Speakers at a locally organized TED talk in Durham will tackle the ways in which we filter the world through our social networks, the information we’re exposed to, and our own biases

The TEDxDurham Conference, titled “No Filter” will “feature inspiring live TED Talks and performances from local thought leaders that break down the filters and barriers in our lives and in the community of Durham.”

“We filter the news we consume, the sources we trust, our friends, our followers, our feeds and our communities,” the event description reads. “To reject the filter is to choose to engage with the entire world. When we are open to encountering all sorts of people, all sorts of details about the world, including things we may not ever run into in our day to day lives, imagine the incredible ideas we can learn.”

The conference will be held Saturday from noon to four-thirty p.m. at the Holton Career and Resource Center in Durham. In addition to admission to the talks and musical performances, attendees will get refreshments, appetizers and opportunities for discussion. Speakers will include:

– Justin Clapp, AKA “drag diva” Vivica C. Coxx, matriarch of the House of Coxx. Clapp’s talk is called “Creating Space Through Visibility.” 

– William Darity Jr., a public policy professor at Duke known for his work around wealth inequality, will give a talk called “Spanning the Racial Wealth Gulf.” ​

– Mark Dorosin is an Orange County commissioner, co-director of the Julius L. Chambers Center for Civil Rights and UNC law professor. His talk is titled “The Inclusion Solution.”

-Kelly Garvy will discuss her experience founding KillTheBill.com, which tracks bill introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly, in a talk called “State Policy, Design and Busy People.”

-Scott Holmes is an attorney and North Carolina Central University professor who recently represented activists accused of toppling a Confederate monument in Durham. His talk is called “Reimagining Justice.”

-Sandra K. Johnson is CEO of SKJ Visioneering, which uses blockchain to let users send money to developing countries. She’ll talk about “Technology Culture for the Betterment of Society.”

-Levelle Moton is an NCCU basketball coach, life coach and motivational speaker. He will deliver a talk title “My Grandma’s Basketball Truth.”

-Mailande Moran is a writer, artist, speaker and consultant who will talk about “Embracing Constraints for Unlimited Creativity.”

For more about the speakers, check out videos from their dress rehearsals on the TEDxDurham Twitter page. 

In addition to speakers, the event will include performances by the African American Dance Ensemble as well as Sara Bloo and Jeremy Lewis, on vocals and handpan, respectively. TEDxDurham also announced on Twitter this week an opening performance by Brazilian percussionist Caique Vidal. 

Tickets are $35 pre-sale and $50 after the first two hundred and fifty tickets are sold.