Conversations with Influencers
and Disruptors
Live conversations every
Wednesday (mostly) at 4 pm Pacific
This year, as we begin producing a series of virtual talks, we are curating ideas that are influencing us, locally and globally. These short conversations are not news-focused. Instead, we are highlighting discussions of hope and optimism while showcasing actionable solutions.
The topics we are focused on have to with the Pandemic and Social Justice. We look at them individually and at times see how one has influenced the other. We look through the various lenses and hear from different voices as we explore the topics. One of our guests introduced us to the word, Syndemics, which is the collision of different epidemics. This syndemic and the chaos, complexity, and the intricate complications it has brought to all of our lives is what Making Waves is all about. All while finding the silver thread of hope from our guests.
We navigate through opinions to help us all understand these challenging times by focusing on positive disruption. We’ve heard that normal will never be normal again. This year we’re Making Waves.
Making Waves is Hosted by Mark Sylvester and Produced by Tracy Wyle
“It was an honor to contribute, once again, to the profoundly vital discussions the TEDxSantaBarbara team hosts, initiates and propagates with unparalleled integrity and consistency."Dr. Harry Grammer, Making Waves speaker
"Really nicely done to be using your platform to spotlight something like this. Very proud of you guys."Evan Asher, TEDxSantaBarbara performer
“Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your Conversations. Each of these presentations helps to make connections across disciplines, as a result, we’re all inspired to learn more.”Dr. Yonette Thomas, Making Waves speaker
“This series has been terrific! I have caught a few of them and the conversations have been insightful. Keep up the great work.”Julie Sorenson, Attendee
“Thanks so much for hosting such an important presentation by Dr. Wizdom Powell.”Cheri C. Wilson, Education and Training Manager, Johns Hopkins Medicine
This program is one of the best I have ever seen in my life. This was amazing and there are not enough words to say Thank You and your Team."Attendee, BJ King
Upcoming Conversations
Broadcast on Zoom and Live on our Facebook Page
Lisa Biggs
Educationalist. Humanist. Philanthropist. Linguist.
Empowerment through Education.
Connecting children across the globe through stories.
Category: SOCIAL JUSTICE,
Lisa Biggs’ day job has her helping educators around the globe understand how maps tell stories about culture, history, and current events. Her passion project is taking storytelling skills and using them to help children.
Lisa believes when humans connect by sharing stories and experiences, we can achieve and overcome anything. Her work as a teacher and educational program designer and her experiences living in seven countries inspired her to found a non-profit that publishes children's' stories of triumph over adversity. Her organization worked with a group of children challenged by the trauma they endured in the Thomas Fire. Together they learned from experts in mental health, emotional intelligence, and wellbeing, ultimately creating a storybook to share their lessons. The result was a story of how we can all turn our hardships and traumas into a source of strength and resilience.
KYRA GAUNT, Ph.D.
Ethnomusicologist, Assistant Professor, State University of New York, Albany
Agree to be offended, then stay connected. Unlocking opposition by making musical waves.
Category: SOCIAL JUSTICE,
In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois asked the question, “How does it feel to be a problem?” Day-to-day many of us witness and tolerate marginalization. In this critical juncture in our history, Dr. Gaunt shares lessons from Black girls' musical play and from embracing discomfort by agreeing to be offended or from vulnerable sharing about marginalization.
For over 20 years, Kyra D. Gaunt, Ph.D. has been a noteworthy leader in the field of ethnomusicology as a prize-winning author, a singer-songwriter, a professor, and a digital ethnomusicologist. Her book The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop (NYU Press), funded by NEH and the Ford Foundation, won the 2007 Alan Merriam Prize from The Society of Ethnomusicology. That book, and her subsequent publications, contributed to the emergence of hip-hop music studies, black girlhood studies, and hip-hop feminism.
In 2018, Dr. Gaunt was featured in "How the Jump Rope Got Its Rhythm" in TED's Small Thing, Big Idea series, reaching over 7M+ views published in over 25 languages. In 2020, she became a Senior TED Fellow and her article on "The Magic of Black Girls Play" was featured as an editors' pick in the New York Times. Her next project is a book titled PLAYED: Twerking at the Intersection of Music, YouTube, and Violence Against BlackGirls.
Dr. Gaunt holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan is currently on faculty at the University at Albany, SUNY. In addition to her day job, she is a federally-certified expert witness on social media and her original music is available on iTunes, CD Baby, YouTube, and Spotify.
Donna Weng Friedman
Concert Pianist, Educator and Storyteller
Pandemic Empowerment: Finding Resilience in Music and Stories
Category: SOCIAL JUSTICE,
It's been a difficult time for all of us. Along with the horrors and uncertainty brought upon us by this pandemic, there has been an increase in assaults against Asians and Asian Americans. Pianist Donna Weng Friedman believes these horrendous behaviors stem from ignorance and fear. So, in collaboration with WQXR, she created Heritage and Harmony, a virtual concert that is both a recognition of the tremendous contributions to the musical canon by classical musicians of Asian descent and a reminder of the need to stand together against mindless intolerance.
For far too long in modern history, the musical composition was thought to be strictly the province of men. With soprano Allison Charney, she created HER/MUSIC; HER/STORY, a series devoted to correcting the historical record by shining a light on the music and lives of female composers through the ages. On 8/18/2020, HER/MUSIC; HER/STORY celebrated our 19th Amendment on the virtual series Season of Hope, now being featured at the National Women’s History Museum.
An award-winning pianist Ms. Weng Friedman enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, curator, and app developer. As a recitalist, she has appeared at Caramoor, Jeu de Paume, France, Symphony Hall in Shanghai, the Flagler Museum, the 92nd St. Y, Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. She has conducted master classes at the Shanghai and Beijing conservatories and is on the Mannes School of Music faculty. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, where she was a University Scholar and a Master’s of Music Degree from the Juilliard School.
Featured Speakers from Past Conversations
Coming Soon
Be sure you don’t miss these conversations coming later this year.
Keith Witt
Cultivating a post-outrage consciousness
Jan Campbell
Finding a Vaccine for Violence
Katie Hershfelt
Making it worth it to plant the next harvest: Reinventing Community Supported Agriculture
Kerri Murray
The Role of Shelter During a Pandemic
Lisa Biggs
Building Emotional Resilience in our Children
John Greathouse
Looking Around the Corner: The Zoomers Role in the post-COVID success
Jackson Gillies
New Year's Musical Celebration
Andreas Forsland
Connecting Intentions to Outcomes: Reinventing Interpersonal Communications
Shannon Kenney
Social Justice is on the front lines of Sustainable change.
The Importance of Partnership
Our event is 100% volunteer-driven and we rely on the community for financial support and in-kind contributions.
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Meet our 2020 Partners
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