Violet Affleck, the 19-year-old daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations on Tuesday. As an IQL alongside a Yale University undergraduate, she focused on the enduring impact of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. She emphasized its importance in shaping her generation and passionately lobbied for clean air infrastructure.
At least during her address, Affleck was clad in an N95 mask, a reminder and a shield from the ongoing health crisis. She staked out her turf on the lack of attention paid to youth health through environmental policy. “I represent a generation that in many ways already knows how we’ve been failed,” Affleck stated, emphasizing the urgency of her message.
Affleck’s advocacy is nothing new – she recently made headlines with her push for clean air regulations during COVID-19. In May 2024, she published an academic research paper titled “A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles” in the Yale Global Health Review. The study shed light on her experiences during the Los Angeles wildfires of late this past year. It made interesting comparisons between the responses to COVID-19 and climate change.
In her speech, Affleck painted an alarming picture of our children’s health. She noted that development of new symptoms in children may persist for at least three months post-infection with SARS-CoV-2. Her research offers deep, granular evidence of this persistence. “I am terrified for the children who do not or soon will not know a world without debilitating pain and exhaustion,” she remarked, reflecting her deep concern for future generations.
Additionally, Affleck has been on the frontlines of civic engagement. In July 2024, she addressed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to oppose mask bans amid ongoing COVID-19 cases. Together with her advocacy, this work exemplifies Munira’s commitment to empowering the voices of youth. She helps them amplify their voice in these important conversations around public health, environmental justice and policy.
Affleck’s vision extends beyond immediate concerns. She dreams of a world where clean air infrastructure, like the curb cut, is a universal default. “We can recognize filtered air as a human right as intuitively as we do filtered water,” she asserted. Her goal is clear: to create a future where clean air is taken for granted, so that “tomorrow’s children don’t even know why we need it.”
