Latest Stories from Olivia
Exclusive — Meeting deaf YouTuber Jazzy Whipps
Jazzy Whipps, 22, was born profoundly deaf in both ears. After years of not being represented in British media, she took to YouTube herself and started a platform dedicated to deaf UK culture. It’s midday and Jazzy Whipps pops up on the Zoom screen. She waves at me with a full smile and a black hairband holds back her blonde waves. Her interpreter is running late, so we communicate via...
You decide — should Gen-Z demand 100% sustainable businesses?
Research shows Gen-Z wants corporate transparency above anything else. But what does it take to be 100% sustainable and fair trade, and is it fair to pressure companies to obtain both? ‘The term sustainability gets used — and abused — a lot,’ says Richard Turner, founder of Ombar, an organic vegan chocolate company that prides itself in being ethical. While Ombar is plant-based and has just applied to be a...
The artists taking on Middle Eastern censorship
Much of the Middle East has suffered from a lack of freedom of expression for years. But a new wave of artists are using images and sound to challenge censorship. ‘Fireworks can seem like bombs to some people,’ says Simon Coates, founder of Tse Tse Fly Middle East (TTFME). He’s been told in the past that his work can sometimes be too aggressive. But he doesn’t mind that. Artists in...
Meeting the Californian mother who lost her home to climate change
In August 2020, Cheryl Isaacson lost her home to the CZU Lightning Complex fires. Months later, she tells Thred about the environmental and livelihood consequences of corporations abusing their power. ‘When we moved here, everyone said: ‘You’re never going to have a fire,’’ says Cheryl Isaacson, a 54-year-old Californian film director. ‘So when it did burn down our street, it was shocking.’ Isaacson wears wide, square glasses accentuating her eyes,...
