In this brutally honest and provocative talk, Kevin Powell offers his own life journey to illustrate how we can transform our concepts of manhood. Raised by a single mother in the inner city, Kevin’s rites of passage were typical of many heterosexual males: sports, violence, and viewing women and girls as mother figures or sexual objects, and nothing more. This view of women and girls exploded when, in his early 20s, he pushed a girlfriend into a bathroom door during an argument. Decades later, thanks to years of therapy, study, healing, and a commitment to growth and change, Kevin has become a solution-oriented writer, activist and speaker seeking to re-define manhood around nonviolence, peace, love, healthy self-expression, and as an ally to women and people of all gender identities.

Introduction by Nina Simons, Bioneers Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Strategist.

This speech was given at the 2018 Bioneers Conference. Read the full text version.

To find out more about Kevin Powell and his work, please visit his website.

View more keynotes, transcripts, and more from the 2018 Bioneers Conference.