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Gen Z activist Deja Foxx is the first content creator to speak at the convention

Deja Foxx attends Global Citizen Festival 2023 at Central Park on September 23, 2023 in New York City.
Rob Kim
/
Getty Images for Global Citizen
Deja Foxx attends Global Citizen Festival 2023 at Central Park on September 23, 2023 in New York City.

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.


Politicians aren't the only ones with speaking slots tonight.

Deja Foxx, one of more than 200 content creators credentialed at the Democratic National Convention, also addressed the crowd Monday night. She described her childhood — being raised by a single mom, growing up in public housing and going to Planned Parenthood for health services.

"Because of policies that lift people up, I walked through the gates of my dream school as a first-generation college student," she said. "People my age are making big decisions about our lives, and we deserve a president who has our back."

Watch Foxx's full remarks:

Foxx lives in Tucson, Ariz. and has more than 140,000 followers on TikTok and 52,000 followers on Instagram.

In an interview with NPR after her remarks, Foxx argued that the DNC's decision to welcome hundreds of content creators sends a powerful message.

"It signals to young people, a presidency that will listen to them, that will respond to them, and that has young people in the room," she said, adding that getting the opportunity to speak herself as a creator signifies something larger.

"It is a reminder that the future of politics and political figures will look different with Gen Z."


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Elena Moore is a production assistant for the NPR Politics Podcast. She also fills in as a reporter for the NewsDesk. Moore previously worked as a production assistant for Morning Edition. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she worked for the Washington Desk as an editorial assistant, doing both research and reporting. Before coming to NPR, Moore worked at NBC News. She is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is originally and proudly from Brooklyn, N.Y.