11-Year-Old Simply Wanted Relatable Characters, But Instead She Spurred A Movement

New Jersey fifth-grader Marley Dias is an intelligent young woman with a bright future ahead of her.

At just 11-years-old, she’s already spurring change across the country. Marley has stated the obvious about why some kids (like herself) don’t enjoy reading: she can’t relate to the characters.

Think about the classics we read growing up. There’s Maniac Magee,” “The Phantom Tollbooth,” “Old Yeller,“ among others which are all great books.

“I was sick of reading about white boys and dogs,” she told the Philly Voice, in a statement that made us scratch our head and say “duh.” As a young African-American girl, Marley wanted to read about characters like herself to whom she could relate.

Rather than sitting back, Marley decided to do something about it.

The ambitious child and her Mom launched a book drive asking people to send in children’s stories that revolve around young, black, female characters. Then, the internet got involved, the hashtag #1000BlackGirlBooks began trending on Twitter, and a movement was born.

So far, Marley has racked up 700 books and they just keep growing. Marley says she’ll be donating all proceeds to St. Cloud Elementary School in West Orange, New Jersey. Beyond that, the girl has also sparked an important conversation about identity and image we present to the youth.

This young girl is certainly going places. First stop, student body President, then actual President. She’s so influential, she even appeared on Ellen:

We love hearing inspiring stories such as these. I’m proud of this little girl and her family and if you are too, please keep the movement growing and SHARE this story with friends and family.

[Featured Image Credit: NJ Entertainment]