 For a crime he committed in his early twenties, the courts sentenced Marlon Peterson to 10 years in prison -- and, as he says, a lifetime of irrelevance. While behind bars, Peterson found redemption through a penpal mentorship program with students from Brooklyn. In this brave talk, he reminds us why we should invest in the humanity of those people society would like to disregard and discard. Watch »  Everyone gets sick sometimes -- but not everyone has access to health care. Raj Panjabi has a bold vision to bring health care to everyone, everywhere. In this talk, he makes his wish for the 2017 TED Prize: the Community Health Academy, a global platform to train local community members to be health workers (creating jobs along the way). Watch » |  Rhiannon Giddens pours the emotional weight of American history into her music. Listen as she performs two traditional folk ballads, "Waterboy" and "Up Above My Head," and one glorious original song, "Come Love Come," inspired by Civil War-era slave narratives. Watch »  When Michael Bierut was tapped to design a logo for public school libraries, he had no idea it was the start of a years-long passion project. In this funny, visual talk, he recalls his obsessive quest to bring energy, learning, art and graphics into these magical spaces, and help school librarians inspire new generations of readers. Watch » | |
