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Rising from the mud: Debra Barksdale at TEDxUNC

2,382 views · Published 20 March 2014 · 11:35 · Indexed 11 October 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2014 · Nonprofits & Activism

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UNC Associate Professor Dr. Debra Barksdale researches stress and cardiovascular disease in Black Americans. Her talk "Rising from the Mud" described the African Sankofa bird, teaching us how to look back at our past: "san" to look, "ko" to seek and "fa" to take. Dr. Barksdale told the story of a tshirt given to her by a former teacher, which read in Latin, "Dux Femina Facti"- a woman was the leader- a phrase that has inspired Dr. Barsdale's life. She closed with the quote, "Even if you are from the mud, find the inspiration and the direction that you need from life. It's OK to look back, it's OK take. But ultimately give back to the next generation. Pull someone out of the mud. Sankofa."

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