On Friday morning Seibert walked on stage at the Victoria Theatre to address 1,200 citizens, urging them to reach out to the human being behind the badge and “connect with a cop.” Her talk brought tears and a standing ovation.
After three years, the TedXDayton crowd knew what to expect: a variety of inspirational talks and artistic performances designed to generate “Ideas Worth Spreading” and the chance to meet and interact with lots of new people. This year topics ranged from the importance of clean water to the challenge of using our differences to make a difference. Speakers ranged from a hospice nurse to a filmmaker and from a research psychologist to a member of a comedic drag troupe. Harriet Kamakil Brown, who moved to Dayton 10 years ago, shared a personal journey which began in Kibera, Kenya, one of the world’s largest slums. What saved her, said Brown, who is planning to attend law school, was the encouragement she received from her community. “The children in your community,” she told the crowd, “are listening to the messages you send them everyday.”
Lisa Henderson of Springboro said TedxDayton was a good way to get outside her her comfort zone and think outside the box.
The afternoon ended with a talk by United State Marine Corps veteran Matthew Purkey. “When you say ‘thank you for your service, it makes us feel as if our service is done,” he said. He believes that those who joined the military should be retrained when they return to their communities so they can continue to serve in new ways.
Megan Anderson of Washington Twp. gave her mother a ticket to TEDxDayton as a birthday gift.
An operations manager at PayPal, Anderson watches a TED talk every morning before she goes to work.
“TED has helped me to be more optimistic, more creative — both in my career and in my personal life,” she said. “It’s so easy to be negative and to worry about things that aren’t going right. But TED talks always inspire me to be true to myself and look at the world through a fresh set of eyes every morning.”
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