Deconstructing the halo effect of racism and stereotypes | John Schimmel | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

The Halo Effect describes the tendency of humans to judge and label others based on preconceived notions and unconscious biases. In this talk, John Schimmel deconstructs the Halo Effect and reveals how we can move beyond the harmful effects to embrace this family we call humanity as one. "Education is my passion. Pursuing my Associate Degree was my way of believing in myself. This gave me something to be proud of for the first time. It feels good to inspire others to do the same, especially for those who feel like there is no hope. I received four Associate Degrees here in prison in 3 ½ years. For the first time ever in my life, I see that I can be someone."

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Redefining normal | Beto Vasquez | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

Beto Vasquez is not normal. Or is he? What is normal, anyway? Experiences, culture, social norms, times and places all deeply influence what appears normal. Having run the full gamut of 'normality,' Beto has looked at normal from many angles. Join him as he explores the surprising implications of normality and how to redefine it. "I am currently finalizing my graduate studies at University of California, San Diego in biology. My background in the sciences has made me a champion for diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; while my incarceration and education have caused me to advocate for underserved and currently and formally incarcerated people in an effort to address barriers to success."

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The truth will set you free | Scott Sargeant | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

For 18 years, Scott inspired countless people with his story of courage and triumph, and yet lived locked away in an inner prison of his own guilt and shame, hiding a dark secret about how he became paralyzed from the neck down. Discover from Scott’s journey how he found his way out, and how your truth will set you free. "…a lifelong love of athletics, the outdoors and adventure… From the beauty of a sunset over the Pacific to the adrenaline rush of pushing my body beyond limits as an Olympic athlete, to physically recovering from heart-breaking devastation of being quadriplegic and going on to strive for new mountaintops, I’ve ridden big waves of the agony and ecstasy of my human experience."

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Rediscovering hope through self-forgiveness | Billy Johnson | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

Even as a high school football star, Billy Johnson fell into a dark tunnel. Within a 9-month period, Billy’s two most important people were killed and he felt responsible for both deaths. He found his light switch after 20 years of incarceration, which led him to rediscover hope through self-forgiveness. "I see myself as caring, earnest, loyal and full of life. I want to bring happiness to a person’s day. If I notice someone isn’t happy or feeling well, I want to make him smile. I find joy and passion in team settings; I love to work with others. What got us where we’re at does not need to define us. I love sports and working out."

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The meaning of love | Lionell Tholmer | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

Born into torture, blessed by tenderness, healed by hearts, saved by love. Lionell Tholmer discovers this truth by standing in a storm, where a pony sheltered his heart, a jackrabbit showed him compassion, doctors used their hearts to heal him and a stranger hugged him with his heart. "Born in Northern California, I was raised on a farm and rode in rodeos. I like motorcycles and horseback riding. I am a seeker who believes the purpose of life is to serve humanity with unconditional love. Harvesting hearts reap rewards of immeasurable value. To be allowed to be a visitor of one’s heart is the greatest blessing."

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In search of purpose | Stephen Davis | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

What if the path you chose in life was taken from you, would you be able to find a new path? Purpose can always be found if you know how to search for it. Stephen Davis shows us how to stretch our beliefs of our purpose to see that its only limits are set by ourselves and that it does and will change. "Others say that I am a friend if you need a friend, I am someone they can trust and confide in, and that I am a mentor without knowing it. I am thankful for the friends and family who have supported me. Their faith in me is what has helped me to not give up since being incarcerated. I am passionate about education, self-help and reading. I am two classes away from receiving four Associate Degrees."

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Answering interstellar calls | Shelley Wright | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2017

We have a tangible possibility of making contact with alien civilizations in our lifetimes. Scientists are now exploring new search strategies for finding other intelligent life in the Universe. What would such a discovery mean to you? "My love for astronomy started as a child. Combined with my passion for learning new things, I forged a career that focuses on building new instruments to observe the Universe. I conduct scientific experiments that search for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. I encourage the science community and the world to join this pursuit, believing that finding other life in the Universe will greatly enrich our lives on Earth."

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Welcome to San Quentin | Maurice Reed | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Ever wonder what it’s like to live in prison? Listen to this high-energy hip-hop performance that chronicles an average day for an inmate at San Quentin. Written and performed by SQ inmate artist Maurice Reed. Maurice is a natural-born performer who is a leader in San Quentin’s performing arts community. For the past three years Maurice has been a member of the Marin Shakespeare Company at San Quentin. He also participates in the Artistic Ensemble where members connect, share, and express life experience through body movement. In his spare time, Maurice enjoys listening to Rhythm and Blues, Pop, Country, and Hip Hop music. From acting on stage to writing poetry, each of these activities contribute to him pursuing his life’s passion of being a rapper/song writer.

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Parallel plays from prison | Juan Carlos Meza + Nate Collins | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Ever wonder how prisoners greet each other or what they think about love? Based on themes from Shakespeare, watch two original theater pieces written by incarcerated men drawn from their real-life experience. Since 2003, Marin Shakespeare Company has offered weekly Shakespeare classes at San Quentin Prison, culminating in an annual performance of a Shakespeare play. The men also write and perform autobiographical theatre pieces inspired by their work with Shakespeare.

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How to make people care about criminal justice reform | Neil Barsky | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Why would a financial journalist turned hedge fund manager start a nonprofit media company devoted to reporting on criminal justice? What happens when Bill Keller visits the incarcerated San Quentin News http://sanquentinnews.com/ team? Listen to this powerful and moving talk by Neil Barsky, Founder and Chairman of The Marshall Project, and find out. Neil Barsky is the founder and chairman of the Marshall Project, a Pulitzer prize winning news outlet, intended to shed light on the United States criminal justice system. He has been a newspaper reporter (The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News), equity research analyst (Morgan Stanley), hedge fund manager (Midtown Capital, Alson Capital) and documentary film director (“Koch”). Barsky is the chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review board of advisers and sits on the board of trustees of Oberlin College. Barsky is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He reported extensively on the business career of Donald Trump, and was awarded the 1991 Loeb Award for "coverage of the collapse of Donald Trump's financial empire." In his 1997 book, Trump: The Art of the Comeback, Trump wrote "Of all the writers who have written about me, probably none has been more vicious than Neil Barsky of the Wall Street Journal."

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Am I really a violent criminal? | David B. Le | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

David Le made the right decisions. He worked hard. He went to college. He's now serving 40 years to life in San Quentin prison. Listen to his story and decide. David Le was born in Vietnam and raised in Oakland, CA. He’s the youngest of 3 boys. He’s passionate about thinking, musing, pondering ideas, then writing those ideas into existence. His interest lies in business and computer programming, but his unique talents are in organizing, planning and writing. When he’s not at work in San Quentin’s Education Department, or volunteering in the prison’s literacy program, he’s pursuing his college degree and participating in a number of self-help programs.

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How I learned to read - and trade stocks - in prison | Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Financial literacy isn't a skill — it's a lifestyle. Take it from Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll. As an incarcerated individual, Caroll knows the power of a dollar. While in prison, he taught himself how to read and trade stocks, and now he shares a simple, powerful message: we all need to be more savvy with our money. Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll overcame poverty, illiteracy, incarceration and a lack of outside support to become a stock investor, creator and teacher of his own financial literacy philosophy. Carroll grew up in Oakland, California surrounded by poverty. In 1996, at 17 years old, he committed a robbery where a man was killed. He turned himself in and ended up in prison with a 54-to-life sentence. While in prison, the stock market captured his attention, but he was illiterate. Finally motivated to learn, he taught himself how to read at 20-21 years old, and then he started studying the stock market. Carroll's role models changed from drug dealers and sports figures to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. He wanted others to learn this new way of making money. When Carroll arrived at San Quentin in 2012, he met Troy Williams, who helped him start the Financial Literacy Program. Together they created the philosophy F.E.E.L (Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy) that teaches people to recognize how their emotions affect their financial decision, and how to separate the two.

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Healing inside prison | Jacques Verduin + Fateen Jackson | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Years before emotional intelligence became the latest catchphrase. Jacques Verduin was offering innovative programs that taught this revolutionary concept to prisoners. Don't miss the powerful ending, a spoken word piece by Fateen Jackson, an incarcerated facilitator working with Jacques. Jacques Verduin is currently the Director of Insight-Out. He also founded the Insight Prison Project, which under his leadership produced the gold standard restorative justice program called VOEG. His efforts have helped birth the Prison Mindfulness Initiative, the Prison Yoga Project, the Insight Garden Project, and Veterans Healing Veterans, among others. All of these organizations are being actively replicated. In addition to California, he is a consultant to the U.S. State Department and he and his staff have traveled abroad to train professionals in Guatemala, El Salvador, Bosnia, and the Netherlands. Fateen Jackson has fully accepted responsibility for all of the wrong he has done throughout his life. He has denounced all gang activity and has dedicated himself to being a peace advocate and peacemaker. He's currently working toward becoming a state certified Domestic Violence counselor/facilitator and is also a student in the Prison University Project here at San Quentin.Only recently did Fateen discover his hidden creative talent of being a spoken word expressionist. He was inspired by a fellow prisoner to write and perform his material and since, has developed a passion for the art. He now uses its platform for redemption, healing, and enlightenment.

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Making science sexy and chatting with aliens | Pete Worden | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

In one Facebook list of the 50 most famous people on earth, there is only one scientist - Stephen Hawking. Can you think of another?? Listen to the former head of NASA AMES Research Center talk about his new foundation, its plans to make science sexy, and how to win millions by crafting a message to aliens. Simon Peter "Pete" Worden, (Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret., PhD) was Director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, until his retirement on March 31, 2015. On July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking launched the Breakthrough Initiatives with Worden as Chairman. Prior to joining NASA, he held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He is a recognized expert on space issues – both civil and military. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers in astrophysics, space sciences, and strategic studies. He served as a scientific co-investigator for two NASA space science missions, and received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for the 1994 Clementine mission.He was named the 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year.

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How parolees are sentenced to fail | Troy Williams | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Troy Williams spent 18 years paying his debt to society, but prison wouldn't be his biggest challenge. Hear his harrowing tale of re-entering society and struggling to stay legit. After serving 18 years of a life sentence for kidnap and robbery, Troy Williams was released from San Quentin prison in October, 2014. He is the founding Chairman and CEO of the San Quentin Prison Report, a radio collaboration with KALW. While incarcerated, Troy participated in over 50 self-help, mental health and therapeutic programs. Troy specializes in creating and producing projects designed to convert negative urban experiences into transformative tools for social change. His hard work and dedication were recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, and in November 2014, in collaboration with Nigel Poor and Holly Kernan, Troy received an Excellence in Journalism Award.

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Life revealed | Philip Melendez | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

If you've never been to prison before, what can you expect to discover at a TEDx event held inside San Quentin? Inmate Phil Melendez discusses the organizing principles behind the theme "life revealed." Born and raised in Sacramento, CA, in 1997, at age 19, Philip Melendez committed two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years to life. Numerous years of self-help and introspection have taught him to live a more restorative and positive life. He is currently enrolled at Patten University in San Quentin, mentoring at-risk youth, and striving to teach people about the need for more empathy, compassion, and understanding in the world. A key member of the TEDx marketing team, he is also the president of Kid C.A.T.’s Communications and Outreach Department where he is actively involved in creating awareness of youth justice issues and developing ways to end the school-to-prison pipeline. When he is not studying for his classes at Patten University at San Quentin he is taking self-help and personal growth classes to better prepare for mentoring traumatized youth. He is a perpetual optimist, who believes that restorative justice will one day become global practice.

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Why California prisons need more volunteers | Diana Toche | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

Did you know that San Quentin is actually considered the Harvard of the California prison system? Why? Because of its incredible rehabilitative programs administered by its 3,000 volunteers. But there are 34 other correctional institutions in CA that could benefit from these kinds of programs as well, and you can help. Dr. Diana Toche was appointed as Undersecretary of Health Care Services for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on May 13, 2014 by California Governor Jerry Brown. She has served in multiple positions, including acting Undersecretary of Administration and Offender Services, acting director of the Division of Health Care Services and statewide dental director. She was the Dental Director at Central Valley Indian Health Inc. from 1991 to 2008 and an associate dentist 1989 to 1991. Dr. Toche earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of the Pacific. Diana cycles approximately 125 miles per week. She has competed in many century bicycle rides and most recently, she carried the torch and lit the cauldron for the Special Olympics, which were held in Davis.

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Prisons and the high cost of poor decisions | Robert E. Rubin | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

In a pre-event conference call with the incarcerated TEDx organizers at San Quentin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin learned the following: Four minutes and 26 seconds. That's all the collective time it took for a group of 28 men to make reactive decisions that resulted, so far, in them being been locked up for 715 years and counting. In this moving and personal talk, Rubin reflects on his experience preparing for his talk at San Quentin and how reactive, emotional decision making is taking a terrible toll on our nation's economic health. And that it's not just inmates who need to make better decisions if we want to have a healthy society and remain a globally competitive nation. Robert E. Rubin served as our nation's 70th Secretary of the Treasury from January 10, 1995 until July 2, 1999. He joined the Clinton Administration in 1993, serving in the White House as the first Director of the National Economic Council. In June 2007, Mr. Rubin was named Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is Chairman of the Board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the nation's leading community development support organization. He began his career in finance at Goldman, Sachs & Company in 1966, serving as Co-Senior Partner and Co-Chairman from 1990 to 1992. From 1999 to 2009, he served as a member of the Board of Directors at Citigroup and as a senior advisor to the company. Mr. Rubin is one of the founders of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy project housed at the Brookings Institution that offers a strategic vision and innovative policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans.

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After my husband was murdered | Dionne Wilson | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

In 2005, Dionne Wilson’s police officer husband was killed in the line of duty. She wanted his killer found and sentenced to death. Speaking from the stage at San Quentin State Prison where her husband's killer sits on Death Row, listen to Dionne's story. As the Survivor Outreach Coordinator for Californians for Safety & Justice, Dionne Wilson speaks with crime survivors all across California. Through the Insight Prison Project, Dionne also meets with men and women convicted of violent crimes and has found that restorative justice practices are far more effective at stopping crime than vengeance has ever been. Through this work, Dionne has discovered a newfound passion for life and love of people that didn’t seem possible after her own husband was murdered. She now advocates for services that break the cycle of violence: trauma recovery for victims, drug treatment, mental health services, education, and job training.

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How to fix our broken criminal justice system | Robert Barton | TEDxSanQuentin 2016

After having worked with hundreds of prisoners, victims of crimes, and correctional officers and administrators, California's Inspector General has a pretty good idea of what's broken and why in our prison system. Listen to his talk to learn what we all must do in order to fix these system and improve public safety. Robert Barton currently serves as California's Inspector General and is responsible for oversight of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, including critical incidents, internal affairs, complaints, medical care, use of force, and other legislatively requested reviews. He chairs the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board reporting and making recommendations on rehabilitative programs for inmates and parolees. He began his public service with the Fresno Sheriff’s Department in 1984, while completing his B.S. in criminology at CSU- Fresno. He graduated from UC Davis King Hall, with his JD in 1988. He then served as a prosecutor in the Kern County District Attorney’s Office and from 2000-2005 supervised the gang, prison crime, juvenile and truancy units. He was then appointed as a Supervising Assistant Inspector General in 2005, before being appointed in 2011 as the Inspector General. He holds a lifetime Community College instructor credential in law.

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