TEDxBirmingham speakers to explore the ‘Before & After’ of big moments

We’ve all experienced events or moments that changed our lives.

TEDxBirmingham will explore such moments when it hosts its fifth annual large conference, with the theme of “Before & After,” at the Alys Stephens Center at UAB, Sat., March 24, 10 a.m-6 p.m.

The 15 speakers at the conference will talk about defining moments they experienced that led them to big ideas worth spreading.

Organizers wanted “to look at what happens during a transformation period,” said Mandi Coker, TEDxBirmingham director of branding and marketing. “What was that person, organization, community like before, what sparked the transformation and what’s life like after? What have they learned that they can share?”

Speakers will include industrial designer Lloyd Cooper, immigration advocate Oscar Garcia and writer Javacia Harris Bowser.

“We hope our theme and speakers’ talks inspire and encourage everyone to take an active role in shaping our community and make a positive impact on their lives and the lives of those around them,” Coker said.

Co-organizer Matthew Hamilton said he believes strongly that the TEDxBirmingham conferences, which began in 2014, have made such a positive impact on the city, though that impact is difficult to quantify.

“This is also one of the hardest things to do -- to collect all the stories of the ways the event touched people’s lives, which sometimes happens weeks or months afterwards and people don’t always think to tell us about,” Hamilton said.

Two recent conference speakers -- Lindy Cleveland of Unless-U and Anne Wright Rygiel of Firehouse Shelter -- made “amazing connections that helped amplify the impact and resources of their nonprofits,” Hamilton said.

And there have been other moving, dramatic examples, according to Hamilton.

“A 2017 participant donated a kidney to a stranger after hearing a talk from Jayme Locke of UAB Medicine,” he said.

TEDxBirmingham is affiliated with the nonprofit TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design).

To order tickets, which are $100, or see a list of speakers, go to tedxbirmingham.org.

The event will be streamed live at livestream.com/tedx/tedxbirmingham2018