Lee Thomas: How I help people understand vitiligo
Lee Thomas has loved to watch, write and share stories his entire life. Full bio
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in Lawton, Oklahoma,
between TV reporter or actor.
with such spirit when she comes."
is getting white patches,
"Eyewitness News" in New York City.
right in the eye and said,
where you lose your pigment.
but there a-la-la-la-la".
All I heard was, "My career is over."
instead of to detention,
part of my college expenses,
and keep it moving.
It's TV, baby, right?
and everything's cool.
went very well for years.
in New York City
and ever-changing.
and I'm wearing the makeup
I'm the TV guy.
and it was like being a leper.
to the other side of the sidewalk,
to the other side of life.
till I get my mind right.
into this angry, grumpy, spotted guy.
and do what they gonna do.
to react with negativity,
the change had to start with me.
when I got this disease,
staring at every new spot
have that same opportunity
more difficult than I thought.
and this dude is like staring at me,
in the side of my head.
he's staring at me,
checking out, he's staring at me,
he's still staring at me,
and I go, "Hey buddy, what's up!"
it's not life-threatening,
for like five minutes.
of our conversation, he says,
didn't have 'vitilargo'" --
but he was trying, so --
you'd look just like that guy on TV."
yeah, I get that, I get that, yeah."
to watch the kids play.
this little girl wasn't paying attention,
into my leg and falls down, pretty hard.
and help the little girl
she wasn't trying to be mean.
and put my hands by my side.
and three days on that one.
to get my mind around the fact
that I could not smile away.
reaching on the bottom shelf,
"You've got a boo-boo?"
same age, little girl,
so I look up at the mom,
you have a boo-boo."
a boo-boo, no, not at all."
I'm not hurt at all, I'm fine."
reaches out with that little hand
the chocolate into the vanilla
worth fighting for,
positive changes in your life,
I thought I was going to lose my job,
and explain this to them,
and focused it back on the kid
all over the country.
and celebrated World Vitiligo Day.
living with this disease,
in front of a room full of strangers
the toughest stories in his life
that you all just smiled back.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lee Thomas - Broadcast journalist, diversity advocateLee Thomas has loved to watch, write and share stories his entire life.
Why you should listen
An Emmy-winning entertainment reporter, Lee Thomas's movie review show, "CriticLee Speaking," and his reports originate from WJBK Fox 2 in Detroit, Michigan. Turning White, Thomas's personal memoir of living with the skin disease vitiligo, gained world attention launching his passion to create a clear global path for self acceptance, diversity and inclusion. He is the global spokesperson for the Vitiligo Society of London and Vstrong USA as well as a Certified Diversity Professional with the National Diversity Council (NDCCDP).
Lee Thomas | Speaker | TED.com