SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/456163
S X S W. C O M | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | S X S W o r l d 1 5 Presented by sxsw Social Good hub Monday, March 16 – Tuesday, March 17 Trinity Hall 3111 E. 5th st. sxsw.com/sxgood high school. But when Velasquez was 17 years old, she found the infa- mous YouTube video. Though understandably hurt, she decided to turn her sadness into a worthy and timely cause and started her own YouTube channel, where she could express her feelings on any matter while also taking a highly visible stand against Internet bullying. Velasquez's phenomenal journey is inspiring and also proves that success can be the best form of revenge. She has been interviewed by the likes of Barbara Walters and Katie Couric, but her defining moment came when she went to Washington D.C. and lobbied for the passage of the first federal anti-bullying bill, the "Safe Schools Improvement Act" (the bill has yet to be passed). "Bullying is one of the most prominent issues for children and teens today, and the majority of those stories yield victims, not heroes," said Bordo. "Our hope is that the film extends Lizzie's mis- sion to share that you can survive and thrive on the other side of being bullied." It still hurts Lizzie when she gets the occasional hateful message, but instead of bringing her down, she feels empowered by it, with the negativity only fueling her cause. The irony of Lizzie's inspiring journey is that while she may have started off in life wanting to be like everyone else, now everyone else wants to be just like her. If only they could be so lucky. A B rave Hea r t: The Lizzie Velas quez Story w il l h a ve it s wo rld p re m ie re a t SX S W. Vela s q u ez a n d i J u s t in e w il l a l s o b e fe a tu re d s p e a ke r s a s p a r t of SX S W C o nve r g e n ce p ro g r a m m in g o n Su n d ay , M a rch 1 5 a t 12: 3 0 p m in Ro o m 1 8 A BCD a t t h e A u s t i n C o nve n t io n C e n te r. S e e s x s w.co m fo r m o re i nfo rm a t io n o n b ot h eve n t s a n d a d d i t io n a l fes t i va l s cre e ni n g s . C O U R T E S Y O F W O M E N R I S I N G Vela s q u ez w i t h f il m m a ke r S a ra H ir s h B o rd o