Press Release

RICHMOND — The third session of a first of its kind TEDx event held at Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham last May is now available on the TEDx YouTube channel.

The TEDx event, which was hosted Tuesday, May 7, 2024, featured more than two dozen speakers who shared inspirational stories, music, and more. The event was the first of its kind in a Virginia prison and was hosted by the Virginia Department of Corrections, in partnership with Proximity for Justice.

The Session 3 videos are listed as follows:

• Bypassing My Youth Helped Lead Me to Prison | James Steele
• She Cried | Shawn Chick
• How I Learned to Believe in Myself | Lamonte Grady
• The Devil Knew My Name | Charles Mason Monroe
• The Age-Old Dilemma of Daughters and Dresses | Mike Seville
• Becoming a Justice Defender | D. Jeremiah Lark
• Why I Hire the Formerly Incarcerated | Ben Davenport
• Practical lessons learned from a jail cell | Mike Taylor

The videos are available with subtitles for seven different languages.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. TED’s mission is to research and share meaningful new ideas through conferences. A TEDx event is independently organized and features short, carefully prepared talks. More information can be found on the TED website.

Proximity for Justice is a nonprofit that has organized several TEDx events at prisons across the United States, bringing leaders, victims, philanthropists, law enforcement and many more into prisons to encourage dialogue, forge connections, and inspire change. More information can be found on the Proximity for Justice website.