Headlines

A two-part investigative podcast series led by veteran journalist and APB speaker Maria Hinojosa has been recently honored with an Overseas Press Club Award. The Pulitzer Center-supported The Moving Border, by NPR’s Latino USA, won the Lowell Thomas Award for the best radio, audio or podcast coverage of international affairs. “Maria Hinojosa and team first reveal that a ‘paper wall’ has been a stronger barrier than a physical wall at the U.S. border,” the jury commented. “Then, the team went further, uncovering how Mexico has become a wall itself.’" 

An essay by APB speaker Deborah Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Professor at N.Y.U. School of Law, was recently featured in the Opinion section of The New York Times. The newspaper asked seven writers and legal scholars what they believe should be updated in the Constitution. It’s been a half-century since America’s last real revision. According to The Times, the essays are part of a series exploring bold ideas to revitalize and renew the American experiment.

A trio of APB speakers was recently named to Forbes magazine’s 50 Over 50 List of Women Who Are Leading the Way in Impact list. The three honored are: Melissa Berton, Cofounder and Executive Director of The Pad Project; Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies; and Winona LaDuke, Founder, White Earth Land Recovery Project. According to Forbes, the women are being recognized for changing their communities and the world in ways big and small through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education.  

For Floridian and APB speaker Sybrina Fulton, life was good. In fact, she describes it as mostly happy and joyful. She worked for the Miami, Florida Housing Department while raising two sons with her ex. She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Miami Gardens. And then came Feb. 26, 2012. That’s the day her son, Trayvon Martin, was fatally shot and sparked a movement that changed the world—Black Lives Matter (BLM). “My son's name became a lightning rod for this country,” she writes in a recent opinion piece for USA Today, marking the eight-year anniversary of BLM. “But for me, he was my baby boy. I had planned to spend many more years watching him grow up, if his life hadn't been cut short.” 

In a little more than a month, over 14,000 people from more than 200 countries will gather in Tokyo, Japan, for the Summer Olympics. They will be joined by thousands of delegates and members of the press. One month later, an additional 5,000 athletes and support staff will come together in Tokyo for the Paralympic Games.  These two enormous events have APB speaker Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and several of his colleagues deeply concerned. 

Do you want to drastically improve your thinking? APB speaker and former commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO Mike Hayes offers us 5 ideas to illustrate “how to think,” instead of “what to think,” to Inc. Drawing on examples from his illustrious career, Hayes shares leadership principles such as teaching individuals how a leader’s job is not to make the best decision, but rather to make sure the best decision gets made. In addition, he explains how comfort with discomfort is a key tenet of high-performance individuals and organizations. According to Hayes, these five ideas can improve our thinking in almost any scenario: 1. All high-stakes decisions are fundamentally the same, 2. Get the broadest range of inputs possible, 3. Emphasize the signal over the noise, 4. The first decision is when to make the decision, and 5. Bring your values to bear in every decision you make.

Join us Tuesday June 8th and Wednesday June 9th for a showcase unlike any other, featuring today's top voices addressing issues shaping the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation. Get ready for four keynotes, six panels, over 50 speaker spotlights and more! +Register Now

On May 26, 2020, Philonise Floyd learned that his older brother, George “Perry” Floyd, Jr. had been murdered by four police officers in Minneapolis after a store clerk alleged that he passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The world watched as named officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. George’s death sparked a worldwide outpour of protests against police brutality, especially toward black people. Philonise vowed that George’s death would not be in vain, another hashtag on a t-shirt, and started the Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, actively working to eliminate the daily impacts of police brutality, criminal justice reform and systemic racism.

Do you constantly feel overwhelmed by stress, feel dissatisfied in your career and relationships, and feel like you lack purpose? APB speaker, biologist, and stress expert Dr. Rebecca Heiss says that the answer to fixing these problems exists in rewiring instincts. Titled  Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success, Dr. Heiss' new book is ideal for Gen Z and their known pursuit of manifestation and changing the subconscious. In everyday life, people use outdated instincts because biology and evolution haven’t quite caught up to today’s world. Dr. Heiss offers simple, actionable techniques to redirect those instincts to work for us rather than against us.  

Heather Abbott’s life changed forever when she was struck by bomb shrapnel at the Boston Marathon and lost her left leg.  After receiving a prosthetic leg for walking, she was then told by her insurance that they would not cover anything additional. This became the catalyst for the Heather Abbott Foundation, which is dedicated to mission of giving fellow amputees the prosthetics insurance won’t cover.  Now recognized by CNN as the complete embodiment of a hero, Heather Abbott captivates audiences with her inspirational story of pain, anger, optimism and resilience.