The Naked Truth: Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates at TEDxRVA

Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates is Founder and Artistic Director of The Conciliation Project, a social justice theater company whose mission is, "To promote, through active and challenging dramatic work, an open and honest dialogue about racism and oppression in order to repair its damaging legacy." As a playwright, director, actor, poet, writer, scholar-activist, and teacher she engages the dramatic arts as a tool for social change. As a film and television performer, she has appeared in such productions as Life or Something Like It and Twin Peaks and is a featured voice talent on the inaugural Xbox video game, Halo. She has directed and performed at an extensive range of theater locations including Seattle, where she worked for over 23 years; Minneapolis; and Richmond, where she currently teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University. In the latter position, she received an Excellence in Directing award from the Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival, as well as VCU's Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment and the Rise Melton Award.

As Artistic Director for The Conciliation Project, she has collaborated with organizations such as Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the Daily Planet, and the Healing Place to create dramatic and evocative plays that focus on personal stories that actively engage the psychological barriers created by race, class, gender, and identity that are traditionally ignored by classic theater training in the conservatory model. One such play, uncle tom: de-constructed, was performed by Theatre VCU students and members of TCP in South Africa, Brazil, and Scotland, and was nominated by Amnesty International for a Humanitarian Award.

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)