Between the Pages – The Power of Connection
I gave a talk at the Nottingham TedX event in May. I shared the YouTube link to my followers on social media a few days ago, and it was so lovely to hear from friends and colleagues who took the time to read it and wanted to know all about it.
It felts like a big deal, so today’s blog is all about my first Ted experience.
Now that it’s over, I can say that I loved it. At the time, it felt unusually nerve-wrecking. I’m not usually nervous, I love a chat, and am comfortable jabbering on in front of people. But this felt different. It was important to me, and to my friends and colleagues who were also speaking at the event, and organising it too. I wanted to do the city proud, to represent my place of work, and to meet the brief of making people think differently – Ted describes itself as showcasing “ideas worth spreading” – and it felt like a demanding challenge!
Why was it so hard?
I decided to share the most recent chapter of my personal story – that of becoming an active anti-racist. It’s something that means a huge amount to me. It’s enabled me to engage with my mixed-race identity in a deeper and more meaningful way and it’s allowed me to give something back to a world that needs some positive change.
It was personal. That made it hard. I love talking, but I’ve never been very comfortable talking about myself. My family and friends were in the audience – so it was personal to them too – that felt like something I needed to treat with the utmost respect.
Why was it so easy?
Despite all this, I was delighted to have the opportunity to go it. I was always going to say yes! All the things that made it hard, also made it easy in a way.
My talk was authentic. It was truthful and real.
Yes it was personal to me, but these last few years I’ve chosen to take up more space in the world with my personal views. By writing a blog, sharing my anti-racist journey publicly, supporting a literary charity, working in Diversity and Inclusion, I’ve moved well and truly out of my comfort zone. So I’m used to doing new things nowadays!
Importantly, I’m not doing all these new and challenging things for my own benefit, I’m doing them to support others and to drive positive change. That knowledge made things easier too.
I stood alongside supportive speakers who all believe in what they’re saying, and in me. Some of the people I love and admire most in the world were there in the audience cheering me on. It lifted me up despite the nerves.
So what was it all about?
In a nutshell, I spoke about my love for books. But the content wasn’t as simple as “I love books”. I wanted to inspire people to think differently about the things they connect with. For me, finding a new way to connect with what I read, unlocked a brand new way of understanding of the world around me. That understanding inspired me to take action to make it a more equal place. For others, they might connect with art, films, documentaries……the principles are the same. I believe that it we truly connect with the world around us in a choiceful and deliberate way, we will understand it better, that that’s the key to changing it.
That was in fact my closing line. But let me start from the beginning and tell you a bit more about what I said. Hopefully it will encourage you to understand the power of connection too.
How do you feel when you think about reading a book?
This was the first question I asked the audience. There were lots of words that could have come to mind for them – relaxed, engaged, entertained, comforted…..for me the answer is this – it makes me feel….
Empowered by the knowledge they give me
Motivated to take action about what I learn
Inspired to do everything I can to make the world a better place.
I went on to explain, that it’s only by truly connecting with what I read, and being deliberate in which books I chose to invest in and read, that these feelings come about.
If you follow me on Instagram, or read my blog regularly, you’ll know that I made the choice to read solely authors of colour back in the Summer of 2020. This was my first act of antiracism. That summer, when I was reading more than ever while the world as quite literally locked down, and the Black Lives Matter movement had resurfaced, I had a penny drop moment. I realised that despite having read hundreds or books in my time, I could count on one hand the number of books I’d read by authors of colour. It made me realise how the publishing industry perpetuates the voices of the mainstream, specifically white voices. And how it is a classic example of systemic racism, where people of colour are excluded systematically, because they don’t have a seat at the table where decisions are being made. The status quo is maintained, and so it goes….round and round and round.
I took a purposeful, deliberate act, to do something differently. I have only read books by authors of colour since. It’s my way of self-educating, of redressing the balance of my past reading habits, and of sharing the work of people who could otherwise go unseen.
In my Ted talk, I encouraged the audience to really think about their habits and actions. As consumers, we can chose to spend our money differently, by seeking out businesses that are not part of the mainstream. As thinkers, we can explore points of view that are outside of the usual voices and the mainstream press. As educators, we can showcase the marginalised voices of history.
As readers, we can seek out new authors.
I have gotten so much out of this new reading journey. It has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve learned so much about the experienced of the global majority. I’ve felt seen and celebrated in the characters and situations I’ve read about. Books have been integral in a new-found connection and understanding of the world.
This understanding have helped me to find the courage to share my knowledge more broadly. I’ve shared my views in the media. I’ve become a Trustee for the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, and I’ve even moved into Diversity and Inclusion full time, an exciting career change for me after 20 years in Marketing.
What can you connect with?
I closed the talk with a call to action for the audience. I asked them to think about what they can connect with in order to understand the world a little better. I’ll ask the same of you now. What’s your thing? Is it books, like me, or films? Netflix series? Retail? Fashion? Art? Whatever it is, I encourage you to be active in who you’re choosing, don’t just go along with the mainstream. Seek out the new, exciting, unsung heroes. Celebrate their successes and enjoy your new experiences. You never know, this could be a key step in the next path in your journey, and that could be fundamental in making the world a better place.
You can watch my talk here. And yes – of course the dress is Kemi Telford. The jewellery is Sara Christie, my favourite jewellery designer. She’s from Nottingham and is mixed race, so you can see why I like her!
As always – thanks for reading.
thatsabitracey.com 