Acacia Salatti, deputy director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke Thursday at the 27th Annual Black World Conference.

On Thursday, the 27^th annual Black World Conference hosted keynote speaker Acacia Salatti, who spoke on her ideas for change.

Salatti, who is deputy director for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, presented information on her role with the department, as well as its objectives.

Salatti told the story of her success, which began in the South. Her great-grandparents grew up in Bamberg, S.C. and witnessed civil rights activists firsthand. They, along with the rest of her family, provided the guidance and support Salatti said she needed to get to where she is today. Before her appointment as deputy director Salatti served as lead staffer for the House Democratic Faith Working Group.

The Health and Human Services Department serves as a symbol of hope for the troubled times the country is in. “The core is to build these partnerships, and we can help build these organizations in communities,” said Salatti, who holds a master’s in divinity from Emory University. “The goal is to have faith-based organizations serve people in need.”

Salatti outlined a four-step process to achieve their goal based around strengthening the community, lowering the rate of teen pregnancies, and collaboration with leaders and scholars.

Throughout her presentation was the idea of Ubuntu, which focuses on relationships we have with one another. “Our very humanity is linked to our connections in others, I am because you are,” says Salatti, who believes that public servants are the best way to achieve possibility.

She ended her speech saying “We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and thank all those who have come before us and made the impossible, possible.”