Olivia Julianna
editOlivia Julianna is an American political activist and strategist from Texas. She is the Director of Politics & Government Affairs for Gen-Z for Change. She focuses on using social media to encourage civic engagement on topics such as abortion rights and climate pollution.
Life
editOlivia Julianna was born on November 17th, 2002 in Houston, Texas. The activist goes by her first and middle name publicly for safety.[1] She identifies as a "queer, plus-size, disabled Latina" and is a fourth-generation Texan.[2] She is of Mexican-American descent.[3] It wasn't until mid-2021 that she considered herself a political activist.[3] In December 2022, Bloomberg Media named her one of the 50 Most Influential people who defined 2022.[4] She also attended the 2023 State of the Union Address as a guest of U.S. representative Nanette Barragán.[5] She attended University of Houston - Victoria where she majored in Political Science. As of February 2023, she plans to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in 2024. She credits the American Rescue Plan for sending her to college, allowing her to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. [6][2]
Activism
editOlivia Julianna uses social media for her posts about election results, political causes, and activism. She is most active on TikTok and Twitter, with an audience of over 1 million, as of 2022, across all her social platforms.[3]
Gen-Z for Change
editAs a digital content creator, Julianna began developing political social media content during the 2020 United States presidential election.[3] Julianna became involved with Gen-Z for Change.[3] In October 2022, she became its director of politics and government affairs.[3] This is a collective of Gen-Z activists that use social media to raise awareness and fundraise for causes.[7]
Fight against Texas Right to Life
editTexas Right to Life is a non-profit organization that believes in "fight for the rights of the unborn". This organization is the oldest and largest statewide Pro-life organization in Texas.[8]. They created a way to anonymously report abortions[1]. This Senate Bill 8 allows anyone to sure those who perform an abortion, or helps someone access the procedure. [9] She posted a video on TikTok in which she explained that people could submit any content as a way. The website ultimately crashed, and the hosting site ended its relationship with Texas Right to Life. [10]
Abortion Funds
editIn July 2022, US Republican Congressman representative Matt Gaetz tweeted criticism directed at Julianna and publicly made comments about her body at the Turning Point USA summit in Florida.[3][11][2] She then rallied her Twitter followers to donate money into an abortion fund, and supporters donated more than $2 million to the Gen-Z for Choice Abortion Fund. [5][12]
References
edit- ^ a b Stengle, Jamie; Ortutay, Barbara (2021-09-07). "Activists focus on tip site in protesting Texas abortion law". Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ a b c Bass, Dina (2022-12-14). "Olivia Julianna, the Young Activist Fighting for Abortion Rights". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dao, Dan Q. (2022-11-03). "Olivia Julianna Wants to Turn Texas". Paper Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Bloomberg 50: The People and Ideas That Defined Global Business in 2022". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ a b Rahman, Khaleda (2023-02-08). "Matt Gaetz confronted at State of the Union by activist he body-shamed". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "About Gen-Z for Change". Gen-Z for Change. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ "About Gen-Z for Change". Gen-Z for Change. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ^ "Texas Right to Life | Builders of a Pro-Life Texas". texasrighttolife.com. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ^ Bowman, E (July 11, 2022). "As states ban abortion, the Texas bounty law offers a way to survive legal challenges". NPR.
- ^ "Sugar Land TikTok star helps take down abortion reporting website: 'Fight for women'". ABC13 Houston. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ Jones, Dustin (July 28, 2022). "A Texas teen raises over $700,000 for abortions after Rep. Matt Gaetz mocked her". NPR. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Matt Gaetz confronted by activist he body-shamed at State of the Union". The Independent. 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-11.