Look Who it Was Random video

Bulldozers and Cranes | Jo'el Thomas-Jones | TEDxDayton

983 views · Published 24 February 2017 · 10:02 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

Watch on YouTube

This talk, Bulldozers and Cranes, is an exploration into the disappearance of urban minority middle-class neighborhoods. The term Bulldozers and Cranes is a metaphor for the social ills that have contributed to the demise of urban neighborhoods. Jo'el Thomas-Jones challenges the audience to analyze the effects of diminishing urban neighborhoods and how their disappearance affects children and their ability to thrive socially, as well as how neighborhoods serve as important indicators of personal character.

Jo’el Thomas-Jones is a native Daytonian who has had the opportunity to live outside of Ohio and travel extensively abroad. Those experiences have led her back to Dayton. Since returning, Jo’el has been an active member of the community: She is a key organizer in the Dayton Peace Bridge March and a coordinator for Montgomery County veterans. As a part of the Dayton League of Women Voters, she hosted a town hall on campaign finance reform. While researching race and settlement in Dayton, she wrote and produced a documentary on race relations. Jo’el’s motto is “all life has value,” which has defined her work in Neighborhoods Over Politics, a nonprofit whose mission is to end disinvestment and deplorable conditions in underserved neighborhoods.
 

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

More from this channel