If we want to see a change in the world we have to step up and do our part, like Marley Dias the 11yr old girl from New Jersey who wanted to see a change in the books she was given to read by her school, books that predominately featured young white males as the main characters, so last fall Marley had the bright idea to collect #1000BlackGirlBooks, "It was the desire to see black girls and our experiences in the books that I was given to read at school that forced me to speak my truth"
#1000BlackGirlBooks is a book drive to collect books where girls/women of color are the main characters. It took a little while to take off but Marley has started a movement! collecting over 4,000 books and counting, appearances on major network talk shows and interviews by some of our favorite magazines including ELLE magazine, which is one of my personal favorites. This movement has lead Elle magazine to team up with Marley and give her another platform, a Zine geared toward black girls called Marley Mag
" I always knew I want to be the kind of grownup who makes people's lives better"
We all have thoughts on how we would like things to be, but very few of us take the action to see our thoughts through and while its easy to complain and wait for "Change" it takes real courage to be the CHANGE. folliclesandFASHION salutes Marley Dias for stepping up and stepping out with this movement, it is much needed in our community and will help so many black girls read stories they can relate to, be inspired and motivated by. I have been an avid book reader since 2nd grade and a network like this, could have had a major impact on me, as a girl growing up in Harlem in one of the roughest neighborhoods. Most of the books I read when I was younger served as an escape from my reality and opened my eyes to new people, places and things both good and bad but I cannot remember reading many books that featured black people in general, let alone black girls in a positive upbeat and inspiring way, so I encourage you to share this information because there are so many #Blackgirls doing amazing things and we need to applaud and support them.
Knowledge is Power
Inspiration
Fiction - Age Level - Grades 3-5
Historical Fiction Classic - Age Level - Grades 5-8
Autobiography - Age Level - Grades 6-8
Marley saw something that she wanted to change and figured out a way to do it, now you can help and support this movement by clicking the link and sharing it.
