Burqueños gathered for a two-day TEDxABQ event chalk full of speakers, dancers, musicians and activities at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Sept. 28 and 29. This year marked the 9th annual TEDxABQ event. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, and TEDxABQ is a yearly independently organized event run by members of the Albuquerque community.
This year was the first time TEDxABQ held a two day event. The event had 20 different speakers and focused on Albuquerque and New Mexico as a whole, delving into issues that hit close to home. Friday’s event was called “Imagine Albuquerque” and Saturday was the main event.
Friday night included six speakers and multiple performers, all who focused on Albuquerque and ideas surrounding the unique heritage and the close knit community of ABQ. Speakers discussed entrepreneurship, education, history, language and teenage pregnancy — and these were just a handful of the topic touched on.
Carlos Medina, a comedian born and raised in New Mexico, focused his talk on the language of northern New Mexicans and their unique ability to seamlessly combine Spanish and English. According to Medina he wouldn’t trade growing up in northern New Mexico for the world.
“If you know where you came from,” Medina said, “you can go anywhere and be who you want to be.”
Monique Fragua is the vice president of operations at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and spoke about being more than a statistic and forging her own path. Fragua was 17 years old when she got pregnant, but her story is more than that.
Fragua said that she was not the first person to be a teenage mother and she would not be the last. She faced her options — become the statistic or rise to the challenge and go above and beyond.
Six months after Fragua gave birth to her daughter she saw an advertisement to prevent teenage pregnancy. She said she felt that everyone was judging her and wrote her story without a second thought. She remembers this ad 18 years later.
“Was this ad supposed to justify our future? Don't count on us, we have nothing to give. We are just teenage mothers,” Fragua said.
Fragua earned her bachelor's degree at 26 and a masters at the age of 29. Her daughter is now attending college. Fragua wrote her own story.
“Let me tell you what that ad failed to mention,” Fragua said. “(Teenage mothers) have passion, we have heart, we have determination. We are not looking for a hand out, we are looking for a hand up…I will never allow someone else to write my story.”
Friday night featured dancers from Esteban E. Garza and Dance Co. and the musicians of the Claudio Toulouse Trio. Attendees were also shown a short video with aerial drone footage of Albuquerque and the surrounding area.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Andrew Lovato, New Mexican author and Historian of Santa Fe, spoke about the importance of history. According to Lovato, history is not just some story, it is the past that shapes the present and in turn the future.
“History matters. It isn't simply a review of events,” Lovato said. “It isn't simply a review of events. History gives us our identity and status in the present. It carries the wounds that cultures carry for generations.”
Lovato challenged attendees to take more honest look a the past.
Mayor Tim Keller kicked off the main event on Saturday by discussing the importance of coming together as a community to solve problems and share new ideas. Keller described Albuquerque as a city on two cross roads, both figuratively and literally.
“I want us to be the best Albuquerque we can be. I want us to be our unique self,” Keller said. “That means looking to each other and to our own background to our own identities to deal with our challenges.”
The second day of events had more dancers and musicians to captivate the audience. These performers included dancers from Esteban E. Garza and Dance Co., Shift Dance and Santa Fe musician Joe West.
Roberta Marquez is a professor at Western New Mexico University. Marquez was once the director of operations at a juvenile detention center and focused her talk on the importance of helping traumatized children heal and what adults can do to prevent further trauma.
According to Marquez when a child experiences trauma it can change a child’s brain, permanently. This can lead a child to be in a constant state of anxiety and hyper-awareness.
“There are three tips for interacting with children: Don’t yell at children. Use calm reassuring tones… teach children calming strategies. Things like deep breathing and visualization can help a child calm their body, mind and spirit,” Marquez said. “Finally, manage your own emotions. Be someone who models positive and productive ways of handling stress.”
Arman Rashidi, PhD candidate in Optical Science and Engineering program at the University of New Mexico, spoke about the potential in optical communication technologies. Rashidi is a research assistant at the Center for High Technology Materials and is currently developing high speed LEDs for future high speed visual communication.
Diana Aranda is a volunteer with TEDxABQ. According to Aranda she used to volunteer with TEDxMIAMI and has been a volunteer ever since. TEDxABQ is a unique and amazing experience. She said that everyone has an idea worth sharing.
“(TEDxABQ) curated the event and speakers beautiful. It had a flow of beauty. In these hard times (TEDxABQ) is hopeful,” Aranda said. “I can believe in humanity again. I can be happy and proud of Albuquerque and New Mexico.”
Megan Holmen is a freelance news and culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com, culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @megan_holmen.
