A Bold Idea to Rebuild the Working Class | Molly Hemstreet | TED

Struggling communities don’t need handouts — they need bold new ways to root wealth. Meet Molly Hemstreet — a TED Fellow, Southern Appalachia native and cofounder of worker support network the Industrial Commons — who’s flipping the script on generational poverty by turning textile waste into $9-per-pound yarn and factory workers into business owners. Discover how her long-haul approach is rebuilding rural economies stitch by stitch, proving that opportunity grows when we stop extracting and start empowering. (Recorded at TED Fellows Films 2025 on April 8, 2025)

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Post from TED on September 01, 2025

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