Dear TEDxJacksonville supporters, I hope this note finds you healthy and well. TEDxJacksonville celebrated a successful youth conference on March 3rd and a week later our world had completely changed. COVID-19 has transformed the way we interact with one another. It has also made us truly appreciate the tenderness of a hug and the joy we get from our loved ones. Isolation and quarantine were followed by heartache and hopelessness over the senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Our community has been grappling with the crushing realities of racism. Each individual is searching for ways in which they can contribute, learn and unlearn, and make a difference. Current circumstances and imperatives prevent us from hosting our annual conference and, as a result, we are postponing our October 17^th conference to the fall of 2021.  All 2020 speaker applications will be rolled over for consideration for next year’s event. But that doesn’t mean we are going to remain silent for the rest of the year. TEDxJacksonville’s mission is to open minds with inspiring ideas. As such, we have decided to lend our platform to have important one-on-one conversations on Anti-Racism. This August, we are launching Small Great Conversations. This series will feature past TEDxJacksonville speakers and give them space to have a dialogue on Anti-Racism as it pertains to their area of expertise, whether it be the legal system, the arts, education and more. These candid conversations will be free of charge and available to anyone who is interested in learning a new perspective and wants to ask questions in a safe space. Thus far, 2020 has been anything but normal and that’s okay. We can use this time to create a new normal by amplifying ideas that lead to transformative change. Sincerely, Sabeen Perwaiz