TEDxNew Haven is coming!
If you've ever spent hours binge watching TED talks on the internet, feeling a rush of dopamine with each inspiring performance, then this one's for you! On Saturday, June 11th, TEDx returns to the Shubert Theatre in New Haven for its inaugural conference after a decade!
TEDxNew Haven brings 16 innovative thinking, boundary busting minds to the stage to discuss a variety of topics in our ever-changing post-pandemic world. The theme "Hello World" will focus on speakers who took the matters into their own hands to make the change they wanted to see, guaranteed to leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling of inspiration in your chest.
One of these speakers, Ashleigh Evans, left her career in the US Navy to pursue her passion of ending maternal mortality, especially in black mothers, whose mortality rates are much higher than that of white women. Keep reading to see who Ashleigh says is making the biggest strides in solving this problem (spoiler: it's not the "MDs with fancy degrees").
This all-day event opens at 8 am and allows ticket holders to come & go throughout the day as you please, encouraging you to stop at local businesses for a quick bite during your breaks!
This event also features an all-day art show by local artists and a reception afterwards at Jazzy's restaurant.
Click here to learn more about TEDxNew Haven and purchase your tickets (student discounts availale)!
Meet one of the speakers, Ashleigh Evans.
We got a chance to ask Ashleigh some questions about her chosen topic to discuss at TEDxNew Haven. In addition, she gave us the scoop on some the other talented speakers, and we even got a peek into a day in her life as a student at Yale, including her favorite New Haven gems!
Read more about Ashleigh below:
What is TEDx New Haven about?
TEDx stands for Technology, Education, and Design. It's when a group of speakers come to share their ideas and thoughts.
There's Louis Reed, who is an advocate for fair treatment of those previously incarcerated. He's worked with the likes of Meek Mill and Jay-Z, and is now a consultant for the state of CT. There's also Patricia Melton, who's overseen more than $25M raised for city students. Then, there's Maia Cook, who's also a student at Yale. She's talking about Citizen United - a law that enables corporations the same legislative fundraising opportunities as regular individuals. Maia's so passionate about the subject that she never writes a formal speech; she speaks from the heart. And she still won the student speaker competition. And I promise I'm not doing any of the speakers justice.
It's a great opportunity to learn from other people who are passionate and expand horizons.
What topic will you be discussing at TEDx New Haven?
I will be discussing black women who's innovative activism is making a difference in maternal mortality. Right now, the US has the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world. And it's because Black women are 3-4x more likely to die from childbirth related injuries than white women. So, while 17 white women out of every 100,000 will die in childbirth, 55 [black women] out of every 100,000 will die.
And it's because Black women are 3-4x more likely to die from childbirth related injuries than white women.
What’s your background in the topic you’ll be discussing?
I started off as a birth assistant for a homebirth midwife in Jacksonville, FL and fell in love with it. So I decided to become a midwife. I was in the Navy at the time, so I resigned my commission and then moved here to Connecticut. I'm now going into my final year as a student nurse-midwife.
Why should people care about your message?
This is the medical communities oldest skeleton in the closet. There's a lot of smart people using big words when it comes to discussing how many black women die in childbirth, but at the end of the day, or national mortality statistics are getting worse - not better. It's a fascinating topic because it's not the super smart MDs with fancy degrees that are making the difference. It's the black midwives and everyday black women who've decided to take matters into their own hands. That's the beauty in this message - change comes when you take matters into your own hands.
This is the medical communities oldest skeleton in the closet... It's a fascinating topic because it's not the super smart MDs with fancy degrees that are making the difference.
Who are the other speakers?
There's 16 speakers with very little overlap in topic, so there's something for everybody. Laura Pirie is talking about how the physical space around you (architecture) can affect your personality. Neville Wisdom is a fashion designer right here in New Haven. Here's the list of speakers: https://www.tedxnewhaven.com/speakers
What is day to day life like as a student at Yale?
It varies! The bare bones nuts and bolts is that we have class from 9am-6pm on Mondays and Tuesdays and then we have one 12hr clinical rotation between Wednesday and Sunday. The rest of the time is ours to do as we please. Some people work, there's always school work to do, and some people are really social and active in our communities. I'm 30, and I must say, I feel it. If I'm not doing school work, I'm either at the gym or sleeping. Sometimes you can find me at Anchor Spa on a Thursday or Friday night.
What’s your favorite thing to do in New Haven?
To go hang out over at East Haven Park - hands down. Not to get too new age, but I'm very cognizant of how sunshine and outdoors affects my wellbeing these days. I've found that I could start the East Haven hill in one mood and come down in a completely different one. I find the stillness gives me an opportunity to reflect on all of the things in my life I have to be grateful for, and it puts the relative inconveniences of life into perspective.
What’s your favorite pizza place?
This is such a tourist answer, but it's true!! It's Modern Apizza. I used to live right across the street from it, and my roommate ordered it for me when I had just arrived in New Haven. Now I associate it with really fond memories.
Ashleigh will be speaking at TEDx New Haven on Saturday, June 11th from 3:30pm to 3:50pm at the Shubert theatre. Click here to get your tickets
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