When Cheryl Jefferson started getting indigestion from all the words she was holding back, she knew it was time to speak up. So she spoke up for love and won a writing competition. She spoke up for health and won several artists in residence. But when she spoke up for human rights, she began to change the world.

Based on her writing and speaking, Cheryl Jefferson was invited to participate in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. And she was invited to the TEDxIIT stage to explore the topic of Art and "Breaking Criminal Traditions."