In this inspiring talk, Dr. Michelle Taylor shares her amazing journey, from growing up in the projects with a dedicated single mom who prioritized her education to single parenthood herself to being named one of the Top 100 Black Social Influencers to bestselling author to earning her Ph.D. at 45. From nearly the start, Dr. Taylor has been passionate about helping others. She has worked as a social worker, educator, activist and advocate for marginalized communities — engaging in inspirational discourse, cultural enlightenment and diversity, equity and inclusion training as a public speaker. She also established the Sankofa Summer School, an alternative educational platform offering global instruction on subjects pertinent to individuals of African descent. If you want to become a change-maker — helping to make the world and its people a better place — this talk is for you.

At heart, Dr. Michelle Taylor will always be a social worker. She spent 17 years on the front lines helping others. She not only witnessed the cruelty of poverty, mental health issues, domestic violence or sexual assault against women — especially Black ones — homelessness and hunger but also experienced it herself while growing up in Philadelphia. In this keynote, Taylor, an author, change-maker and writer, reveals her own story and shares how organizations can address these horrible issues in large cities, become advocates for disenfranchised people and victims of gender-based violence, and provide outreach and services for those who are suffering the most. It’s a moving keynote filled with steps to take to stop this epidemic of suffering.

For Dr. Michelle Taylor, one of the biggest lessons she learned during her years as a social worker is this: Nothing changes when people fight. Positive changes only occur when we are all actually working together. The power of community is real! In this talk, Dr. Taylor shares practical tips on how to build a sense of community and belonging with others and why it matters so much—especially now. You can start influencing change within your community, and it begins today!

Drawing from her extensive research and expertise in media, Dr. Michelle Taylor dives into the crucial roles film, media and television play in shaping our perceptions and how representation can influence how we see and treat others. By amplifying marginalized voices and promoting diverse narratives, she says, we can not only create more equitable media landscapes but also foster greater empathy, understanding and social change.

Named one of the Top 100 Black Social Influencers, Dr. Michelle Taylor — the social media icon known as Feminista Jones — has learned the power of connecting people via social media and how a few hashtags can start a movement that can help change the world. In this talk, Dr. Taylor, a feminist writer and activist, reveals how activists are using social media to organize movements for social justice and social change and how Black women are changing culture, society and the landscape of feminism by building digital communities and using social media as powerful platforms. Like Dr. Taylor, you can become part of the mainstream resistance and political engagement. Dr. Taylor will show you how to get started.

There's a popular belief that in today's world, feminism isn't needed anymore. After all, we can do anything or be anything, right? That's anything but the truth, says Author and Change-maker Dr. Michelle Taylor. “Women and girls continue to face devastating gender-based oppression, and it’s clear the world needs feminism and feminist activism as much as it ever did,” she says. In this keynote, Dr. Taylor reveals the importance of not only embracing feminism but also intersectional feminism in the 21st century, where everyone has a seat at the table, and how if everyone works together, they can empower each other to be successful in their personal and professional lives.

As a queer Black woman, Dr. Michelle Taylor knows all too well the challenges associated with navigating spaces where being open about one's sexual identity is not always embraced. In this talk, she discusses her own experiences facing obstacles in the workplace, educational institutions and the larger society, as well as how being her authentic self challenges others to commit to being better. Dr. Taylor has been a beloved professor of a college course called The African American LGBTQ Experience, and she discusses the impact of this kind of education on young adults who are still coming into their sense of self. She offers best practices for creating safe, bold and inclusive spaces for people of all genders and sexual identities, as well as an empowering message of resilience for those who need inspiration.