Ava Lorelei Deakin

Ava Lorelei Deakin (born December 15, 2004) is an American author and disability rights advocate. She became known for her activist work in 2019, when she was the lead plaintiff in the federal discrimination lawsuit Deakin v. OTTA.. During this time, Deakin was featured on various platforms, including NBC, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Columbia Law Review
After the lawsuit concluded in 2021, Deakin embarked on her author journey, researching, writing, and publishing her debut book, "Tomorrow Begins Now: Teen Heroes Who Faced Down Injustice". This book featured exclusive interviews with teen heroes from the 1950s to the 2020s, including Minnijean Brown of the Little Rock Nine and Mary Beth Tinker of Tinker v. Des Moines, and published on September 12, 2022.
"Tomorrow Begins Now" was an instant hit, quickly reaching the #1 New Release spot in its category on Amazon.
Since the conclusion of the lawsuit, Deakin has continued to make appearances. On April 29th, 2022 Deakin was featured on the The Takeaway, interviewed by hosts Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren, for Fair Housing Month.
On July 6th, 2023, Deakin published her author website, avalorelei.com.
==Inspirations==
Deakin grew up reading fictional series including Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Amazing Spider-Man, but developed an interest in non-fiction after her US history class read Warriors Don't Cry, a memoir by Melba Pattillo-Beals recounting her experience as a member of the Little Rock Nine fighting for desegregation in US public schools. This book prompted Deakin to look into more teen activists through history to look at as a guide on how to navigate her own lawsuit.
Deakin quickly realized there was a gap in coverage of teen activists and their impact on history. Unless they had personally written a memoir, works about teen activists were largely encyclopedic.
Deakin continued her research into her eleventh grade year when Deakin v. OTTA concluded and she began working on her debut book, ultimately compiling a thirty-page Google Doc on Disability rights movement alone.
==The Development of "Tomorrow Begins Now==
In June 2021, Deakin began working with book publisher New Degree Press through their Creator Institute program. Over the course of fifteen months, Deakin secured and wrote chapters including exclusive interviews with teen activists including:
*Minnijean Brown of the Little Rock Nine (1957)
**Fought for desegregation in Education in the United States
*Najah Najiy of the Birmingham Children's March (1963)
**Fought for racial equality
*Mary Beth Tinker of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
**Fought for students' right to freedom of speech
*Aaron Fricke of Fricke v. Lynch (1980)
**Fought for the right to bring a same-sex date to prom
*Bridgetta Bourne-Firl of the Deaf President Now Movement (1988)
**Fought for Deaf representation
*Constance McMillen of McMillen v. Itawamba County School District (2010)
**Fought for the right to bring a same-sex date to prom
**Inspired the Broadway musical "The Prom"
*Mary Kate Callahan of Madigan and Callahan v. Illinois High School Association (2012)
**Fought for people with disabilities' right to be recognized as athletes
*Martín Batalla Vidal of Wolf v. Vidal (2016)
**Fought for the rights of children of undocumented immigrants
*Gavin Grimm of G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board (2021)
**Fought for the rights of transgender students
and
*Brandi Levy of Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021)
**Fought for students' right to freedom of speech online
Deakin also included her own story as an activist through her own eyes, truly embracing the concept of her book.
Deakin launched a presale campaign for the book on November 23rd, 2021 on the fundraising platform Indiegogo, and eventually raised over $6,500 with the help of ninety-three backers to cover book production costs. To promote this presale, Deakin released her first book trailer on New Degree Press' YouTube channel.
On August 18th, 2022, Deakin announced her book cover and an endorsement her book had received pre-publication (which would later be featured on the back cover of the book jacket) from Alejandro Agustín Ortiz, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU's Racial Justice Program. To do this, she released a reveal video on her social platforms including Instagram, FaceBook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
==Additional Information==
*Deakin designed and illustrated the official cover for "Tomorrow Begins Now"
*Deakin has repeatedly expressed her love for MARVEL movies and projects online, including She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Her favorite superhero is Spider-Man.
Category:2004 births
Category:American people
Category:Author
Category:Disability rights activists