking our police and our prisons to fix our mental health crisis?” – Leslie Herod
Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod asks this simple, yet groundbreaking question in her talk. Her work within the Denver community has led to the STAR program that dispatches mental health professionals along with police and firefighters on emergency calls. This way, the patient can receive the help they need rather than an unnecessary fine or arrest, and crises stay under control rather than escalating to potentially deadly events.
Joan C. Williams: Why Corporate Diversity Programs Fail — And How Small Tweaks Can Have A Big Impact
“Close to $1 billion has been spent on diversity efforts with remarkably little to show for it. Why? The basic tools of the diversity industrial complex haven’t worked.” – Joan C. Williams
Companies and corporations claim to spend time and money on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, however, most of the time to no avail. In her talk, diversity, equity, and inclusion expert Joan Williams explores the question: if big money and time is being spent, why aren’t we seeing an improvement? Verzuz tv Her answer: workplace biases undermine the goals of these initiatives and ultimately hurt the very people they are trying to help.
Sarah Kurnick: “Aliens Built The Pyramids” And Other Absurdities Of Pseudoarchaeology
“Pseudoarchaeology harms all of us. Like other forms of racism, it exacerbates inequality and prevents us from appreciating and benefiting from human diversity.” – Sarah Kurnick
Consider the jokes surrounding the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Most of the time you hear “Yeah, aliens helped them.” However, you never hear similar jokes in reference to the Colosseum built by ancient Romans, or the Parthenon built in ancient Greece. Sarah Kurnick explores the harmful, racist effects of pseudoarchaeology in her talk, and how harmful modern entertainment can be to ancient culture.
Katherine M. Gehl: U.S. Politics Isn’t Broken, It’s Fixed.
“The root cause of our political dysfunction — the cause that endure across all election cycles and all administration is the system — the perverted rules of the game.” – Katherine M. Gehl
In her talk, business leader and activist Katherine M. Gehl explains how the “broken” U.S. election system isn’t broken. In fact, it’s working exactly the way it was designed, and that way is not in favor of the people. Gehl calls for voting innovations that give citizens more dj headphone choice and incentivize politicians to work to progress for the people.
Amber McReynolds: An Election System That Puts Voters (Not Politicians) First
“We’re living in the era of same-day shipping, free delivery, lyft and Uber, and take-home cocktails. What would it look like if voting were that easy?” – Amber McReynolds
If the 2020 election taught us anything, it was that our voting system is flawed. Voting activist Amber McReynolds calls for a voting system overhaul that includes implementations that are already being used throughout the country. These changes could bring accountability, transparency, and equity to our outdated and flawed current voting system.
Thank You!
We are so proud and thankful for each and every one of our speakers that have been a part of our events both virtually and in person. We also know that their success on the TED stage wouldn’t be possible without our viewers and attendees! We deeply thank you for your support throughout this challenging year of virtual events, and we look forward to getting back to our in-person conferences this fall.
