Posted 9:32 a.m. Friday, April 11, 2025
What does it mean to think and act globally in a rapidly changing world? How can we build an inclusive future where disability justice, racial equality, and gender equality are not seen as threats, but as essential pillars of a democratic, equitable society?
These questions were explored by Sona Kazemi, Ph.D., assistant professor of Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, in a powerful TEDxUWLaCrosse talk on October 10, 2024. The event, held at The Bluffs in the Student Union, drew a packed audience and featured three dynamic speakers, each offering unique perspectives on overcoming adversity, fostering global solidarity, and transforming individual and collective narratives. Alongside Kazemi were Andrew Ives, Ed.D., director of the UWL ACCESS Center, and UWL Alumna Carolyn Colleen Bostrack, Ph.D., author, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.
During her talk, Kazemi recounted her experience growing up in Iran, where schools, transportation, and public spaces were segregated by gender. She shared the traumatic memory of being attacked and forcibly dragged onto a minibus by the Iranian state’s morality police at the age of 14. In 2022, 22 years later, Kazemi was reminded of that brutal moment when Mahsa Zhina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, was beaten to death by the same morality police — a tragedy that sparked the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement across Iran.
Kazemi challenged the audience to reflect on what can be learned from this unprecedented feminist uprising and its broader implications for social justice movements worldwide.
“I ask you to step out of your comfort zones of indifference, stereotypes, and political correctness,” she said. “See us for who we are — just like you — yearning for gender equality, freedom, and democracy.”
Kazemi concluded her talk by leading the audience in a powerful chant: “Women. Life. Freedom.”
Watch Sona Kazemi's TEDx talk: Watch the full talk.
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Learn more about TEDxUWLaCrosse and TEDx.
About Kazemi
Kazemi’s research and teaching emphasizes the intersections of race, gender and health. Deeply committed to exploring issues of systemic inequities and fostering critical dialogues around marginalized communities, she has written numerous books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and been featured in popular media. Her first monograph, “Disabling Relations: Wounded Bodyminds & Transnational Praxis,” is under contract with Temple University Press and scheduled to come out in October 2025. In addition to her UWL classes, she continues to share her knowledge and experience with the wider UWL and La Crosse community. This spring she was the featured speaker for a UWL Women's History Month luncheon.