Marley Dias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marley Dias
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Dias in 2019
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| Occupation | Activist, writer |
Marley Dias is an American activist and writer. When she was in 6th grade, in November 2015, she started a project called #1000BlackGirlBooks. Her goal was to collect 1,000 books that featured black girls as the main characters. She wanted to donate these books to other schools in the U.S. so more girls could see themselves in stories.
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About Marley Dias
Marley Dias was named after the famous reggae singer Bob Marley. Her family comes from Jamaica and Cape Verde. She was born in Philadelphia and grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. Her mother, Janice Johnson Dias, helped start the GrassROOTS Community Foundation.
Marley Dias graduated from West Orange High School in 2022. She is now attending Harvard University.
How #1000BlackGirlBooks Started
When Marley was 11 years old, she noticed something important. Many of the books she had to read for school were about white boys and their dogs. She felt like she didn't have much choice in what she read. She wanted to read stories where girls who looked like her were the heroes.
After talking with her mother, Marley decided to do something about it. She started the #1000BlackGirlBooks book drive. Her main goal was to highlight books where black girls were the main characters, not just small parts of the story. She hoped to collect 1,000 books to give to other schools.
The Project's Success
Marley's project quickly became very popular. In just a few months, she collected more than 9,000 books! Many of these books were sent to a children's book drive in Jamaica. Her campaign also helped people notice that there weren't enough different kinds of characters in children's books.
Other Projects and Appearances
Marley Dias has done many other amazing things since starting her book drive. She has become a writer and a host for different shows.
Marley's Book
Marley released her own book in the spring of 2018. It is called Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!. The book was published by Scholastic.
TV and Online Work
Marley has appeared on TV shows like The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. She also co-hosted a program called Girls Can Do.
She worked as an editor for an online magazine called Marley Mag, which was sponsored by Elle.com. In this role, she interviewed many famous people. Some of them include dancer Misty Copeland, director Ava DuVernay, and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Netflix Show: Bookmarks
In September 2020, Marley hosted her own Netflix show. It is called "Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices." Marley was both the host and a producer for the series. The show features books and discussions about important topics like identity, respect, fairness, and taking action.
Many well-known guests appeared on "Bookmarks." These included rapper and actor Common, actress and author Lupita Nyong'o, comedian Tiffany Haddish, actress Marsai Martin, singer Jill Scott, actor Kendrick Sampson, author Grace Byers, actor Caleb McLaughlin, TV personality Karamo Brown, ballerina Misty Copeland, and author Jacqueline Woodson.
Read Across America Ambassador
Since 2021, Marley Dias has been an Ambassador for the National Education Association's Read Across America program. This program encourages children and teens to read more.
Awards and Recognition
Marley Dias has received several awards for her important work.
- 2017 - Smithsonian magazine, American Ingenuity Award (Youth category)
- 2018 - Forbes magazine, 30 Under 30 list
See also
In Spanish: Marley Dias para niños
