Q&A with TEDxPasadenaWomen RISE speaker Carri Twigg

Tell us about who you are, where you’re from, what you do, and what makes you tick.

I was born and raised in Ohio, and from a young age I was obsessed with politics.  Now I work at the intersection of culture and politics.

What is something people might be surprised to know about you?

That I don’t usually bring up politics in conversations! but because of where I’ve worked, most people bring it up with me.

What inspired you to give a talk at TEDxPasadena Women RISE?

I was inspired to give the talk because i thought it was necessary, and I had something unique to say about the topic.  Race continues to be a topic that Americans struggle to have conversations about, but we will never solve it until we do.

Tell us about your talk for TEDxPasadena Women RISE.

I spoke about how we can all undo the biases that we all have, and how unlearning those biases will make us better people, community members and Americans.

What was your process like in preparing your speech for the big event? How did you choose what you wanted to share with the audience?

Just lots of practice and revision!  I had good friends that helped me work it all through!

What did you want viewers/listeners to walk away with after hearing what you had to say?

That we, together, can only solve our problems if we recognize them.  We are all in the same boat, we all have work to do.

What is a TED/TEDx Talk everyone should listen to and why? (Please provide a link to the talk!)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Dangers of a Single Story

After having given a talk for TEDxPasadena Women, what project(s)/goal(s)/plan(s) do you have up next?

A book!