On Tuesday, September 23, Violet Affleck, the 19-year-old daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, stood before the United Nations and delivered a fiery, emotional plea for clean air, transparency, and renewed urgency in the fight against COVID-19. Wearing a KN95 mask, Violet spoke not just as the daughter of Hollywood stars, but as a Yale freshman and a young advocate determined to reshape how society approaches public health.
Violet began with a searing observation: “We are told by leaders across the board that we are the future. But when it comes to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes.”
© UN YoutubeShe criticized what she described as a culture of denial—adults and leaders pushing a “relentless beat of back to normal” while downplaying the realities of airborne transmission and long COVID. Her frustration was clear: young people, she said, had little choice in how the pandemic was handled, yet they were left to deal with the fallout.
Science at the Center
The Yale freshman, who published a paper on Los Angeles County wildfires earlier this year, came armed with research. She explained in plain terms what scientists have been emphasizing: “SARS-CoV-2 is airborne, floating and lingering in the air, one infection can result in disabling damage to almost every cell in the body from the brain and heart to the nerves and blood vessels.”
She highlighted the increasing risks of repeated infections, quoting Yale immunologist Dr. Akiko Iwasaki: “At this point, the whole population is the control group.” Violet underscored how, in just five years, long COVID has already become more common than asthma among children under five.
Fighting for Children’s Futures
In perhaps the most moving part of her speech, Violet said she was “terrified” for children who may grow up never knowing a life without fatigue and pain from long COVID. She did not mince words: “It is a neglect of the highest order to look children in the eyes and say, ‘We knew how to protect you and we didn’t do it.’”
Her call was urgent and deeply human as she acknowledged that technology exists to protect people from airborne diseases, but is being ignored.
© FilmMagicLinking Past Battles to Today
Violet drew a sharp comparison to another public health fight: the movement to ban indoor smoking. She recalled being confused as a child by “no smoking” signs on airplanes, laughing with the audience as she wondered who would even try that. Her point was clear: what once seemed normal became unthinkable through collective action.
“My hope for this event and my belief in this community pressed on the belief that we can and we must do that again,” she said. “We can recognize filtered air as a human right, as intuitively as we do filtered water.”
A Consistent Advocate
This was not Violet’s first time speaking up. Back in July, she addressed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, advocating for mask access, high-quality free testing, and protections against mask bans. There, she revealed she contracted a post-viral condition in 2019, years before the pandemic. “I’m OK now,” she said, “but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses.” At the time, Violet's speech touched upon the broader implications of post-viral conditions.
"One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological and cardiovascular illness that can take away people's ability to work, see, move, and even think," Violet explained. She highlighted that COVID has had a greater impact on vulnerable communities nationwide. As Violet advances in her college education, her initiatives to raise awareness and influence public health policies stand as an inspiring example of how individual voices can help create a healthier future for everyone.
© GC ImagesViolet Affleck’s speech was more than just a moment of youthful idealism. It was a wake-up call and a demand for clean air infrastructure, better pandemic preparedness, and a cultural shift in how society values public health.
Her vision includes a future where filtered air is so widespread and essential that future generations won’t even question why it’s there. Violet is ready to spend the coming years making sure leaders, policymakers, and citizens everywhere face the reality of airborne disease and finally act on it.
