For the past year, everyone has preached "It's 2015" as their motto for accepting other people, and getting past one another's differences. From racism to sexism, there has been a societal change in what people are viewing as normal. The media is no different. This past week "Sesame Street" came out with a new character, whose name is Julia. And Julia will change the world.

Julia is a new character on "Sesame Street," and Julia has autism. Similar to her friends Elmo and Big Bird in so many ways, "Sesame Street" has created a positive, mainstream connotation for the word autism, by proving that America's beloved original characters can have a best friend who is affected by autism. This new campaign promotes love and acceptance among real kids and parents in their everyday lives to learn and understand why children with autism might be different, but also how they are so similar.

"Sesame Street"' has set the goal of reducing the "stigma of autism" by creating a sweet, loving, normal girl with differences compared to her friends. The reason for their campaign is not just acceptance of children with autism, but to raise awareness that these children are susceptible to bullying and harassment because they act differently than their peers. "Sesame Street" wants to point out all of the amazing similarities that any child can share with Julia, but that so many children are bullied because of the few differences.

According to the station, their initiative reaches far beyond creating a character. There is an app with videos and stories to make daily tasks easier for parents or teachers with children who suffer from autism. There are also features that allow parents to see what things are like from the perspective of a child with autism, so they can empathize and understand.

Autism is not a word that can roll off of the tongue for most. It is an uncomfortable or even unfamiliar topic of discussion. However, at one time, racism, sexism, and gay marriage were awkward to even mention. Autism should not have to be a touchy subject. Julia should promote that everyone learn about a mental disability they might not be comfortable discussing, because it affects everyone.

It really is 2015, and this is a year for changes. Julia is a change that everyone should welcome with open arms and empathetic hearts.