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This article is based on a speech given by the author in Reddit's /r/SpeakersR4Hire. "I hope you can hear me even if it's not your strong point," said the speaker, who came to North America from England, "because I really want to reach your hearts and minds." He continued his speech offering examples of well executed marketing that had successfully reached both his heart and mind. The following points were made in the speech: why race was important for business; how diversity can affect growth; how obesity rates are affected by racial demographics; what racial images say about society; how sports teams market themselves through race; and finally, the phrase "the man must go hand in hand with progress. The audience numbered in the hundreds. It was a standing room only crowd. People were up on their feet, shouting back at the speaker. Speakers at TED had never gathered in this way before; it was awesome to see these people getting so excited. The room cheered when he finished—it was like watching an audience's reaction to sports when it's winning. I felt that these people had just watched an awesome sports game, and then learned how they could apply that knowledge to business success. The TED Talk was my first exposure to these people, the audience members. I became excited about their idea of sharing knowledge with others, and my curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Another thought stuck with me, though. It was the "Man must go hand in hand with progress." I had heard this before; they were talking about making cities better places to live. I immediately wondered why "progress" had to be paired with "men. ” As a black man, I was not included in this "progressive" movement. It left me feeling invisible. This is why I became disappointed with TED talks. The allure of the popular speaker is what led me to follow them throughout my own journey as a speaker, but their lack of diversity has disillusioned me. The influence of the speaker's popularity easily outweighs their intentions for inclusion. People are attracted to these speakers because everyone else is listening to them—everyone, that is, except for under-represented groups like people of color and women. When the taboo topic of race comes up in these talks, it's usually done in a way that's both dismissive and belittling. It's so easy to tell people they're wrong about their thoughts on race, which only reinforces the fact that TED talks are not meant for me. TED talks play into the popular notion that black people should just keep their mouths shut and work hard, instead of speaking out against inequality. It's one thing to give a person a platform because you believe they have something important to share about how business affects them personally. It's another thing completely to give someone a platform simply because they are popular—which is exactly what TED does by inviting these speakers in the first place. I've seen time and again how using social media boosts popularity, but there are other ways to do it if you really believe in diversity. cfa1e77820
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