0:00:00.844,0:00:04.551 My mom is a strong black woman 0:00:04.551,0:00:08.597 who raised her kids to have[br]the same sense of strength and pride. 0:00:08.597,0:00:11.728 This spirit was epitomized[br]by a single wall in our small, 0:00:11.728,0:00:14.401 two-bedroom apartment[br]on the South Side of Chicago. 0:00:14.401,0:00:15.568 Two pictures hung proudly: 0:00:15.568,0:00:18.619 one larger-than-life photo[br]of my siblings and I 0:00:18.619,0:00:20.629 and the other a picture of my mom 0:00:20.629,0:00:21.772 at 12 years old 0:00:21.772,0:00:25.305 staring into the eyes[br]of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 0:00:26.112,0:00:29.111 When I was younger, I used to[br]stand on my tippy-toes, 0:00:29.111,0:00:30.102 stare at that picture, 0:00:30.102,0:00:32.954 close my eyes tightly,[br]and just pretend that it was me 0:00:32.954,0:00:36.785 gazing up at the man who revolutionized[br]the Civil Rights Movement, 0:00:36.785,0:00:39.644 who marched on Washington,[br]and who transformed a generation 0:00:39.644,0:00:42.011 by his words, "I have a dream." 0:00:42.011,0:00:43.596 But I did get to meet him. 0:00:43.596,0:00:45.152 Now obviously, I didn't meet Dr. King, 0:00:45.152,0:00:48.260 but I met a man[br]named Dr. Vincent Harding. 0:00:48.260,0:00:50.249 He worked with Dr. King from day one 0:00:50.249,0:00:53.566 and even wrote some of his[br]most iconic speeches. 0:00:53.566,0:00:56.061 You see, this was a really[br]important moment for me as a kid, 0:00:56.061,0:00:57.992 because it was the first time[br]that I realized that 0:00:57.992,0:01:01.041 it wasn't just Dr. King[br]who led this revolution, 0:01:01.041,0:01:03.337 but he was surrounded by a movement 0:01:03.337,0:01:07.217 made up of anonymous extraordinaries. 0:01:07.217,0:01:11.467 Anonymous extraordinaries are people[br]who work selflessly and vigorously 0:01:11.467,0:01:12.627 for what they believe in, 0:01:12.627,0:01:14.891 people who are motivated by conviction 0:01:14.891,0:01:15.984 and not recognition. 0:01:15.984,0:01:18.723 It took me a long time to realize[br]the significance of this moment, 0:01:18.723,0:01:20.350 until I was much older. 0:01:20.350,0:01:22.086 And like I said, I grew up in Chicago. 0:01:22.086,0:01:24.602 I grew up in a rough, poor neighborhood, 0:01:24.602,0:01:25.782 but it didn't really matter to me as kid, 0:01:25.782,0:01:29.212 because I literally have the most[br]incredible family in the world. 0:01:29.212,0:01:30.825 Two things that I did struggle with a lot 0:01:30.825,0:01:32.713 growing up was one, 0:01:32.713,0:01:35.026 that my dad has been sick my whole life. 0:01:35.026,0:01:37.656 He suffers from Parkinson's[br]and pancreatitis, 0:01:37.656,0:01:41.063 and as a kid, it was so hard[br]for me to watch my hero 0:01:41.063,0:01:42.389 in so much pain. 0:01:42.389,0:01:45.251 And my other issue was with me. 0:01:45.251,0:01:47.615 I guess you could say[br]I had an identity crisis. 0:01:47.615,0:01:49.725 I had to move four times[br]during high school, 0:01:49.725,0:01:53.246 and my freshman year I went[br]to an extremely racist high school. 0:01:53.246,0:01:54.738 Kids were so cruel. 0:01:54.738,0:01:56.298 They gave us hate letters, 0:01:56.298,0:01:58.048 wrote terrible things on our lockers, 0:01:58.048,0:01:59.672 and because I'm biracial,[br]they would tell me, 0:01:59.672,0:02:02.313 "You can't be both. You have[br]to choose, black or white." 0:02:02.313,0:02:05.323 And in the end I just[br]resented being either. 0:02:05.323,0:02:07.369 And then all of a sudden,[br]my senior year rolls around, 2008, 0:02:07.369,0:02:10.557 and being mixed, being racially[br]ambiguous is this new cool fad, 0:02:10.557,0:02:12.625 like, "Oh, Natalie, now it's okay[br]for you to like you. You're pretty now." 0:02:12.625,0:02:14.718 I was over it. 0:02:14.718,0:02:17.347 I was really tired of caring[br]about what other people thought 0:02:17.347,0:02:19.294 and I just wanted to do whatever[br]I could do to hurry up, 0:02:19.294,0:02:21.744 go through my classes, whatever[br]school I was going to be at next, 0:02:21.744,0:02:23.616 and graduate. 0:02:23.616,0:02:25.688 It wasn't until I was 17 0:02:25.688,0:02:27.804 and I saw a film[br]called "Invisible Children" 0:02:27.804,0:02:30.856 that something happened. 0:02:30.856,0:02:33.013 Child soldiers, 0:02:33.013,0:02:35.258 children as young as my nephews 0:02:35.258,0:02:39.474 being abducted, given AK-47s,[br]and forced to kill, 0:02:39.474,0:02:42.205 not just anyone, but oftentimes[br]forced to kill their own parents, 0:02:42.205,0:02:44.196 their own siblings, 0:02:44.196,0:02:48.993 a rebel army committing mass murder[br]for no political or religious reason, 0:02:48.993,0:02:51.135 just because. 0:02:51.135,0:02:53.286 25 years. 0:02:53.286,0:02:55.973 25 years this conflict has been going on. 0:02:55.973,0:02:57.339 I'm 20 years old, 0:02:57.339,0:03:00.652 so that makes this conflict[br]five years older than me. 0:03:00.652,0:03:02.425 One man, 0:03:02.425,0:03:05.256 one man with one charismatic voice, 0:03:05.256,0:03:06.969 started this whole thing. 0:03:06.969,0:03:09.451 His name is Joseph Kony. 0:03:09.451,0:03:11.452 When I saw this film, something happened. 0:03:11.452,0:03:13.712 Something started kind of[br]stirring inside of me, 0:03:13.712,0:03:15.461 and I couldn't identify what it was. 0:03:15.461,0:03:16.975 I didn't know if it was rage, 0:03:16.975,0:03:20.181 if it was pity, if I felt guilty[br]because this was the first time 0:03:20.181,0:03:22.505 I'd heard about a 25-year long war. 0:03:22.505,0:03:24.244 I couldn't even give it a name. 0:03:24.244,0:03:27.215 All I knew is that it kicked me off my ass[br]and I started asking questions. 0:03:27.215,0:03:28.348 What do I do? 0:03:28.348,0:03:31.068 What can one 17-year old do? 0:03:31.068,0:03:32.925 You've got to give me something. 0:03:32.925,0:03:35.005 And they gave me something. 0:03:35.005,0:03:37.110 The founders and filmmakers[br]at Invisible Children told me 0:03:37.110,0:03:40.311 that there was this bill,[br]that if we could just get this bill passed 0:03:40.311,0:03:41.501 it would do two things: 0:03:41.501,0:03:43.532 one, it would apprehend Joseph Kony 0:03:43.532,0:03:45.288 and the top commanders in his rebel army, 0:03:45.288,0:03:48.302 and two, it would provide funding[br]for the recovery of these regions 0:03:48.302,0:03:51.000 that had been devastated[br]by 25 years of war. 0:03:51.000,0:03:52.129 And I was like, done. 0:03:52.129,0:03:52.909 Let me at it. 0:03:52.909,0:03:56.045 I swear I will do whatever I can[br]to make this happen. 0:03:56.045,0:04:00.244 So myself and 99 other idealistic[br]18 to 20 year olds 0:04:00.244,0:04:03.839 hopped on a plane to intern[br]in San Diego with Invisible Children. 0:04:03.839,0:04:07.385 I was postponing college.[br]We weren't getting paid for this, 0:04:07.385,0:04:10.358 and you could call it irresponsible[br]or crazy -- my parents did -- 0:04:10.358,0:04:14.377 but for us, it would have been[br]insane not to go. 0:04:14.377,0:04:16.976 We all felt this urgency, and we[br]would do whatever it took 0:04:16.976,0:04:20.105 to pass this bill. 0:04:20.105,0:04:21.765 So we were given our first task. 0:04:21.765,0:04:25.452 We were going to plan an event called[br]the Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers 0:04:25.452,0:04:28.756 where participants would come[br]in a hundred cities worldwide 0:04:28.756,0:04:30.476 and rally in their city center 0:04:30.476,0:04:32.391 until a celebrity or a political figure 0:04:32.391,0:04:35.404 came and used their voice[br]on behalf of these child soldiers, 0:04:35.404,0:04:37.912 and at that point each city was "rescued." 0:04:37.912,0:04:42.219 But the catch was, we weren't[br]leaving the cities until we were rescued. 0:04:42.219,0:04:44.293 I was given Chicago and nine other cities 0:04:44.293,0:04:46.986 and I told my bosses, I was like,[br]"If we're going for big name people, 0:04:46.986,0:04:48.012 why not go for the queen bee? Right? 0:04:48.012,0:04:52.153 Why not go for Oprah Winfrey?" 0:04:52.153,0:04:52.868 They thought I was a little idealistic, 0:04:52.868,0:04:54.375 but I mean, we were trying to think big. 0:04:54.375,0:04:56.163 We were doing an impossible thing, 0:04:56.163,0:04:58.799 so why not try to reach[br]more impossible things? 0:04:58.799,0:05:02.308 And so we had from January[br]to April to get this done. 0:05:02.308,0:05:05.693 This is the number of hours[br]that I spent on logistics, 0:05:05.693,0:05:07.827 from getting permits[br]to rallying participants 0:05:07.827,0:05:10.394 and finding venues. 0:05:10.394,0:05:13.136 This is the number of times[br]that I was rejected 0:05:13.136,0:05:18.290 by celebrities' agents[br]or politicians' secretaries. 0:05:18.290,0:05:21.794 That is amount of money that I spent[br]personally on Red Bull 0:05:21.794,0:05:23.549 and Diet Coke to stay awake[br]during this event. 0:05:23.549,0:05:25.540 (Laughter) 0:05:25.540,0:05:27.732 You can judge me if you want to. 0:05:27.732,0:05:30.313 That is my hospital bill[br]from the kidney infection I got 0:05:30.313,0:05:32.309 from an overconsumption of caffeine 0:05:32.309,0:05:33.878 due to this event. 0:05:33.878,0:05:34.851 (Laughter) 0:05:34.851,0:05:37.439 These were just some[br]of the ridiculous things that we did 0:05:37.439,0:05:38.981 to try and pull this event off. 0:05:38.981,0:05:41.336 And so April 21st rolls around,[br]and the event begins. 0:05:41.336,0:05:44.727 A hundred cities around the world.[br]They were beautiful. 0:05:44.727,0:05:48.132 Six days later, all the cities[br]were rescued but one: 0:05:48.132,0:05:49.631 Chicago. 0:05:49.631,0:05:52.100 So we were waiting in the city. 0:05:52.100,0:05:53.937 People started coming[br]from all over the world, 0:05:53.937,0:05:54.306 all over the country[br]to be reinforcements 0:05:54.306,0:05:57.196 and join their voice with ours, 0:05:57.196,0:05:58.944 and finally, on May 1, 0:05:58.944,0:06:00.896 we wrapped ourselves[br]around Oprah's studio, 0:06:00.896,0:06:02.889 and we got her attention. 0:06:02.889,0:06:05.437 This is a clip from a film[br]called "Together We Are Free" 0:06:05.437,0:06:10.029 documenting the rescue event[br]and my attempt to get Oprah. 0:06:10.029,0:06:12.604 (Video) Oprah Winfrey: First when[br]I drove into the office this morning, 0:06:12.604,0:06:14.097 there was a giant, when you all came in, 0:06:14.097,0:06:15.420 was there a group outside? 0:06:15.420,0:06:16.589 Crowd: Yes. 0:06:16.589,0:06:19.506 OW: Holding up signs asking[br]if I would talk to them 0:06:19.506,0:06:21.305 for just five minutes, 0:06:21.305,0:06:23.255 so I was happy to do so, 0:06:23.255,0:06:26.355 and they are with a group[br]called "Invisible Children," 0:06:26.355,0:06:28.307 and I told this group outside 0:06:28.307,0:06:31.585 that I'd give them a minute[br]to state their case. 0:06:31.585,0:06:34.276 Man: Oprah, thank you[br]so much for having us. 0:06:34.276,0:06:36.916 Basically, these folks out here 0:06:36.916,0:06:39.919 have seen the story of 30,000 children 0:06:39.919,0:06:43.933 abducted by a rebel leader[br]named Joseph Kony 0:06:43.933,0:06:47.097 and they're out here in solidarity, 0:06:47.097,0:06:47.771 and they have been out here 0:06:47.771,0:06:48.693 for six days. 0:06:48.693,0:06:51.579 This started 100,000 people worldwide. 0:06:51.579,0:06:54.076 Now it's down to 500 standing strong 0:06:54.076,0:06:57.019 so that you can raise[br]the profile of this issue 0:06:57.019,0:06:59.196 and we can end the longest[br]running war in Africa 0:06:59.196,0:07:01.288 and rescue those kids 0:07:01.288,0:07:03.579 that are child soldiers[br]still in east Africa. 0:07:03.579,0:07:06.360 Oprah, I have to say this girl Natalie here, 0:07:06.360,0:07:07.421 she's 18 years old. 0:07:07.421,0:07:09.177 She was an intern for us this year, 0:07:09.177,0:07:10.044 and she said, 0:07:10.044,0:07:12.004 "My one goal is to get Oprah." 0:07:12.004,0:07:14.646 She had 2,000 people come out on Saturday, 0:07:14.646,0:07:15.784 but it rained. 0:07:15.784,0:07:18.440 She stood here in the rain with 50 people. 0:07:18.440,0:07:20.007 When they heard she was here, 0:07:20.007,0:07:21.292 hundreds started coming. 0:07:21.292,0:07:23.435 People are here from Mexico, Australia. 0:07:23.435,0:07:24.697 Natalie's 18. 0:07:24.697,0:07:26.278 Don't think you're too young. 0:07:26.278,0:07:28.232 You can change the world any day. 0:07:28.232,0:07:29.149 Start now. 0:07:29.149,0:07:30.161 Start today. 0:07:30.161,0:07:33.078 (Cheers) 0:07:36.390,0:07:37.614 Man: Was it worth it? 0:07:37.614,0:07:40.000 Crowd: Yeah! 0:07:42.397,0:07:48.700 Crowd: Natalie! Natalie! Natalie! 0:07:51.218,0:07:59.092 (Music) 0:07:59.092,0:08:04.434 (Applause) 0:08:04.434,0:08:07.473 So you would think that this[br]is the moment in my life, 0:08:07.473,0:08:10.849 the pinnacle that[br]made me an extraordinary. 0:08:10.849,0:08:12.491 And it was an awesome moment. 0:08:12.491,0:08:13.762 I mean, I was on top of the world. 0:08:13.762,0:08:16.760 Ten million people watched[br]the Oprah Winfrey Show. 0:08:16.760,0:08:18.323 But looking back, that wasn't it. 0:08:18.323,0:08:19.393 Don't get me wrong. 0:08:19.393,0:08:20.664 Like I said, it was great moment. 0:08:20.664,0:08:25.235 It made for a heck of a profile picture[br]on Facebook for a week, but -- 0:08:25.235,0:08:26.070 (Laughter) -- 0:08:26.070,0:08:27.940 but I had been extraordinary all along, 0:08:27.940,0:08:29.533 and I wasn't alone. 0:08:29.533,0:08:32.186 You see, even though my story[br]was featured in this film, 0:08:32.186,0:08:33.728 I was just one of a hundred interns 0:08:33.728,0:08:37.278 who worked their tails off[br]to make this happen. 0:08:37.278,0:08:38.944 I'm up in the air, 0:08:38.944,0:08:40.754 but the guy that I'm sitting[br]on his shoulders, 0:08:40.754,0:08:41.922 he's my best friend. 0:08:41.922,0:08:45.635 His name is Johannes Oberman, and Johannes[br]worked with me from day one in Chicago, 0:08:45.635,0:08:47.078 just as long hours, 0:08:47.078,0:08:49.439 just as many sleepless nights as I did. 0:08:49.439,0:08:52.823 The girl on the right,[br]her name's Bethany Bylsma. 0:08:52.823,0:08:55.018 Bethany planned New York City and Boston 0:08:55.018,0:08:58.909 and they were seriously the most[br]beautiful events that we held. 0:08:58.909,0:09:00.344 The girl on the left, her name's Colleen. 0:09:00.344,0:09:02.948 Colleen moved to Mexico, 0:09:02.948,0:09:04.538 moved, for three months 0:09:04.538,0:09:06.063 to plan five events there, 0:09:06.063,0:09:08.485 only to be kicked out[br]the day before the events 0:09:08.485,0:09:10.430 because of the swine flu. 0:09:10.430,0:09:13.352 And then there was this family. 0:09:13.352,0:09:15.304 This family, they didn't[br]get to come to the rescue. 0:09:15.304,0:09:16.286 They couldn't make it out, 0:09:16.286,0:09:19.238 but they ordered a hundred[br]boxes of pizza for us, 0:09:19.238,0:09:22.181 delivered them to the corner[br]of Michigan and Randolph 0:09:22.181,0:09:24.378 where we were all silently protesting. 0:09:24.378,0:09:26.864 You see, it was people like this[br]doing whatever they could, 0:09:26.864,0:09:29.408 simultaneously, single-mindedly, 0:09:29.408,0:09:31.582 without a care to who was watching, 0:09:31.582,0:09:33.034 that made this happen. 0:09:33.034,0:09:35.147 It wasn't about us getting on Oprah, 0:09:35.147,0:09:36.821 because when I got down[br]from their shoulders, 0:09:36.821,0:09:38.338 the war hadn't ended. 0:09:38.338,0:09:39.763 It was about that bill. 0:09:39.763,0:09:41.756 Oprah was just a checkpoint[br]on the way to that bill. 0:09:41.756,0:09:43.056 That bill was the point. 0:09:43.056,0:09:45.918 That bill is what we had[br]our eyes set on from day one. 0:09:45.918,0:09:48.267 That was going to help us[br]end Africa's longest-running war. 0:09:48.267,0:09:51.270 And that is what brought[br]a hundred thousand people 0:09:51.270,0:09:54.343 out to the rescue event[br]from around the world. 0:09:54.343,0:09:57.142 And it paid off: 0:09:57.142,0:09:59.362 10 days after we were on Oprah, 0:09:59.362,0:10:02.973 the bill was introduced into Congress. 0:10:02.973,0:10:04.394 A year after that, 0:10:04.394,0:10:06.480 it got unanimously, 0:10:06.480,0:10:10.117 267 cosponsors in Congress, 0:10:10.117,0:10:11.695 and then one week after that, 0:10:11.695,0:10:17.304 President Obama signed[br]our bill into law. 0:10:17.304,0:10:20.258 (Applause) 0:10:23.148,0:10:25.387 And none of us, none of us[br]interns got to be there. 0:10:25.387,0:10:26.859 We didn't get to be there in this moment. 0:10:26.859,0:10:27.886 Our founders were there. 0:10:27.886,0:10:30.199 They're the guys cheesing[br]in the background. 0:10:30.199,0:10:35.020 But that moment right there[br]is what made all of it worth it. 0:10:35.020,0:10:39.335 It's what a hundred thousand[br]anonymous extraordinaries worked for 0:10:39.335,0:10:41.237 so hard to make that happen. 0:10:42.600,0:10:44.004 You know, the Oprah moments, 0:10:44.004,0:10:47.174 they prove that the supposedly[br]impossible can be done. 0:10:47.174,0:10:49.196 They inspire us.[br]They boost our confidence. 0:10:49.196,0:10:51.562 But the moment isn't a movement. 0:10:51.562,0:10:55.198 Even a lot of those moments[br]strung together don't fuel a moment. 0:10:55.198,0:10:59.358 What fuels a movement are[br]the anonymous extraordinaries behind it. 0:10:59.358,0:11:01.517 You know, for me, what kept me[br]pushing on through the rescue 0:11:01.517,0:11:02.893 was the thought of those child soldiers. 0:11:02.893,0:11:04.063 It became personal. 0:11:04.063,0:11:05.576 I was able to go to Africa at one point. 0:11:05.576,0:11:07.542 I met these incredible people. 0:11:07.542,0:11:11.436 I have friends that have been[br]living in this conflict their entire life, 0:11:11.436,0:11:13.243 and it was personal to me. 0:11:13.243,0:11:15.944 But that doesn't have to be[br]what drives you. 0:11:15.944,0:11:18.513 You know, you may want[br]to be the next Shepard Fairey 0:11:18.513,0:11:21.036 or the next J.K. Rowling 0:11:21.036,0:11:22.826 or the next whoever. 0:11:22.826,0:11:24.971 It doesn't matter, but whatever you want, 0:11:24.971,0:11:27.411 chase after it with[br]everything that you have, 0:11:27.411,0:11:29.130 not because of the fame or the fortune, 0:11:29.130,0:11:31.152 but solely because that's[br]what you believe in, 0:11:31.152,0:11:32.867 because that's what makes your heart sing. 0:11:32.867,0:11:35.562 That's what your dance is. 0:11:35.562,0:11:39.103 That's what is going[br]to define our generation, 0:11:39.103,0:11:41.820 when we start chasing and fighting[br]after the things that we love 0:11:41.820,0:11:43.398 and that we want to fight for. 0:11:43.398,0:11:46.146 I cared too much in high school[br]about what people thought about me. 0:11:46.146,0:11:48.216 That's what so awesome[br]about this conference, 0:11:48.216,0:11:49.079 is so many of you are so young. 0:11:49.079,0:11:53.742 Find that thing that inspires you[br]that you love and just chase after it. 0:11:53.742,0:11:54.835 You know, fight for that, 0:11:54.835,0:11:56.419 because that is what[br]is going to change this world, 0:11:56.419,0:11:59.224 and that is what defines us. 0:11:59.224,0:12:00.772 Despite what people think, 0:12:00.772,0:12:01.644 my Oprah moments, 0:12:01.644,0:12:04.186 my being on TED, doesn't define me, 0:12:04.186,0:12:05.920 because if you were[br]to follow me home to LA, 0:12:05.920,0:12:07.504 you would see me waiting tables 0:12:07.504,0:12:10.601 and nannying to pay the bills[br]after I chase after my dream 0:12:10.601,0:12:12.475 of becoming a filmmaker. 0:12:12.475,0:12:15.187 In the small, anonymous, monotonous 0:12:15.187,0:12:17.309 every single day acts, 0:12:17.309,0:12:21.094 I have to remind myself[br]to be extraordinary. 0:12:21.094,0:12:24.751 And believe me, when the door[br]is closed and the cameras are off, 0:12:24.751,0:12:26.350 it's tough. 0:12:26.350,0:12:28.557 But if there's one thing[br]that I want to drive home to you, 0:12:28.557,0:12:31.273 one thing that I can say,[br]not just to you but to myself, 0:12:31.273,0:12:34.318 is that it is the acts[br]that make us extraordinary, 0:12:34.318,0:12:35.825 not the Oprah moments. 0:12:35.825,0:12:36.375 Thank you.