Changing Civil Rights Through Technology | Kendall Spencer | TEDxBeaconStreetSalon
It is no secret that technology permeates every aspect of American life today. Over the past few decades technological innovation has led to advances in communication, efficiency, services and access to justice. While most discussions seeking to untether the mystery of technology and its long term effects focuses on the devices themselves, civil rights and other critical areas of American life continue to be ignored. While technology might not change the presence of certain rights in today's culture, it does change the way we express them. This talk discusses the impact of technology on civil rights and how we might anticipate changes in the way we express these freedoms moving forward. Kendall Spencer, became the first student-athlete to serve on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors in 2015 as part of the new governance structure. Spencer recently served as chair of the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee after joining National SAAC in 2013. His leadership within college athletics helped athletes successfully advocate for representation and voting power at all levels of the NCAA governance structure. He has lead quarterly National SAAC meetings, established priority items and guides other leaders on discussions on legislation, health and safety issues and various student-athlete initiatives. Since then, he's spoken to a variety of audiences on the intricacies of college athletics as they relate to student-athletes and the greater model of higher education. Recently he helped National SAAC conduct the most comprehensive survey to date of current student-athletes on their overall experience in college. Results from this survey are leading the ongoing discussion of student-athlete time demands in Division I and other divisions.
Spencer earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Business and Sociology from the University of New Mexico. After graduation, he studied Neuroscience at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and in the wake of the nation’s controversy on racial injustice decided that his talents were best served in the legal industry. As a student-athlete, Spencer has won a National Championship in the Long Jump, earned First Team All-American honors in addition to numerous conference honors and has since competed at the Olympic Trials. Having spent a year coaching at Harvard, Kendall is currently attending Georgetown University Law School and hopes to use the lessons learned in intercollegiate athletics to serve the community through advocacy and ultimately pursue a career in government/public policy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx