Cameron Samuels (they/them) is co-founder and Executive Director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, a movement demonstrating youth visibility in policymaking. With SEAT, Cameron has spearheaded grassroots opposition to anti-LGBTQ+ mandates in Texas school districts, introduced legislation to elevate student rights, partnered with the Biden-Harris Administration to center youth leadership, and testified before the U.S. Senate at a hearing on book bans.
In high school, Cameron organized nationally-recognized efforts against censorship in the Katy Independent School District in Texas. Within months of once facing the school board alone, Cameron packed board meetings and distributed hundreds of banned books across Texas. With the ACLU, Cameron filed legal action that unblocked LGBTQ+ Internet resources like the Trevor Project.
‍President Barack Obama recognized Cameron for their efforts against book banning, and in 2023, Cameron received the Trailblazer Award from the Human Rights Campaign. In 2022, Cameron was named Banned Books Week's inaugural Youth Honorary Chair, and one of Teen Vogue's 21 Under 21.