Valarie Kaur
Valarie Kaur is a seasoned racial justice activist, civil rights lawyer, author and award-winning filmmaker. She burst into the American consciousness in the wake of the 2016 election when her Watch Night Service address went viral with 30+ million views worldwide. Her question, “What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb – but the darkness of the womb?” reframed the political moment and became a mantra for people fighting for change. Valarie now leads the Revolutionary Love Project to reclaim love as a force for justice in America. She is also the founder of Groundswell Movement, Faithful Internet, and Yale’s Visual Law Project.
Valarie’s work has won policy change on hate crimes, racial profiling, immigration detention, solitary confinement, Internet freedom, and more. Her acclaimed documentary, Divided We Fall, on post-9/11 hate crime is the winner of 12 international awards and offers vital historical context to this country’s current crisis of hate and nationalism.
A daughter of Sikh farmers in California’s heartland, Valarie has earned degrees at Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School, and Yale Law School. She was named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum. She has been a regular commentator on MSNBC and contributor to CNN, NPR, PBS, the Hill, Huffington Post, and the Washington Post.
Keynote, workshop and training topics include Revolutionary Love: The Call of Our Times; A New Generation of Women’s Leadership and the Meaning of Success; Divided We Fall: Race, Religion, and Ending Hate in America; and more.
Valarie’s highly-anticipated new book, REVOLUTIONARY LOVE, is coming in June from Random House One World. The book expands on the themes she introduces in her popular TED Talk.
“The way we make change is just as important as the change we make.” – Valarie Kaur
“Valarie Kaur was one of the most exceptional speakers/ thinkers I have ever heard…one of the most compelling young voices in America today.” – Melissa Harris-Perry
“Be ready to be moved and inspired, be ready to be motivated, be ready to open your hearts and expand your mind.” – America Ferrera, award-winning actress, producer and activist
“Valarie gave the best Martin Luther King talk in 27 years at Florida International University. Dr. King would have smiled with delight, as I did!” – MLK Committee member, Florida International University
“life-changing” and “the most enlightening experience of our lives” – Students at the University of Illinois
“Your plenary address was stunning and your words sent people away with a new fire in their hearts.” – Parliament of World’s Religions
“A standout figure…at the forefront of progressive change.” – Center for American Progress
Books, Films & Projects
Clips
The TED Talk: 3 lessons of revolutionary love in a time of rage (over 2.5 million views)
Poor People’s Campaign Watch Night Service speech at the historic Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, DC (over 30 million views)
Forgiveness is not forgetting, forgiveness is freedom from hate: 2015 Parliament of World's Religions
Seva: The Call of Our Times: Sermon at the Pentagon
News
Coming in June! Valarie Kaur’s debut book, REVOLUTIONARY LOVE, hits shelves in June 2020.