12-Year-Old Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks is Almost Finished Her Activism Guide
Meet Marley Dias, a 12-year-old leader who is best known for the social activism movement #1000BlackGirlBooks. The drive set out to collect 1,000 books with black female leads to improve diversity in not only literature, but our world.. With the help of social media, Marley’s story went viral, gaining the attention of readers from all over the world. Having collected over 9,000 books to date, Marley and the GrassROOTS Community Foundation have donated to far more schools than they originally anticipated!
Having exceeded her goal, Marley set her sights on creating her own activism guide for children and teens. The nonfiction book will target ages 10 and up and will show kids how to turn their passions into action. It will explore “activism, social justice, volunteerism, equity and inclusion, using social media for good.” The book will also encourage literacy and diversity and guide young people to use their strengths to create a positive change, similar to what Marley did.
via Instagram
Earlier today, Marley updated us all on the progress of her book, posting a photo on Instagram with the caption: "Great day at Scholastic. The book is almost complete. Coming to a bookshelf near you in Spring 2018"
As for her #1000BlackGirlBooks Movement, Marley got the idea after growing tired of reading about white boys and dogs. She complained to her mother about the lack of literature that reflected black girls as the protagonist. Her mother– unwilling to simply accept her complaints–challenged her then 11-year-old daughter to do something about it.
via Instagram
Since starting her inspiring movement, Marley has been named Editor in Residence of Elle.com, where she interviewed Ava DuVernay, Misty Copeland, and Hillary Clinton. In addition to appearing in Elle, she has also been seen in People, PhillyCoive, FOX29’s Good Day Philadelphia, The Huffington Post, and on Ellen.
When I was younger, I absolutely LOVED when the Scholastic book fair came to my school! I was so obsessed to the point that I would dream about all of the different books the night before in anticipation of getting my hands on them the next day!
At that age, I wish I had the drive and courage to share my love of reading with my peers like Marley. Reading has shaped the person I am today, and has helped to take me places I never imagined! Through my writing I share my love of words and learning and hope that I inspire my readers to read more, learn more, and simply DO MORE!
Be sure to follow little miss Marley on Instagram @iammarleydias
Learn more about her movement at GrassRootscommunityfoundation.org