Bridging race and culture: The story of Busboys & Poets - Andy Shallal at TEDxMidAtlantic

Andy Shallal moved to the U.S. from Iraq when he was 11 years old—the same year that Saddam Hussein came to power in his native country. In 2005 he opened Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. Andy's mission for this restaurant was to have a gathering place for people of all different incomes, races, and identities to come together and exchange ideas about social and political issues. Busboys and Poets today remains a popular restaurant and community resource for artists, activists, writers, thinkers, and dreamers.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)