Rising from the Mud: Debra Barksdale at TEDxUNC

UNC Associate Professor Dr. Debra Barksdale researches stress and cardiovascular disease in Black Americans. Her talk "Rising from the Mud" described the African Sankofa bird, teaching us how to look back at our past: "san" to look, "ko" to seek and "fa" to take. Dr. Barksdale told the story of a tshirt given to her by a former teacher, which read in Latin, "Dux Femina Facti"- a woman was the leader- a phrase that has inspired Dr. Barsdale's life. She closed with the quote, "Even if you are from the mud, find the inspiration and the direction that you need from life. It's OK to look back, it's OK take. But ultimately give back to the next generation. Pull someone out of the mud. Sankofa."

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)