Theme: TEDxAtlanta Salon: What does "wealth" mean to you?

n 2024, more than 60 countries will be holding national elections and almost half the world's population will be headed to the polls. But this report illustrates how the very tenets of democracy - free and fair elections, checks and balances on power and a commitment to universal human rights - are weakening around the globe. Amidst this backdrop is our national elections.

There can be no doubt that Georgia is a battleground state. Competing agendas are engaged in winner-take-all, zero-sum rhetoric that leave many feeling deflated. Regardless of party affiliation, even more are concerned that our democracy appears to be under threat, institutional safeguards are weakening, and the shadow of authoritarianism looming large.

But recognizing the problem isn't enough. We must act, and that begins by rejecting the sense of hopelessness that can divide us. At TEDxAtlanta, we firmly believe that engaging in dialogue about democracy is not only positive and patriotic but also a crucial endeavor that transcends party lines.

Join us for this special edition of TEDxAtlanta Salon where we reimagine "Democracy in the Future We Create." Regardless if you are a civic activist or just civically curious, be part of this conversation-driven experience to find common ground in our shared commitment to democracy.

Refuge Coffee Clarkston
4170 E Ponce de Leon Ave NE
Clarkston, Georgia, 30021
United States

Emily Best

Storyteller

Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, an online crowdfunding and subscription streaming platform for content creators and audiences that emphasizes diversity and inclusion. In addition, Best produces film, series and VR that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW and other festivals. Projects produced include "Like the Water," a feature film starring Caitlin FitzGerald ("Masters of Sex," "UnREAL"); "Fck Yes!," a digital series about sexual consent which she also cowrote and codirected; Janicza Bravo's virtual reality film "Hard World for Small Things" which premiered at Sundance; and James Kaelan's "The Visitor," which premiered at Slamdance and was featured at Tribeca. Best was named a 2013 Indiewire Influencer, a 2014 New York Business Journal "Woman of Influence," a 2015 Upstart 100 entrepreneur (Business Journals), received the Ivy Film Innovator Award in 2015.

Han Pham

Civic activist

Equitable representation in all levels of government matters deeply to Han Pham. Han is focused on accelerating civic engagement among women and diverse communities, leaving behind a lucrative career in the legal industry. Han is the executive director of Her Term, an initiative to increase the number of women in Georgia’s elected office. She is also chair of the board of directors at the Global Village Project, a school for refugee girls. The daughter of immigrant parents, Han is an avid ambassador of Georgia’s Asian community. In 2022, she partnered with local schools to launch the city of Decatur’s first Lunar New Year Festival celebrations. Han holds a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.