Activist Wale Elegbede to give TED@PMI talk on combating racism, Islamophobia
Wale Elegbede grew up witnessing the appalling effects of prejudice and bias under the autocratic rule in West Africa. Born in Nigeria, he observed the military’s violent overthrow of the country, and while living in Togo experienced life under the domineering regime of President Gnassingbé Eyadema, whose dictatorship was rife with human rights violations. It was eye opening for Elegbede, and when he came to La Crosse in 1999, he was disheartened to see other forms of intolerance — racism and Islamophobia — were prevalent stateside.
“Growing up in Africa, I was able to see just how discrimination can come about, and the sad part is we have discrimination that is so pervasive in the U.S, even more so, and that wasn’t something I was expecting,” says Elegbede. On Friday, Elegbede will share about his youth in Africa, adulthood in Wisconsin, and how his experiences influenced his efforts to combat discrimination, racism and Islamaphobia in a TED@PMI: Action + Impact virtual event, being broadcast at 10 a.m. online . A partnership between TED and the Project Management Institute, thousands of topics were submitted and just 12 selected, including Elegbede’s.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Elegbede, a Distinguished Alumni of the UW-La Crosse, Human Rights Commissioner, vice president of Rochester Branch NAACP and director of strategy management services at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Titled “Stop seeing discrimination as ‘their’ problem and see it as ‘our problem’ — all of us,” Elegbede’s talk will touch on his work as a founding member of the La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network, which has held rallies, talks and gatherings addressing local hate crimes and calling for acceptance of all minority groups.
While his TED@PMI outline was drafted last fall, it has proven timely with the outcry against recent racially motivated killings and an impending election that has fueled hate speech and acts of violence. “I could not have predicted that,” Elegbede says of the current relevance of his topic. The story he will share, Elegbede says, is emotional but inspiring, with a message he hopes will resonate around the world: It’s not OK to sit on the sidelines when you witness discrimination, racism or Islamophobia. Speak up, rise up, take action……..
