0:00:00.640,0:00:04.216 My mom is a strong black woman 0:00:04.240,0:00:07.520 who raised her kids to have[br]the same sense of strength and pride. 0:00:08.400,0:00:10.656 This spirit was epitomized[br]by a single wall 0:00:10.680,0:00:14.136 in our small, two-bedroom apartment[br]on the South Side of Chicago. 0:00:14.160,0:00:15.416 Two pictures hung proudly: 0:00:15.440,0:00:18.536 one larger-than-life photo[br]of my siblings and I 0:00:18.560,0:00:20.416 and the other a picture of my mom 0:00:20.440,0:00:21.656 at 12 years old 0:00:21.680,0:00:24.400 staring into the eyes[br]of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 0:00:25.880,0:00:28.816 When I was younger,[br]I used to stand on my tippy-toes, 0:00:28.840,0:00:30.096 stare at that picture, 0:00:30.120,0:00:32.695 close my eyes tightly,[br]and just pretend that it was me 0:00:32.720,0:00:36.536 gazing up at the man who revolutionized[br]the Civil Rights Movement, 0:00:36.560,0:00:39.336 who marched on Washington[br]and who transformed a generation 0:00:39.360,0:00:40.840 by his words, "I have a dream." 0:00:41.760,0:00:43.376 But I did get to meet him. 0:00:43.400,0:00:45.296 Now, obviously, I didn't meet Dr. King, 0:00:45.320,0:00:47.400 but I met a man named Dr. Vincent Harding. 0:00:48.080,0:00:49.976 He worked with Dr. King from day one 0:00:50.000,0:00:52.600 and even wrote some of his[br]most iconic speeches. 0:00:53.600,0:00:56.456 You see, this was a really[br]important moment for me as a kid, 0:00:56.480,0:00:58.616 because it was the first time[br]that I realized 0:00:58.640,0:01:01.136 that it wasn't just Dr. King[br]who led this revolution, 0:01:01.160,0:01:05.519 but he was surrounded by a movement[br]made up of anonymous extraordinaries. 0:01:07.320,0:01:11.216 Anonymous extraordinaries are people[br]who work selflessly and vigorously 0:01:11.240,0:01:12.496 for what they believe in, 0:01:12.520,0:01:15.696 people who are motivated by conviction[br]and not recognition. 0:01:15.720,0:01:18.856 It took me a long time to realize[br]the significance of this moment, 0:01:18.880,0:01:20.136 until I was much older. 0:01:20.160,0:01:22.016 And like I said, I grew up in Chicago. 0:01:22.040,0:01:24.096 I grew up in a rough, poor neighborhood, 0:01:24.120,0:01:26.096 but it didn't really matter to me as kid 0:01:26.120,0:01:29.216 because I literally have[br]the most incredible family in the world. 0:01:29.240,0:01:31.336 Two things that I did[br]struggle with a lot 0:01:31.360,0:01:32.576 growing up was one -- 0:01:32.600,0:01:34.896 that my dad has been sick my whole life. 0:01:34.920,0:01:37.416 He suffers from Parkinson's[br]and pancreatitis, 0:01:37.440,0:01:40.736 and as a kid, it was so hard[br]for me to watch my hero 0:01:40.760,0:01:42.040 in so much pain. 0:01:42.640,0:01:44.976 And my other issue was with me. 0:01:45.000,0:01:47.200 I guess you could say[br]I had an identity crisis. 0:01:47.640,0:01:49.736 I had to move four times[br]during high school, 0:01:49.760,0:01:53.056 and my freshman year I went[br]to an extremely racist high school. 0:01:53.080,0:01:54.456 Kids were so cruel. 0:01:54.480,0:01:56.136 They gave us hate letters, 0:01:56.160,0:01:57.976 wrote terrible things on our lockers 0:01:58.000,0:02:00.136 and because I'm biracial,[br]they would tell me, 0:02:00.160,0:02:02.816 "You can't be both.[br]You have to choose, black or white." 0:02:02.840,0:02:05.056 And in the end[br]I just resented being either. 0:02:05.080,0:02:07.936 And then all of a sudden,[br]my senior year rolls around, 2008, 0:02:07.960,0:02:10.936 and being mixed, being racially[br]ambiguous is this new cool fad, 0:02:10.960,0:02:14.176 like, "Natalie, now it's OK[br]for you to like you. You're pretty now." 0:02:14.200,0:02:17.416 I was over it. I was tired of caring[br]about what other people thought 0:02:17.440,0:02:19.056 and I just wanted to hurry up, 0:02:19.080,0:02:22.176 go through my classes,[br]whatever school I was going to be at next, 0:02:22.200,0:02:23.456 and graduate. 0:02:23.480,0:02:25.576 It wasn't until I was 17 0:02:25.600,0:02:27.696 and I saw a film[br]called "Invisible Children" 0:02:27.720,0:02:29.960 that something happened. 0:02:31.080,0:02:32.736 Child soldiers, 0:02:32.760,0:02:35.056 children as young as my nephews 0:02:35.080,0:02:39.216 being abducted,[br]given AK-47s and forced to kill, 0:02:39.240,0:02:42.296 not just anyone, but oftentimes[br]forced to kill their own parents, 0:02:42.320,0:02:44.096 their own siblings -- 0:02:44.120,0:02:48.736 a rebel army committing mass murder[br]for no political or religious reason, 0:02:48.760,0:02:49.960 just because. 0:02:50.880,0:02:52.400 25 years. 0:02:53.080,0:02:55.896 25 years this conflict has been going on. 0:02:55.920,0:02:57.336 I'm 20 years old, 0:02:57.360,0:02:59.840 so that makes this conflict[br]five years older than me. 0:03:00.480,0:03:02.416 One man, 0:03:02.440,0:03:05.056 one man with one charismatic voice, 0:03:05.080,0:03:06.656 started this whole thing. 0:03:06.680,0:03:07.880 His name is Joseph Kony. 0:03:09.680,0:03:11.656 When I saw this film, something happened. 0:03:11.680,0:03:13.936 Something started[br]kind of stirring inside of me, 0:03:13.960,0:03:15.696 and I couldn't identify what it was. 0:03:15.720,0:03:17.856 I didn't know if it was rage,[br]if it was pity, 0:03:17.880,0:03:20.136 if I felt guilty[br]because this was the first time 0:03:20.160,0:03:21.840 I'd heard about a 25-year-long war. 0:03:22.880,0:03:24.416 I couldn't even give it a name. 0:03:24.440,0:03:27.186 All I knew is that it kicked me off my ass[br]and I started asking questions. 0:03:27.196,0:03:30.816 What do I do? What can one 17-year-old do? 0:03:30.840,0:03:32.364 You've got to give me something. 0:03:32.880,0:03:34.166 And they gave me something. 0:03:34.800,0:03:37.496 The founders and filmmakers[br]at Invisible Children told me 0:03:37.520,0:03:38.776 that there was this bill, 0:03:38.800,0:03:40.816 that if we could[br]just get this bill passed, 0:03:40.840,0:03:43.616 it would do two things:[br]one, it would apprehend Joseph Kony 0:03:43.640,0:03:45.616 and the top commanders in his rebel army, 0:03:45.640,0:03:48.816 and two, it would provide funding[br]for the recovery of these regions 0:03:48.840,0:03:50.936 that had been devastated[br]by 25 years of war. 0:03:50.960,0:03:52.656 And I was like, done. Let me at it. 0:03:52.680,0:03:55.160 I swear I will do whatever I can[br]to make this happen. 0:03:55.800,0:04:00.096 So myself and 99 other[br]idealistic 18- to 20-year-olds 0:04:00.120,0:04:03.200 hopped on a plane to intern[br]in San Diego with Invisible Children. 0:04:03.880,0:04:07.096 I was postponing college.[br]We weren't getting paid for this 0:04:07.120,0:04:10.296 and you could call it irresponsible[br]or crazy -- my parents did. 0:04:10.320,0:04:13.480 But for us, it would have been[br]insane not to go. 0:04:14.120,0:04:17.375 We all felt this urgency,[br]and we would do whatever it took 0:04:17.399,0:04:19.120 to pass this bill. 0:04:19.839,0:04:21.696 So we were given our first task. 0:04:21.720,0:04:25.496 We were going to plan an event called[br]the Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers 0:04:25.520,0:04:28.656 where participants would come[br]in a hundred cities worldwide 0:04:28.680,0:04:30.136 and rally in their city center 0:04:30.160,0:04:32.256 until a celebrity or a political figure 0:04:32.280,0:04:35.176 came and used their voice[br]on behalf of these child soldiers, 0:04:35.200,0:04:37.400 and at that point each city was "rescued." 0:04:37.840,0:04:41.480 But the catch was, we weren't[br]leaving the cities until we were rescued. 0:04:42.000,0:04:44.176 I was given Chicago and nine other cities 0:04:44.200,0:04:45.816 and I told my bosses, I was like, 0:04:45.840,0:04:49.296 "If we're going for big-name people,[br]why not go for the queen bee? Right? 0:04:49.320,0:04:50.776 Why not go for Oprah Winfrey?" 0:04:50.800,0:04:54.576 They thought I was a little idealistic,[br]but I mean, we were trying to think big. 0:04:54.600,0:04:56.256 We were doing an impossible thing, 0:04:56.280,0:04:58.496 so why not try to reach[br]more impossible things? 0:04:58.520,0:05:01.000 And so we had from January[br]to April to get this done. 0:05:02.480,0:05:05.496 This is the number of hours[br]that I spent on logistics, 0:05:05.520,0:05:07.896 from getting permits[br]to rallying participants 0:05:07.920,0:05:09.440 and finding venues. 0:05:11.000,0:05:13.216 This is the number of times[br]that I was rejected 0:05:13.240,0:05:15.880 by celebrities' agents[br]or politicians' secretaries. 0:05:18.160,0:05:21.056 That is amount of money[br]that I spent personally 0:05:21.080,0:05:23.976 on Red Bull and Diet Coke[br]to stay awake during this movement. 0:05:24.000,0:05:25.216 (Laughter) 0:05:25.240,0:05:26.800 You can judge me if you want to. 0:05:27.520,0:05:30.376 That is my hospital bill[br]from the kidney infection I got 0:05:30.400,0:05:33.816 from an overconsumption of caffeine[br]due to this event. 0:05:33.840,0:05:34.856 (Laughter) 0:05:34.880,0:05:37.576 These were just some[br]of the ridiculous things that we did 0:05:37.600,0:05:39.136 to try and pull this event off. 0:05:39.160,0:05:41.896 And so April 21 rolls around[br]and the event begins. 0:05:41.920,0:05:44.496 A hundred cities around the world.[br]They were beautiful. 0:05:44.520,0:05:47.816 Six days later, all the cities[br]were rescued but one: 0:05:47.840,0:05:49.416 Chicago. 0:05:49.440,0:05:51.816 So we were waiting in the city. 0:05:51.840,0:05:54.016 People started coming[br]from all over the world, 0:05:54.040,0:05:55.993 all over the country to be reinforcements 0:05:56.017,0:05:57.536 and join their voice with ours. 0:05:57.560,0:05:58.816 And finally, on May 1, 0:05:58.840,0:06:01.136 we wrapped ourselves around Oprah's studio 0:06:01.160,0:06:02.656 and we got her attention. 0:06:02.680,0:06:05.336 This is a clip from a film[br]called "Together We Are Free" 0:06:05.360,0:06:08.240 documenting the rescue event[br]and my attempt to get Oprah. 0:06:10.560,0:06:13.016 (Video) Oprah Winfrey:[br]When I drove into the office, 0:06:13.040,0:06:16.136 there was a giant -- when you came in,[br]was there a group outside? 0:06:16.160,0:06:17.376 Crowd: Yes. 0:06:17.400,0:06:19.816 OW: Holding up signs[br]asking if I would talk to them 0:06:19.840,0:06:21.096 for just five minutes, 0:06:21.120,0:06:23.056 so I was happy to do so. 0:06:23.080,0:06:26.336 And they are with a group[br]called "Invisible Children," 0:06:26.360,0:06:28.216 and I told this group outside 0:06:28.240,0:06:31.576 that I'd give them a minute[br]to state their case. 0:06:31.600,0:06:34.376 Man: Oprah, thank you[br]so much for having us. 0:06:34.400,0:06:40.056 Basically, these folks out here[br]have seen the story of 30,000 children 0:06:40.080,0:06:43.776 abducted by a rebel leader[br]named Joseph Kony. 0:06:43.800,0:06:45.496 And they're out here in solidarity, 0:06:45.520,0:06:48.776 and they have been out here for six days. 0:06:48.800,0:06:51.656 This started 100,000 people worldwide. 0:06:51.680,0:06:54.416 Now it's down to 500 standing strong 0:06:54.440,0:06:56.896 so that you can raise[br]the profile of this issue 0:06:56.920,0:07:01.136 and we can end the longest-running[br]war in Africa and rescue those kids 0:07:01.159,0:07:03.695 that are child soldiers[br]still in East Africa. 0:07:03.720,0:07:05.976 Oprah, I have to say[br]this girl Natalie here, 0:07:06.000,0:07:07.256 she's 18 years old. 0:07:07.280,0:07:08.976 She was an intern for us this year, 0:07:09.000,0:07:11.736 and she said, "My one goal[br]is to get Oprah." 0:07:11.760,0:07:14.456 She had 2,000 people come out on Saturday, 0:07:14.480,0:07:15.696 but it rained. 0:07:15.720,0:07:18.456 She stood here in the rain with 50 people. 0:07:18.480,0:07:21.336 When they heard she was here,[br]hundreds started coming. 0:07:21.360,0:07:23.376 People are here from Mexico, Australia. 0:07:23.400,0:07:24.616 Natalie's 18. 0:07:24.640,0:07:26.216 Don't think you're too young. 0:07:26.240,0:07:27.976 You can change the world any day. 0:07:28.000,0:07:29.216 Start now. 0:07:29.240,0:07:30.456 Start today. 0:07:30.480,0:07:32.960 (Cheers) 0:07:35.960,0:07:37.176 Man: Was it worth it? 0:07:37.200,0:07:39.680 Crowd: Yeah! 0:07:41.240,0:07:45.816 Natalie! Natalie! Natalie! 0:07:45.840,0:07:48.680 (Music) 0:07:51.640,0:07:55.120 Together we are free![br]Together we are free! 0:08:00.480,0:08:04.536 (Applause) 0:08:04.560,0:08:07.576 So you would think[br]that this is the moment in my life, 0:08:07.600,0:08:10.040 the pinnacle that[br]made me an extraordinary. 0:08:10.920,0:08:12.336 And it was an awesome moment. 0:08:12.360,0:08:14.016 I mean, I was on top of the world. 0:08:14.040,0:08:16.496 Ten million people[br]watched the "Oprah Winfrey Show." 0:08:16.520,0:08:18.256 But looking back, that wasn't it. 0:08:18.280,0:08:19.496 Don't get me wrong. 0:08:19.520,0:08:21.136 Like I said, it was great moment. 0:08:21.160,0:08:24.256 It made for a heck of a profile picture[br]on Facebook for a week. 0:08:24.280,0:08:25.496 (Laughter) 0:08:25.520,0:08:27.656 But I had been extraordinary all along, 0:08:27.680,0:08:28.880 and I wasn't alone. 0:08:29.480,0:08:32.135 You see, even though[br]my story was featured in this film, 0:08:32.159,0:08:33.856 I was just one of a hundred interns 0:08:33.880,0:08:36.559 who worked their tails off[br]to make this happen. 0:08:37.799,0:08:39.015 I'm up in the air, 0:08:39.039,0:08:41.216 but the guy that I'm sitting[br]on his shoulders, 0:08:41.240,0:08:42.456 he's my best friend. 0:08:42.480,0:08:43.856 His name is Johannes Oberman 0:08:43.880,0:08:46.336 and Johannes worked with me[br]from day one in Chicago, 0:08:46.360,0:08:49.160 just as long hours,[br]just as many sleepless nights as I did. 0:08:50.200,0:08:52.696 The girl on the right,[br]her name's Bethany Bylsma. 0:08:52.720,0:08:54.776 Bethany planned New York City and Boston, 0:08:54.800,0:08:58.120 and they were seriously[br]the most beautiful events that we held. 0:08:58.640,0:09:00.616 The girl on the left, her name's Colleen. 0:09:00.640,0:09:02.696 Colleen moved to Mexico, 0:09:02.720,0:09:04.256 moved, for three months, 0:09:04.280,0:09:05.896 to plan five events there, 0:09:05.920,0:09:08.216 only to be kicked out[br]the day before the events 0:09:08.240,0:09:09.720 because of the swine flu. 0:09:10.880,0:09:13.096 And then there was this family. 0:09:13.120,0:09:15.536 This family, they didn't[br]get to come to the rescue. 0:09:15.560,0:09:16.856 They couldn't make it out, 0:09:16.880,0:09:19.216 but they ordered[br]a hundred boxes of pizza for us, 0:09:19.240,0:09:22.056 delivered them to the corner[br]of Michigan and Randolph 0:09:22.080,0:09:24.136 where we were all silently protesting. 0:09:24.160,0:09:26.936 You see, it was people like this[br]doing whatever they could, 0:09:26.960,0:09:29.136 simultaneously, single-mindedly, 0:09:29.160,0:09:31.136 without a care to who was watching, 0:09:31.160,0:09:32.856 that made this happen. 0:09:32.880,0:09:34.816 It wasn't about us getting on Oprah, 0:09:34.840,0:09:36.976 because when I got down[br]from their shoulders, 0:09:37.000,0:09:38.456 the war hadn't ended. 0:09:38.480,0:09:39.736 It was about that bill. 0:09:39.760,0:09:42.216 Oprah was just a checkpoint[br]on the way to that bill. 0:09:42.240,0:09:43.496 That bill was the point. 0:09:43.520,0:09:46.056 That bill is what we had[br]our eyes set on from day one. 0:09:46.080,0:09:48.856 That was going to help us[br]end Africa's longest-running war. 0:09:48.880,0:09:51.536 And that is what brought[br]a hundred thousand people 0:09:51.560,0:09:53.720 out to the rescue event[br]from around the world. 0:09:55.120,0:09:56.320 And it paid off: 0:09:57.560,0:10:00.216 10 days after we were on Oprah, 0:10:00.240,0:10:02.200 the bill was introduced into Congress. 0:10:02.840,0:10:06.291 A year after that, it got unanimously 0:10:06.316,0:10:09.856 267 cosponsors in Congress. 0:10:09.903,0:10:11.292 And then one week after that, 0:10:12.600,0:10:14.656 President Obama signed our bill into law. 0:10:14.680,0:10:18.320 (Applause) 0:10:22.920,0:10:25.056 And none of us interns got to be there. 0:10:25.080,0:10:27.056 We didn't get to be there in this moment. 0:10:27.080,0:10:28.296 Our founders were there. 0:10:28.320,0:10:30.376 They're the guys[br]cheesing in the background. 0:10:30.400,0:10:34.736 But that moment right there[br]is what made all of it worth it. 0:10:34.760,0:10:38.096 It's what a hundred thousand[br]anonymous extraordinaries 0:10:38.120,0:10:40.720 worked for so hard to make that happen. 0:10:42.360,0:10:43.856 You know, the Oprah moments, 0:10:43.880,0:10:46.976 they prove that the supposedly[br]impossible can be done. 0:10:47.000,0:10:49.056 They inspire us.[br]They boost our confidence. 0:10:49.080,0:10:51.376 But the moment isn't a movement. 0:10:51.400,0:10:54.696 Even a lot of those moments[br]strung together don't fuel a movement. 0:10:54.720,0:10:58.080 What fuels a movement are[br]the anonymous extraordinaries behind it. 0:10:58.960,0:11:01.816 You know, for me, what kept me[br]pushing on through the rescue 0:11:01.840,0:11:03.776 was the thought of those child soldiers. 0:11:03.800,0:11:06.656 It became personal.[br]I was able to go to Africa at one point. 0:11:06.680,0:11:08.136 I met these incredible people. 0:11:08.160,0:11:11.536 I have friends that have been[br]living in this conflict their entire life, 0:11:11.560,0:11:12.976 and it was personal to me. 0:11:13.000,0:11:15.080 But that doesn't have to be[br]what drives you. 0:11:15.680,0:11:18.816 You know, you may want[br]to be the next Shepard Fairey 0:11:18.840,0:11:21.296 or the next JK Rowling 0:11:21.320,0:11:22.616 or the next whoever. 0:11:22.640,0:11:24.816 It doesn't matter, but whatever you want, 0:11:24.840,0:11:27.416 chase after it[br]with everything that you have -- 0:11:27.440,0:11:29.336 not because of the fame or the fortune, 0:11:29.360,0:11:31.536 but solely because[br]that's what you believe in, 0:11:31.560,0:11:33.576 because that's what makes your heart sing. 0:11:33.600,0:11:34.840 That's what your dance is. 0:11:36.360,0:11:38.776 That's what is going[br]to define our generation, 0:11:38.800,0:11:41.856 when we start chasing and fighting[br]after the things that we love 0:11:41.880,0:11:43.336 and that we want to fight for. 0:11:43.360,0:11:46.536 I cared too much in high school[br]about what people thought about me. 0:11:46.560,0:11:48.696 That's what so awesome[br]about this conference, 0:11:48.720,0:11:50.256 is so many of you are so young. 0:11:50.280,0:11:53.756 Find that thing that inspires you[br]that you love, and just chase after it. 0:11:53.770,0:11:54.976 You know, fight for that, 0:11:54.990,0:11:57.336 because that is what[br]is going to change this world 0:11:57.360,0:11:58.936 and that is what defines us. 0:11:58.960,0:12:00.296 Despite what people think, 0:12:00.320,0:12:03.976 my Oprah moments,[br]my being on TED, doesn't define me, 0:12:04.000,0:12:06.096 because if you were[br]to follow me home to LA, 0:12:06.120,0:12:09.016 you would see me waiting tables[br]and nannying to pay the bills 0:12:09.040,0:12:11.440 as I chase after my dream[br]of becoming a filmmaker. 0:12:12.200,0:12:15.496 In the small, anonymous, monotonous 0:12:15.520,0:12:17.256 every-single-day acts, 0:12:17.280,0:12:20.000 I have to remind myself[br]to be extraordinary. 0:12:21.160,0:12:24.456 And believe me, when the door[br]is closed and the cameras are off, 0:12:24.480,0:12:26.136 it's tough. 0:12:26.160,0:12:28.896 But if there's one thing[br]that I want to drive home to you, 0:12:28.920,0:12:31.576 one thing that I can say,[br]not just to you but to myself, 0:12:31.600,0:12:34.096 is that it is the acts[br]that make us extraordinary, 0:12:34.120,0:12:36.400 not the Oprah moments. Thank you.