Why We Must Empower Women Around the World: Maria Bello at TEDxMidAtlantic

Maria Bello is an internationally renowned actor and women's rights activist and the co-founder of We Advance (www.weadvance.org). We Advance is a women's movement and NGO based in Cite Soleil, Haiti. The organization advocates for women throughout the country to have full political, economic, and social participation. Having starred in over 30 movies (including "Coyote Ugly," "A History of Violence," and "The Cooler"), Bello has had several nominations and wins for her acting, including the Golden Globe Awards and the NY Film Critic's Awards. She was most recently seen playing Det. Jane Timoney on the critically acclaimed NBC drama "Prime Suspect,"" as well as Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups Two," slated for a summer 2013 release. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)