SXSWORLD

2 8 S X S W O R L D / M A R C H F I L M - I A 2 0 1 4 helsea Clinton is no stranger to negativity. Because she spent most of the '90s as the first daughter of then-President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton, her formative years — already hard enough for any teenager — were made even more challenging by non-stop media attention. As much as her parents tried to shield her from it, for nearly a decade, she was an easy and frequent target for everyone from Rush Limbaugh to the writers at Saturday Night Live. While many kids in similar situations end up much worse for the wear, Clinton always appeared to be focused on making things better not only for herself, but also for her family. Even in the midst of the Monica Lewinsky scandal that plagued her father's second term, it was 18-year-old Chelsea who bridged the gap between her parents by taking each of their hands as the family walked across the White House lawn. e famous photo of that moment revealed what Clinton must have already known: No matter what anyone said about her or the people who raised her, she was going to be just fine. Clinton went on to earn an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, followed by two master's degrees — one from University College, Oxford, and the other from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. roughout the Bush administration, she pretty much stayed out of the spotlight and held jobs in the private sector until 2008, when she joined her mother, then New York Senator Hillary Clinton, on the presidential campaign trail. Now 34, Clinton ismarried, living in New York City and pursuing a doctoral degree. She is also back in the news. But this time around, the stories aren't about her braces or her parents; they are about her philanthropic work. Clinton is the Vice Chair of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, which was founded by her father as the William J. Clinton Foundation in 2001 with the mission to "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interde- pendence." Today, the Clinton Foundation continues its work by partnering with NGOs, governments and people all over the world to positively affect global health, economic growth, climate change and women's rights. e youngest Clinton's main focus as Vice Chair, according to the Foundation's website (clintonfoundation.org), is its health programs, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which strengthens health care and access to lifesaving services in the developing world; the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which fights child- hood obesity in the United States; and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, which addresses preventable disease in the United States. She also, according to her official bio, "works to empower the next generation of change makers to take action on some of the world's most urgent challenges." One urgent challenge that is clearly very close to Clinton's heart is LGBTQ equality. In February, she gave the closing remarks at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's inaugural "Time to THRIVE" con- ference. e goal of the conference, held in Las Vegas, was to address safety, inclusion and well-being for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. While her appearance may have been overshadowed by fellow speaker, actress Ellen Page's coming out at an earlier session, Clinton's message was loud and clear: when it comes to LGBTQ equality, we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. "My mother has often said that the issue of women is the unfinished business of the 21st century," Clinton pointed out. "at is certainly true. But so too are the issues of LGBTQ rights the unfinished business of the 21st century." roughout her 15-minute speech, Clinton thanked the educators, administrators, social workers and others in the room, and more than once, she encouraged them to "cheer, chant and whistle," to acknowl- edge the good work done by attendees. As she's always done, she focused on the positive to inspire change. "I've often been asked why issues of equality are so important to me. Frankly, I don't know why they ask that question," Clinton said during her speech at THRIVE. "is is about the premise and promise of our country. [It's] always marching forward to a more perfect union. I was raised in a family where inertia is not an option." With so many initiatives at the Clinton Foundation, Chelsea Clinton has a lot of work ahead of her. Still, it is easy to believe that she will be just fine, and hopefully, so will the people around the world that she is hoping to help. n Chelsea Clinton will give a keynote address at SXSW Interactive on Tuesday, March 11 at 2pm in the Austin Convention Center's Exhibit Hall 5. Inertia Not an Option in Chelsea Clinton's Quest for Greater Good by Emily Farris C "I've often been asked why issues of equality are so important to me. Frankly, I don't know why they ask that question ... This is about the premise and promise of our country." Chelsea Clilnton P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E C L I N T O N F O U N D AT I O N

• Cover