It’s International Women’s Day (and Women’s History Month), which means that in addition to showing some extra love and support to the Women of Power in and around your circle, it’s a good time to binge on some enriching TED Talks by phenomenal influencers.
You can extract some major life inspiration from such thought-provoking speakers as Jedidah Isler, the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Yale, who expresses her deep belief in the value of diversity in STEM fields; Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, who stresses the untapped potential of girls around the world; author Luvvie Ajayi, who encourages women of color to speak their mind; and Joy Buolamwini, the MIT grad student fighting bias in machine algorithms.
The passionate women featured here are fearlessly creating magic, disrupting paradigms, and sparking change with their transformational ideas and actions. Each woman is making a sizable impact in her field and each talk is bound to fill you with insight and motivation to last throughout this entire Women’s History Month and beyond.
These are the eight TED Talks by exceptional black women that you cannot miss.
Jedidah Isler, Astrophysicist – “The Untapped Genius That Could Change Science for the Better”
Luvvie Ajayi, Author – “Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable”
Joy Buolamwini, Coder, Founder, The Algorithmic Justice League – “How I’m Fighting Bias In Algorithms”
Leymah Gbowee, Peace Activist, Nobel Peace Prize Winner – “Unlock the Intelligence, Passion, Greatness of Girls”
T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, CEO and COO, GirlTrek – “When Black Women Walk, Things Change”
Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Political Scientist, Executive Director, UN Women – “An Invitation to Men Who Want a Better World for Women”
Mellody Hobson, Investment Expert, President, Ariel Investments – “Color Blind or Color Brave?”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Novelist – “We Should All Be Feminists”
Honorable mention: Shonda Rhimes, Writer, Producer – “My Year of Saying Yes To Everything”