Theme: Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Focused on the theme of Equity, Inclusion and Justice, this TEDxMtHood Salon features local speakers Lakia Davis and Julie Davis, in addition to related TED.com videos. The schedule of events is as follows:

6:30-7:00pm - Registration and mingling
7:00-9:00pm - Equity, Inclusion and Justice Salon session with speakers Lakia Davis and Julie Davis, engaging discussion, and related TED.com videos
9:00-9:30pm - Post-event mingling

About Our Speakers

Lakia Davis is a Social Justics Educator and Activist. Raised in California’s Bay Area and growing up in a low socio-economic, highly diversified, neighborhood, Lakie received various messages indicating she unable to make a difference in the world. She took it all in stride and became the first person in her family to enter college.

Soon after college, Lakia immersed herself in social justice work from various angles, holding numerous positions. Lakia’s travels—including living in three other countries—have also had a great impact in shaping her world view and passion for justice. The journey to succeed academically and financially, as well as to survive emotionally and spiritually has been a struggle. Lakia now holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an LGBT-affirmative emphasis and strives to influence positive change in her community. With a wide range of personal, professional, and academic experience Lakia is compelled to evoke change to empower and support under-represented youth and adults, and sees her struggles as a queer black woman raised in poverty as the motivating force to support often overlooked folks make a difference.

Julie Davis is a social movement veteran with a background in activism, advocacy, and thought-leadership. For over two-decades, Julie has brought her passion, courage and tenacity to queer and other social movement campaigns. She has worked on several high profile campaigns waged by the queer movement, including California’s No on Proposition 8, and Oregon’s successful “No on 13” campaign. Julie gained recognition in 1994 as campaign manager for the “No on 13” campaign, and her successful endeavor to transform the momentum from this campaign into Basic Rights Oregon, one of the leading statewide LGBTQ right organizations in the country. Most recently Julie worked on Face Value, a project committed to eliminating social stigma that targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. As a culture change agent, Face Value had a radical proposition of disrupting stigma by changing the cultural norms that drive society’s disapproval and discomfort with queer people – many which are unconscious and irrational.

Years of working on campaigns and public policy has led Julie to the understanding that political campaigns, legal challenges and legislative strategies are not enough to eradicate stigmas associated with being queer. Julie came to believe that ensuring real, lived equality and safety for queer people, their children, and their families requires a new approach that actively targets stigma directed at queer people, and works to positively change public attitudes and perceptions about queer people.

Ecotrust at the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center - Billy Frank, Jr. Conference Center
721 NW 9th Ave
#200
Portland, Oregon, 97209
United States

Lakia Davis

Lakia Davis is a Social Justics Educator and Activist. Raised in California’s Bay Area and growing up in a low socio-economic, highly diversified, neighborhood, Lakia received various messages indicating she unable to make a difference in the world. She took it all in stride and became the first person in her family to enter college. Soon after college, Lakia immersed herself in social justice work from various angles, holding numerous positions. Lakia’s travels—including living in three other countries—have also had a great impact in shaping her world view and passion for justice. The journey to succeed academically and financially, as well as to survive emotionally and spiritually has been a struggle. Lakia now holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an LGBT-affirmative emphasis and strives to influence positive change in her community.