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Dr. Sheena Howard, a professor in ������ý����’s Department of Communication, Journalism and Media, will present an upcoming TEDx Talk about self-empowerment.

Howard was one of 12 individuals selected to present on the theme of education in entertainment during an event called TEDxChestnutStreetStudio. In “Three Self-Empowerment Truths That Will Set You Free,” Howard identifies self-empowerment as the single most important tool in achieving the highest version of self. 

“I’ve found that the most important place that empowerment can come from is within. Even when it feels like everyone is doubting you, confidence in yourself can propel you forward,” says Howard, a scholar of Black comics whose multifaceted career has earned her accolades in several fields. 

She is the first Black woman to win an Eisner Award, which is considered the Oscars of comics, for her first book, Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation (2013). Among her many other projects, which include directing a documentary film and writing fiction, Howard is also the author of 2017's Encyclopedia of Black Comics and the co-writer of Superb, one of the first comic books ever to feature a superhero with Down syndrome.

Recently, she served as the editor of a book-length collection of essays called Why Wakanda Matters, which examines the enormous cultural impact and financial success of the 2018 movie Black Panther. Howard has appeared on NPR, ABC, BBC, PBS and many other networks and has twice received a proclamation from the City of Philadelphia.

Speakers for the TEDxChestnutStreetStudio come from an assortment of backgrounds, including entrepreneurship, sports and optometry. TEDx programs are local, self-organized events that bring people together in the spirit of TED, the nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas usually in the form of short, powerful talks. More than 3,000 TEDx events are now held annually.

Howard’s TEDx presentation will be live  around the end of September.