The Power of our Words: From Language Stigma to Language Celebration

In this talk, Carey Flack discusses the importance of minoritized and indigenous languages, supported by evidence from real communities about how language knowledge has made communities stronger. Carey Flack is a two-time social entrepreneur who believes in the power of community and technology. During her time as a student at the University of Oklahoma, Carey founded Roomswap, a lease-swapping tool that saved students $100,000 in rent. Since her graduation, Carey has co-founded BLOOM, a tool that offers introductory courses for a host of global Indigenous languages. BLOOM is currently working in conjunction with the Cherokee Nation and is set to launch its first course in 2018. Carey received her BBA in Entrepreneurship and minor in African & African American Studies from the University of Oklahoma in 2016. The same year that she was named a “Power Girl” by Seventeen Magazine for her work in social impact technology. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx