The most powerful woman you've never heard of
-
0:01 - 0:04T. Morgan Dixon: I would like to tell you
about the most powerful woman -
0:04 - 0:06you've never heard of.
-
0:07 - 0:09This is Septima Clark.
-
0:09 - 0:11Remember her name: Septima Clark.
-
0:11 - 0:15Dr. King called her the "the architect
of the civil rights movement," -
0:15 - 0:17because she created something
called Citizenship Schools. -
0:17 - 0:21And in those schools, she taught
ordinary women the practical skills -
0:21 - 0:24to go back into their communities
and teach people to read. -
0:24 - 0:26Because if they could read,
-
0:26 - 0:27they could vote.
-
0:27 - 0:30Well, these women took
those organizing skills, -
0:30 - 0:33and they became some of the most
legendary civil rights activists -
0:33 - 0:34this country has ever seen.
-
0:35 - 0:36Women like Diane Nash.
-
0:37 - 0:38You may know her.
-
0:38 - 0:42She orchestrated the entire walk
from Selma to Montgomery. -
0:42 - 0:45She was a cofounder of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, -
0:45 - 0:47and they integrated lunch counters,
-
0:47 - 0:49and they created the Freedom Rides.
-
0:49 - 0:51Or you may remember Fannie Lou Hamer,
-
0:51 - 0:54who sat on the floor
of the Democratic National Convention -
0:54 - 0:56and talked about
being beaten in jail cells -
0:56 - 0:59as she registered people
to vote in Mississippi. -
0:59 - 1:01And her most famous student,
-
1:01 - 1:02Rosa Parks.
-
1:02 - 1:05She said Septima Clark
was the one who taught her -
1:05 - 1:07the peaceful act of resistance.
-
1:07 - 1:08And when she sat down,
-
1:08 - 1:11she inspired a nation to stand.
-
1:12 - 1:15These were just three
of her 10,000 students. -
1:15 - 1:18These women stood
on the front lines of change, -
1:18 - 1:19and by doing so,
-
1:19 - 1:22they taught people to read
in her Citizenship School model -
1:23 - 1:27and empowered 700,000 new voters.
-
1:27 - 1:28And that's not it.
-
1:28 - 1:31She created a new culture
of social activism. -
1:32 - 1:35Pete Seeger said it was Septima Clark
who changed the lyrics -
1:35 - 1:37to the old gospel song
-
1:37 - 1:39and made the anthem we all know:
-
1:39 - 1:40"We Shall Overcome."
-
1:41 - 1:44Vanessa Garrison: Now,
many of you may know us. -
1:44 - 1:46We are the cofounders of GirlTrek,
-
1:46 - 1:50the largest health organization
for Black women in America. -
1:50 - 1:52Our mission is simple:
-
1:52 - 1:54ask Black women,
-
1:55 - 1:5880 percent of whom are over
a healthy body weight, -
1:58 - 2:01to walk outside
of their front door every day -
2:01 - 2:05to establish a lifesaving
habit of walking; -
2:06 - 2:09in doing so, ignite a radical movement
-
2:09 - 2:13in which Black women reverse
the devastating impacts -
2:13 - 2:14of chronic disease,
-
2:14 - 2:16reclaim the streets
of their neighborhoods, -
2:16 - 2:19create a new culture
of health for their families -
2:19 - 2:22and stand on the front lines for justice.
-
2:22 - 2:25Today, all across America,
-
2:25 - 2:30more than 100,000 Black women
are wearing this GirlTrek blue shirt -
2:30 - 2:33as they move through their communities --
-
2:33 - 2:34a heroic force.
-
2:35 - 2:38We walk in the footsteps of Septima Clark.
-
2:38 - 2:42She gave us a blueprint for change-making.
-
2:43 - 2:46One, to have a bold idea,
-
2:46 - 2:48bigger than anyone is comfortable with.
-
2:48 - 2:52To two: root down in the cultural
traditions of your community -
2:52 - 2:55and lean heavily on what has come before.
-
2:55 - 2:58To three: name it --
-
2:58 - 3:01that one thing that everyone
is willing to work hard for; -
3:01 - 3:07a ridiculously simple goal
that doesn't just benefit the individual -
3:07 - 3:08but the village around them.
-
3:10 - 3:11And to, lastly:
-
3:13 - 3:15never ask permission
to save your own life. -
3:16 - 3:20It is our fundamental right
as human beings -
3:20 - 3:23to solve our own problems.
-
3:26 - 3:30TMD: So to the women all out there
gathered in your living rooms, -
3:30 - 3:33rooting for us, acting crazy
on social media right now -- -
3:33 - 3:34we see you.
-
3:34 - 3:35(Laughter)
-
3:35 - 3:37We see you every day. We love you.
-
3:37 - 3:39You are not alone,
-
3:39 - 3:42and our bigger work starts now.
-
3:42 - 3:44VG: You got us onto this stage --
-
3:44 - 3:46your leadership;
-
3:46 - 3:48auditing blighted streets in Detroit;
-
3:48 - 3:52working with hospitals
and health care systems in Harlem; -
3:52 - 3:57praying over the streets of Sacramento,
Charlotte, Brooklyn, Flint -
3:57 - 4:00and every community that has seen trauma;
-
4:00 - 4:03changing traffic patterns,
making your streets safer; -
4:03 - 4:04and most importantly,
-
4:04 - 4:07standing as role models.
-
4:07 - 4:11And it all started with
your commitment to start walking, -
4:11 - 4:14your agreement to organize
your friends and family -
4:14 - 4:16and your belief in our broader mission.
-
4:17 - 4:20TMD: It's important to me
that everyone in this room understands -
4:20 - 4:22exactly how change-making
works in GirlTrek. -
4:22 - 4:27One well-trained organizer has the power
to change the behavior -
4:27 - 4:28of 100 of her friends.
-
4:28 - 4:29We know that is true,
-
4:29 - 4:32because the [1,000] women
blowing up social media right now -
4:32 - 4:38have already inspired
over 100,000 women to walk. -
4:39 - 4:43(Applause)
-
4:44 - 4:46But that is not nearly enough.
-
4:47 - 4:51And so our goal
is to create critical mass. -
4:51 - 4:53And in order to do that,
-
4:53 - 4:57we have an audacious plan
to scale our intervention. -
4:58 - 5:00A thousand organizers is not enough.
-
5:00 - 5:04GirlTrek is going to create
the next Citizenship School. -
5:04 - 5:10And in doing so, we will train
10,000 frontline health activists -
5:10 - 5:13and deploy them into the highest-need
communities in America. -
5:13 - 5:15Because when we do,
we will disrupt disease; -
5:15 - 5:17we will create a new culture of health.
-
5:17 - 5:19And what we will do is create
a support system -
5:19 - 5:22for one million Black women
to walk to save their own lives. -
5:23 - 5:27(Applause)
-
5:29 - 5:32And our training is unparalleled.
-
5:33 - 5:34I just want you to imagine.
-
5:34 - 5:36It's like a revival, tent-like festival,
-
5:36 - 5:39not unlike the civil rights
movement teach-ins. -
5:39 - 5:42And we're going to go
all across the country. -
5:42 - 5:44It is the biggest announcement this week:
-
5:44 - 5:47Vanessa and I and a team
of masterful teachers, -
5:47 - 5:50all to culminate next year,
-
5:50 - 5:51on sacred ground,
-
5:51 - 5:53in Selma, Alabama,
-
5:53 - 5:59to create a new annual tradition
that we are calling "Summer of Selma." -
5:59 - 6:02VG: Summer of Selma will be
an annual pilgrimage -
6:02 - 6:04that will include a walk --
-
6:04 - 6:0654 miles,
-
6:06 - 6:09the sacred route from Selma to Montgomery.
-
6:09 - 6:11It will also include rigorous training.
-
6:11 - 6:13Picture it,
-
6:13 - 6:17as women come to learn organizing
and recruitment strategies, -
6:17 - 6:19to study exercise science,
-
6:19 - 6:20to take nutrition classes,
-
6:20 - 6:22to learn storytelling,
-
6:22 - 6:25to become certified
as outdoor trip leaders -
6:25 - 6:28and community advocates.
-
6:28 - 6:30TMD: This is going to be unprecedented.
-
6:30 - 6:33It's going to be a moment in time
like a cultural institution, -
6:33 - 6:34and in fact,
-
6:34 - 6:37it's going to be the Woodstock
of Black Girl Healing. -
6:37 - 6:39(Laughter)
-
6:39 - 6:42(Applause)
-
6:43 - 6:44VG: And the need --
-
6:46 - 6:47it's more urgent than ever.
-
6:49 - 6:53We are losing our communities'
greatest resource. -
6:55 - 6:58Black women are dying in plain sight.
-
6:59 - 7:02And not only is no one talking about it,
-
7:03 - 7:05but we refuse to acknowledge
-
7:05 - 7:09that the source of this crisis
is rooted in the same injustice -
7:09 - 7:13that first propelled
the civil rights movement. -
7:13 - 7:17On December 30 of 2017,
-
7:18 - 7:19Erica Garner,
-
7:20 - 7:22the daughter of Eric Garner,
-
7:22 - 7:25a Black man who died
on the streets of New York -
7:25 - 7:27from a police choke hold,
-
7:27 - 7:29passed away of a heart attack.
-
7:30 - 7:33Erica was just 27 years old,
-
7:33 - 7:35the mother of two children.
-
7:35 - 7:39She would be one of 137
Black women that day -- -
7:40 - 7:42more than 50,000 in the last year --
-
7:42 - 7:44to die from a heart-related issue,
-
7:45 - 7:48many of their hearts broken from trauma.
-
7:49 - 7:54The impacts of stress on Black women
-
7:54 - 7:58who send their children and spouses
out the door each day, -
7:58 - 8:01unsure if they will come home alive;
-
8:01 - 8:08who work jobs where they are paid 63 cents
to every dollar paid to white men; -
8:08 - 8:11who live in communities
with crumbling infrastructure -
8:11 - 8:14with no access
to fresh fruits or vegetables; -
8:14 - 8:18with little to no walkable
or green spaces -- -
8:19 - 8:23the impact of this inequality
is killing Black women -
8:23 - 8:28at higher and faster rates
than any other group in the country. -
8:28 - 8:30But that is about to change.
-
8:30 - 8:31It has to.
-
8:36 - 8:37TMD: So let me tell you a story.
-
8:38 - 8:40About three weeks ago --
-
8:40 - 8:42many of you may have watched --
-
8:42 - 8:45Vanessa and I and a team
of 10 women walked 100 miles -
8:45 - 8:47on the actual Underground Railroad.
-
8:48 - 8:49We did it in five days --
-
8:49 - 8:52five long and beautiful days.
-
8:52 - 8:53And the world watched.
-
8:54 - 8:56Three million people
watched the live stream. -
8:56 - 8:59Some of you in here,
the influencers, shared the story. -
8:59 - 9:02Urban Radio blasted it across the country.
-
9:02 - 9:05VG: Even the E! News channel interrupted
a story about the Kardashians -- -
9:05 - 9:08which, if you asked us,
is just a little bit of justice -- -
9:08 - 9:09(Laughter)
-
9:09 - 9:13to report that GirlTrek had made it safely
on our hundred-mile journey. -
9:13 - 9:18(Applause)
-
9:20 - 9:22TMD: People were rooting for us.
-
9:22 - 9:27And they were rooting for us because
in this time of confusion and contention, -
9:27 - 9:31this journey allowed us all to reflect
on what it meant to be American. -
9:33 - 9:35We saw America up close
and personal as we walked. -
9:35 - 9:38We walked through historic towns,
-
9:38 - 9:39through dense forest,
-
9:39 - 9:42past former plantations.
-
9:42 - 9:43And one day,
-
9:44 - 9:47we walked into a gas station
that was also a café, -
9:47 - 9:49and it was filled with men.
-
9:49 - 9:52They were wearing camo
and had hunting supplies. -
9:52 - 9:56And out front were all of their trucks,
and one had a Confederate flag. -
9:56 - 9:57And so we left the establishment.
-
9:57 - 10:00And as we were walking along
this narrow strip of road, -
10:00 - 10:04a few of the trucks reared by us so close,
-
10:05 - 10:08and out of their tailpipe
was the specter of mob violence. -
10:09 - 10:10It was unnerving.
-
10:11 - 10:13But then it happened.
-
10:13 - 10:16Right on the border
of Maryland and Delaware, -
10:17 - 10:19we saw a man standing by his truck.
-
10:19 - 10:20The tailgate was down.
-
10:20 - 10:22He had on a brown jacket.
-
10:22 - 10:24He was standing there awkwardly.
-
10:24 - 10:26The first two girls in our group,
Jewel and Sandria, -
10:26 - 10:28they walked by because
he looked suspicious. -
10:28 - 10:29(Laughter)
-
10:29 - 10:32But the bigger group, we stopped
to give him a chance. -
10:32 - 10:34And he walked up to us and he said,
-
10:34 - 10:35"Hi, my name is Jake Green.
-
10:36 - 10:38I heard you on Christian
radio this morning, -
10:38 - 10:40and God told me to bring you supplies."
-
10:42 - 10:44He brought us water,
-
10:44 - 10:45he brought us granola,
-
10:45 - 10:46and he brought us tissue.
-
10:47 - 10:50And we needed tissue because
we had just walked through a nor'easter; -
10:50 - 10:53it was 29 degrees,
it was sleeting on our faces. -
10:53 - 10:57Our sneakers and our socks were frozen
and wet and frozen again. -
10:57 - 11:01We needed that tissue more
than he could have possibly understood. -
11:01 - 11:03So on that day, in that moment,
-
11:03 - 11:07Jake Green renewed
my faith in God for sure, -
11:07 - 11:09but he renewed my faith in humanity.
-
11:10 - 11:12We have a choice to make.
-
11:14 - 11:19In America, we can fall further
into the darkness of discord, or not. -
11:19 - 11:20And I am here to tell you
-
11:20 - 11:23that the women of GirlTrek
are walking through the streets -
11:23 - 11:25with a light that cannot be extinguished.
-
11:25 - 11:28VG: They are also walking
through the streets with a mission -
11:28 - 11:33as clear and as powerful
as the women who marched in Montgomery: -
11:33 - 11:35that disease stops here,
-
11:35 - 11:37that trauma stops here.
-
11:39 - 11:41And with your support
-
11:41 - 11:43and in our ancestors' footsteps,
-
11:43 - 11:49these 10,000 newly trained activists
will launch the largest health revolution -
11:49 - 11:51this country has ever seen.
-
11:52 - 11:57And they will return to their communities
and model the best of human flourishing. -
11:58 - 11:59And we --
-
11:59 - 12:01we will all celebrate.
-
12:01 - 12:04Because like Jake Green understood,
-
12:04 - 12:06our fates are intertwined.
-
12:07 - 12:09Septima Clark once said,
-
12:11 - 12:15"The air has finally gotten to a place
where we can breathe it together." -
12:16 - 12:17And yet,
-
12:18 - 12:24the haunting last words of Eric Garner
were: "I can't breathe." -
12:25 - 12:28And his daughter Erica
died at 27 years old, -
12:28 - 12:31still seeking justice.
-
12:31 - 12:32So we --
-
12:32 - 12:35we're going to keep doing Septima's work
-
12:35 - 12:37until her words become reality,
-
12:38 - 12:42until Black women are no longer dying,
-
12:44 - 12:47until we can all breathe the air together.
-
12:48 - 12:49Thank you.
-
12:49 - 12:54(Applause)
- Title:
- The most powerful woman you've never heard of
- Speaker:
- T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison
- Description:
-
Everyone's heard of Martin Luther King Jr. But do you know the woman Dr. King called "the architect of the civil rights movement," Septima Clark? The teacher of some of the generation's most legendary activists -- like Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands more -- Clark laid out a blueprint for change-making that has stood the test of time. Now T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the cofounders of GirlTrek, are taking a page from Clark's playbook to launch a health revolution in the US -- and get one million women walking for justice. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 13:17
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for The most powerful woman you've never heard of |