Rochester man to deliver TED Talk
Wale Elegbede is an immigrant, social justice advocate, project manager, county board candidate — and soon-to-be TED speaker.
The Rochester resident, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 21, has been on the front lines of the movement to end discrimination, delivering messages on the need for collective empathy, collaboration and accountability — and sharing them through the lens of someone whose first-hand experiences have uniquely prepared him to confront one of society’s most difficult issues. Elegbede’s talk, titled “Stop seeing discrimination as ‘their’ problem. It’s ‘our’ problem — that we all play a role in solving,” will air September 25 and 26 as part of a collaboration between TED and the Project Management Institute.
Ahead of Elegbede’s TED debut, we spoke with him about what it means to be delivering a talk to a national audience, along with his personal experiences dealing with discrimination, and his thoughts on what we can all do to ensure a more equitable and compassionate society.
MCB: Tell us what it means to take the TED 'stage,' albeit virtually, in front of a nationwide audience?
Elegbede: The words that immediately come to mind are humbled and blessed. When I look back upon my journey of coming to America at the age of 21 with no access to financial aid or student loans, and paying my way through college — which involved sacrifice, hard work and persistence — it is really humbling that I can say I’m a TED speaker! The moment is not lost on me and it’s an incredible honor to be selected. TED’s global impact is huge and less than 0.02 percent of the world’s global population has spoken on a TED stage, so I take the opportunity very seriously. I hope I represent Rochester, the United States, and Nigeria, my native country, well.
MCB: Your topic deals with discrimination and the role we all play in confronting it. Why did you choose this subject?
Elegbede: I thought long and hard about what I wanted to share. For example, I considered doing a talk about leadership, strategy, and even project management, but there was something else inside of me that was yearning to be let out. My talk is about how we can make our community and world a better place by fighting discrimination, racism and Islamophobia. I chose discrimination because of my personal connection and stories to the topic as well as ideas I have put into action to address discrimination.
You see, I was born in Nigeria during a time military regimes gained power through coup d’état. I also lived in Lomé, Togo and observed the autocratic rule of a dictator who ruled the small West African country for thirty eight years until his death. I saw how prejudice and bias influences decisions that marginalize certain groups over others, and heard rhetoric from dictators that when left unchecked led to ethnic and religious discrimination.
Discrimination is also pervasive in the United States, and Minnesota is among the 10 worst states for Black Americans to live in the country in terms of racial disparity. The Midwest is pretty bad with Wisconsin being the worse in terms of racial disparity. It’s really all around us.
For example, in November of last year, a man was attacked with acid attack in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, simply for being Hispanic. In La Crosse, Wisconsin, just an hour away, a hate crime occurred last year when a racist and Islamophobic slur was graffitied on the property of local American Muslim business owner of Arab descent. In Rochester, Minnesota, bacon strips were left near the front entrance of the mosque. And in Minneapolis, racism and discrimination led to the death of George Floyd.
When I decided last year that I wanted to do a talk on discrimination, I had no idea that my timing would prove crucial in light of all the deaths and racial tensions in the country. I just wanted to share something positive, very personal, and an inspirational idea to tackle discrimination.
MCB: There has been a renewed discussion in America about the role of systemic discrimination in our society. Why, despite all of the progress of the past century, do you think discrimination still plagues us?
Elegbede: In my view, I believe that discrimination plagues us because we have not made it our collective business. I believe that in order to rid of discrimination which includes racism, Islamophobia, and hate crimes, we need to go from a state of “not my business” to “everyone's business”. My belief is that this will help cultivate a shift in perspective, and result in a changed mindset that will build and sustain connection, empathy and elevate opportunities for everyone.
Historically speaking, anytime certain groups are targeted or scapegoated, we also see apathy. The holocaust, apartheid, genocide, internment camps, are examples where some members of society were targeted while others simply wanted to go about their daily lives, did not feel they could make a difference and in some cases, did not care how the targeting of others impacted them.
“Not my business” means you’re too busy worrying about your own stuff and not speaking or taking action to address society’s ill. It has nothing to do with what you feel inside, where your heart is or whether you’re sad. When I say “everyone’s business”, I am not referring to social policing where folks are policing interactions of others or vigilantism. It means letting people in your community know how these issues affect everyone in a constructive and positive way. It means we are in this together. We are our brothers and sisters keeper. We are one community together.
MCB: In your forthcoming talk, you will discuss ways we can work together to solve this issue. Can you give us an example?
Elegbede: People can go to my personal website, www.waleelegbede.com, to find things they can do to fight discrimination — but here are a few simple but effective things they can do.
Firstly, on a personal level, we can all expand our circle of friends and acquaintances. If the majority of your friends look like you do or worship like we do, it may be time to expand our circle and get to meet new people. Also, how do we avoid the mistakes of the past? We do so by learning from history so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Listen with an open mind and don’t discount the real-life experiences of minorities. It’s really an opportunity to get a glimpse into what is going around you that you may not be privy to. Also, don’t be silent because it can be taken as you don’t care.
Secondly, take new people under our wing. Be a mentor and advocate for people of color.
Lastly, be a strong ally. Stand up against bigotry, racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism in a peaceful, respectful but direct manner.
An example of this is something that transpired last year in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I used to live in La Crosse and have strong ties there. A racist and Islamaphobic slur was graffitied in a public and highly visible place. This was a hate crime and the graffiti read ‘Sand N—Word Mike’ and was directed at a Muslim business owner. I led the planning and community efforts but I was not alone. The La Crosse community responded to our call to action in a public way to address what occurred. I worked collaboratively with the La Crosse Police, mayor and city prosecutor behind the scenes. The police came out with a public and strong statement that they would pursue enhanced penalties for perpetrators of hate crime in the community. This was a specific example where the community, local leaders, police, mayor, and city prosecutor took strong steps against discrimination.
MCB: You are now running for County Commissioner. Have you experienced discrimination on the campaign trail? And if so, what have you done to try to overcome these barriers?
Elegbede: Unfortunately, I have experienced some racist and discriminatory comments on social media — but to be honest, I don’t even waste an iota of my time on that negative energy. I put effort on the things I can control or positively influence. For example, I can control working hard. I can control being nice and respectful. I can control being of service to my community. I can control what I say. I can control lifting others up. What has been refreshing to me is getting to meet people on campaign trail, talking to people and listening to their concerns.
My positive interactions with people give me so much hope. My campaign motto is ‘One Community Together,’ but it’s more than a slogan. It’s a deep belief that I have, which is, I believe we are best when we are one community working together. I want Olmsted County to be a great place for everyone to live and work. I believe we can achieve that. What I bring is a solid and proven leadership and strategic business experience, with diverse and fresh perspectives to help us get there.
MCB: When this talk debuts in September, what is the key message you hope resonates with your audience?
Elegbede: I imagine a world, where there is no racism, hate crimes, Islamophobia, or anti-Semitism. Imagine the endless possibilities and opportunities that kind of world would offer to all of our children! When my TED Talk debuts, the key message that I really hope resonates is that discrimination is our collective problem and that our generation can solve it if we have the desire. I’m hoping my talk will inspire us to make the changes needed to make that vision become a reality.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
