He and Darius prove that idealism and creativity can result in tangible progress. Part revolution, part revelation, this film proves to people of all ages how life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

In this multi-award-winning documentary, fifteen-year-old Darius Weems and eleven of his best friends set off across America with the ultimate goal of getting his wheelchair customized on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. The result is a rarely seen testament to the explosive idealism of today’s youth, as well as a vivid portrayal of adventure, of brotherhood, and of the character and strength it takes to shed light on an uncertain future.

Not only does Darius Weems bravely face his own inevitable fate with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but through his unflinching humor and his extraordinary laugh, he sparks a revolution in the lives of everyone who crosses–and then shares–his courageous path.

]]> http://verbatimlectures.com/smalley/feed/ 0 http://verbatimlectures.com/garry/ http://verbatimlectures.com/garry/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:55:25 +0000 admin http://verbatimlectures.com/wordpress/?p=279 The Huffington Post, and frequently contributes commentary to major news publications and TV networks.]]> Joan M. Garry, former Executive Director of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), is recognized as one of the most vocal, passionate and effective civil rights leaders in America.

Garry began her professional career as part of the management team that launched MTV in 1981 and it is that experience that shaped her view that the media profoundly influence the attitudes and opinions of people on nearly every issue.  With her 1997 appointment as executive director of GLAAD, a position she held for eight years, Joan realized she had connected her professional experience with her powerful voice.

Whether it was debating Jerry Falwell and Bill O’Reilly, or taking on The New York Times and persuading the Times to change its policy to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has been at the forefront of issues that mean something to her family and to countless other families across America.  This was never more evident than during the transformational election of 2008, when Garry was the Co-chair of the National LGBT Finance Committee for Obama for America, leading a committee of 75 fundraisers nationwide to engage and mobilize the LGBT community to champion the candidacy of President-elect Obama.

Currently a featured blogger at The Huffington Post, Garry is working to help Americans connect the front page to the world in their own back yards. She offers commentary on issues of relevance to the gay community as a columnist with The Washington Blade, and her personal essays have been published in The Newark Star Ledger, The New York Times and elsewhere.

Program Descriptions

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time:  LGBT Equality

As one of America’s most prominent gay rights leaders, Garry offers thoughts on the current state of the movement,  examines it in terms of historical context and considers its trajectory over the next 5-10 years.  She addresses the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of leadership, and proposes (and answers) difficult questions about the most effective ways to achieve success.

Goal-Oriented, Team-Driven Leadership

After a decade at the helm of one of the most visible gay rights organizations in America, Garry’s perspectives on leadership are authentic and unique.  From debating Jerry Falwell to persuading the New York Times to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has demonstrated leadership attributes that are forceful, effective and at the same time empathetic and respectful.  In her lecture, she shares the lessons gleaned from both her tenure as the Executive Director of GLAAD, and during the preceding fourteen years as a cable television executive with positions in strategic planning and new business development.

Media and its Impact on Changing Hearts and Minds

Historically, civil rights movements have focused on government, politics and the law to effect change.  The gay civil rights movement may have been the first to recognize and understand the power of the media to shape attitudes and opinions.   Garry shares the history and successes of this media activism, offering valuable lessons on the power of media advocacy to bring an issue to light and in so doing, change hearts and minds.

Activism: A How-To Guide

As a prominent civil rights leader with demonstrated success in effecting change, Garry speaks about what it means to be an activist, the forms activism can take and the strategies and tactics that can be employed to move people to action.

Making a Difference in Non-Profit America:
Can You Really Making A Living Doing Something You Care About?

Garry tells her own story – diving into a non-profit leadership role after a successful career as a media executive – and offers insight into non-profit work – the skills and expertise she brought with her from corporate America and the new ones she unearthed.

Bio

Garry plays a critical role as a visible media spokesperson and critic.  In 1999, Entertainment Weekly featured her on its list of the “100 Most Influential People In Entertainment.”  Garry’s articulate advocacy has been featured across all national news networks, with notable media appearances including NBC’s “Today;” ABC’s “World News Tonight;” PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer;” CNN’s “NewsNight with Aaron Brown;” CNBC’s “Dennis Miller Live;” numerous appearances on CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC (including “Hardball” with Chris Matthews) and Fox News Channel (including “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Hannity & Colmes”).

Her comments are frequently sought by leading newspapers, magazines and news services, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age and PR Week, among others; and her thought-provoking op-ed essays have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and USA Today.

During her eight-year tenure at GLAAD, Garry led the organization through a series of high-profile campaigns, most notably GLAAD’s highly successful public education initiative to combat and expose the defamatory rhetoric of “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger.

Garry lives in New Jersey with her partner of 27 years and their three children. Her landmark 1993 court challenge to New Jersey’s second-parent adoption law made Garry the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner’s biological children.  She also blogs with and about her kids at www.whosthegrownup.com, and on her own at www.joangarry.com.  In the spirit of using her voice to advocate for change, Garry is the first and only female singing member of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.

In Economic Gangsters, Fisman and Miguel use economics to get inside the heads of these gangsters, and propose solutions that can make a difference to the world’s poor, including cash infusions to defuse violence in times of drought and steering the World Bank away from aid programs most susceptible to corruption.

These two sleuthing economists follow the foreign aid money trail into the grasping hands of corrupt governments and shady underworld characters around the globe, and invite audiences to witness ingenious black marketeers game the international system; follow the steep rise and fall of stock prices of companies with unseemly connections to Indonesia’s former dictator; see what rainfall has to do with witch killings in Tanzania…and much more.

Professor Fisman was a consultant in the Africa Division of the World Bank for a year before taking his position at Columbia in 1999. His current research focuses on corruption and more broadly on what makes people do bad things (he also sometimes thinks about why people do good things).  He also writes a monthly column for Slate magazine.

Program Descriptions:

Corruption…is it nature, nurture or the price of doing business?:
The economics and psychology of why people do bad things

Professor Raymond Fisman, a leading forensic economist and writer, gives us a glimpse into the dark side of government and business in this discussion of the ‘who,’ ‘what,’ and ‘why’ of global corruption.

In looking back on the unraveling of America’s financial sector, we’ve heard a chorus of allegations of Wall Street corruption from Presidential candidates, business pundits, and many others. Now, with a trillion dollar government bailout in the offing, concern has shifted to possible future corruption: will these funds serve Main Street’s economic interests or line the pockets of special interests instead? But how much corruption is there really? And was it really to blame for the current mess? In reality, it’s hard to say – corruption, by its very nature, takes place out of sight (at least when it’s done right). Yet researchers in the rapidly expanding field of “forensic economics” are figuring out ways to find the fingerprints left in the data by bribe-taking politicians, smugglers, and other lawbreakers.

Why do people take or offer bribes? And what lies behind seemingly senseless acts of violence? There aren’t simply a few bad apples out there doing all the lying, stealing, and cheating. Rather, there are circumstances that make people choose virtue, and circumstances that make them choose vice. Sometimes it’s the cold, rational calculation of Economic Gangsters…and, sometimes the somewhat irrational (but still entirely predictable) foibles of human psychology. Fisman presents a lively discussion of the economics and psychology of what makes people lie, cheat, and steal; and maybe also a little about what might make them do the right thing.

Best Practices in Non-Profit Governance and Philanthropy:
Measuring and Sustaining Success

How are nonprofits governed? What is the role of the board in helping organizations achieve their missions? What are the common failings in achieving these goals? Fisman draws on survey results on non-profit governance and recent research to discuss a framework for diagnosing the effectiveness of nonprofit boards, and for producing a high-performing board. These concepts are essential for those charged with the task of running non-profits (board and executive) and also the donors and foundations that fund them.

Given the current market conditions and the tenuous state of many organizations’ endowments, givers have to be a lot more careful with both their investments and with their giving strategy.  Non-profits, particularly, have to be especially wary, and good governance really is now more important than ever.

Fisman has extensive teaching experience in the area of non-profit governance. He has been an instructor for the past 5 years in the Stanford Executive Education program for Philanthropy Leaders, given two-day seminars on governance for arts non-profits through National Arts Strategies, and teaches governance in the Columbia Business School program for art curators.

For more, see Fisman’s article at Forbes.com entitled The Way We Give Now: Philanthropy in Times of Meltdown.

Bio

Raymond Fisman is the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise and Director of the Social Enterprise Program at the Columbia Business School. Professor Fisman received his Ph.D. in Business Economics at Harvard University. He worked as a consultant in the Africa Division of the World Bank for a year before taking his position at Columbia in 1999. Professor Fisman’s research focuses on corruption and more broadly on what makes people do bad things (he also sometimes thinks about why people do good things). His work has been published in leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics. He has had work published in such popular venues as Forbes, The New York Post and elsewhere.