Dawn Edwards is the Vice President of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. She earned a BA in Political Science, a Master of Public Administration, completed law school, and has recently graduated from the graduate program at Mills College. Here, she speaks about both her own experience being in the LGBTQ community and about some of the work the Oakland LGBTQ center has done for the community. Dawn (she/her) is the Vice President of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. She earned a BA in Political Science, a Master of Public Administration, completed three years of law school, and has recently graduated from the graduate program at Mills College. In her spare time, Dawn is a published author, and is a social and political activist who believes that she has the responsibility to use her words, whether they be written or verbal, to uplift, motivate and specifically address issues that affect her community. 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