TEDx Sonoma County Returns With ‘This Is Us’

Bold Ideas Explored In Upcoming March 4 Lecture Event

By Christian Kallen

TEDx Sonoma County, the short-form lectures made popular by the likes of Bill Gates, Jane Goodall and Stephen Hawking, is returning on Saturday, March 4, to the Jackson Theater in Santa Rosa. This year’s theme is “This Is Us,” reflecting the topic of inclusion.

“We will be gathering in person, full strength, for the first time in three years—though we will continue to offer people the option to tune in virtually, either individually or with a watch party, at home,” said TEDx

Sonoma County board member Linda Streb of Healdsburg.

“TEDx events are specifically designed to inspire and bring people together,” Streb said. “The board’s goal is to leverage the power of this unique platform to foster deeper connections and provide people with more exposure and understanding of their neighbor’s ideas.”

TED talks are styled in the form of short, direct talks of 18 minutes or less. TED began in 1984 at a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design lectures were combined. Today, TED talks cover almost all topics—from science to business to global issues, in more than 100 languages.

TEDX TALKER Melissa Nelson, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, will speak on 'Native Hands, Native

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, though independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. This will be the eleventh year of TEDx Sonoma County. This year’s theme, “This Is Us,” reflects the board’s decision to “reposition and expand the event to include a wider representation of voices,” said Streb, and enable a greater number of communities to benefit from ”ideas worth spreading”—the slogan of the Technology-Entertainment-Design concept that gave rise to TED talks.

Among this weekend’s speakers is Melissa Nelson of The Culture Conservancy, on “Native Hands, Native Lands” or Indigenous rights and revitalization; educator Larkin O’Leary of the Common Ground Society on fostering differences; and clinical psychologist and author Jonah Paquette on “The Happiness Factor.”

Full details about this year’s speakers are available at tedxsonomacounty. com/speakers.