As many of you know, 2020 is the 10th year of the TEDWomen conference, a conference I co-founded with the TED curatorial team to elevate the stories, ideas and innovations of women around the world by extending the opportunity for more women to give TEDTalks. Since that first TEDWomen in Washington, DC, more than 300 women (and some good men) have given TEDTalks at TEDWomen conferences and their talks have been seen by hundreds of millions on TED.com.
Another significant outcome over the years has been the TEDWomen community, both here in the US and around the world, ignited in part by the TEDx organizers, many of whom have also produced TEDxWomen conferences in their communities, creating a truly global community. This year, when health and safety guidelines made it necessary to go completely virtual, we turned to five of the TEDxWomen organizers and asked them to select one speaker from their community as part of the TW2020 program.
Apiorkor Ahshong-Abbey performing her poem "Fearless"
My partners at TED, Helen Walters and her awesome team of curators, and myself created the other 12 talks, and on Nov. 12, we went “LIVE” to a large global community who joined us for three sessions of talks and two interactive discovery sessions. It was thrilling to see it come together — given the challenges of observing Covid restrictions and recording talks with speakers and performers entirely remotely! The hosts were live and so were two interviews — one with Gloria Steinem on the future of women and one with Maria Teresa Kumar on the impact of the Latinx vote on the 2020 presidential election.
Gloria Steinem: "To Future Generations of Women, You Are the Roots of Change."
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
Appropriately, the theme for TEDWomen2020 was FEARLESS, and many thought that described the decision to convene a TED conference just 7 days after an election which was observed so closely around the world! There were many definitions and dimensions of fearlessness shared by our speakers, and I wanted to share a few on the eve of this Thanksgiving.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the rightly elected President of Belarus who is now in exile because the current president (some call him a dictator as he’s ruled for 28 years) refused to accept the outcome of the election, spoke about fearlessness as the necessary companion to freedom. An idea worth spreading... She and the movement for freedom in Belarus is modeling how fearlessness is a component of movements for freedoms and human rights.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: "How to Be Fearless in the Face of Authoritarianism"
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
Astronaut Megan McArthur who will blast off the earth into space next spring as the pilot of the Dragon One spacecraft, shared how she copes with fears and risks, not by being fearless but by being prepared and by being willing to learn by doing.
Other speakers—notably economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard—gave advice on leadership as did Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek of the Kluane First Nation, who as the youngest chief in her region, urged others to follow in the footsteps of her people — by putting more women in leadership roles and learning from the power of reciprocity.
We also witnessed fearlessness in the works of architect Liz Diller and in the performance of Ghanian poet and activist, Apiorkor Ahshong-Abbey, whose poem "FEARLESS" opened and closed TEDW2020.
Over the next few months, all the talks from this TEDWomen will be posted online at TED.com or the TED YouTube channel. One talk that is in my heart and on my mind today, the day before our national Thanksgiving Day, was given by a speaker form Sri Lanka, JayaShri Maathaa, who talked about her decision to give up a successful life and work to teach Buddhist practices to others. She describes how during the pandemic, she found real transformation in two words — thank you — and repeating those words three times like a mantra morning, noon, and night, brought her the greatest joy and peace.
JayaShri Maathaa: "A Magical Mantra for Nurturing a Blissful Life"
TEDWomen 2020 (click to watch)
I decided to try the mantra myself, and even though I am harboring sadness at not being with family on this holiday and I'm tired, like most of you, of the forced separation and of needing hugs and in-person celebrations and yes, conferences — I’m hoping it will help me cope.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you for all you are doing/giving/being in the world. Thank you for voting and participating in democracy. And thank you for wearing your mask.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
— Pat
“We cannot do much about troubled times and conditions in life, but we certainly can do something to calm ourselves during troubled times. The human mind is like water. If it gets affected by external conditions, it creates movement and you cannot see the depth. This magical mantra, ‘Thank you,’ and the true feeling of gratitude in your heart can help you deal with any life situation peacefully, joyfully and blissfully. May all beings be well, happy, free from all suffering and be enlightened.”
