Deja Foxx

Yeah, I mean, my introduction to TED Talks were through my public school education.

My teachers would put them on on the board and we would watch and

I had never really thought about if I were to give one what I would say.

And when the opportunity came, I sat with what I knew.

And what I know is that teen girls have some of the solutions to save us from some of our biggest problems.

I know that my friends have built new and amazing strategies to protect themselves and me.

and that I've built political power online that has translated into real-world impacts.

And so as I was thinking about what to write, going through the process, I had to remind myself that I didn't need a Ph.D., even though some of the people here definitely have those.

I needed to lean into my experience, what I knew.

Yeah, people hate everything teenage girls like.

My final essay I ever wrote in college was, why don't we call selfies self-portraits?

And I've been interested in this question academically.

But also in praxis, like, you know, I think about my first viral moment, which was me going toe-to-toe with my senator, Republican senator, who voted to take away my access to birth control funding.

And in that moment, I asked why he, as this middle-aged white man, was making these decisions about me and my body.

Sure.

Even though he'd been dodging me and all these other activists who'd been outside of his office attempting to have a conversation with him.

And he, the politician he was—

told me that he supports policies that support the American dream.

And I asked him why he would deny me the American dream, right, as birth control is helping me to be successful, go on to higher education.

And overnight, that video went viral.