{"id":2395,"date":"2025-07-23T10:31:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:31:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T10:31:55","slug":"marley-dias-the-teen-activist-and-storyteller-revolutionizing-representation-in-childrens-literature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/marley-dias-the-teen-activist-and-storyteller-revolutionizing-representation-in-childrens-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"Marley Dias: The Teen Activist and Storyteller Revolutionizing Representation in Children\u2019s Literature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marley Dias is an American activist, author, and media producer who launched the viral #1000BlackGirlBooks<\/strong> campaign at age\u202f11\u2014a movement that has forever changed how we talk about representation in children\u2019s books. Driven by her passion for reading and a deep sense of justice, Marley has become a global catalyst for equity, empathy, and youth-led social change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beginnings & Spark of Activism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in Philadelphia<\/strong> and raised in West Orange, New Jersey<\/strong>, Marley, of Jamaican and Cape Verdean descent<\/strong>, grew frustrated in 2015 when she noticed her school\u2019s reading list featured almost exclusively white boys as protagonists. At just 10<\/strong>, she decided to drive systemic change, launching the #1000BlackGirlBooks<\/strong> campaign with support from her mom\u2019s GrassROOTS Community Foundation. The goal was simple but bold: collect 1,000 books where Black girls are the main characters<\/strong> by February 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Frustration to Movement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marley\u2019s campaign went viral within weeks. She tapped into social media, schools, bloggers, and youth organizations to gather donations. By 2025, the initiative had collected 13,000+ books<\/strong>, many donated internationally\u2014including to classrooms in Jamaica, honoring her mother\u2019s heritage. The project amassed over 10 billion media impressions<\/strong> and global coverage, transforming a personal passion into a global movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advocacy & Public Speaking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marley has addressed high-profile audiences including the White House\u2019s United State of Women Summit<\/strong> alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah, as well as Forbes Women\u2019s Summit<\/strong>, UN Girl Up<\/strong>, CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion<\/strong>, and the Social Innovation Summit<\/strong>. Recognized as the youngest ever member<\/strong> of Forbes\u2019 30 Under 30<\/strong> (Media category, 2018), she also received the Smithsonian\u2019s American Ingenuity Award<\/strong> in the Youth category in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Author & Media Creator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!<\/strong> (2018) \u2013 A motivational guide for young activists, featuring an introduction by Ava DuVernay, blending personal narrative with practical advice for social change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Netflix Series: Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices<\/em><\/strong> (2020) \u2013 Marley served as executive producer and host of this Emmy- and NAACP Image Award\u2013nominated series, featuring celebrities reading children\u2019s books by Black authors paired with guided discussions for young viewers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    Education & Continued Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Marley currently studies Sociology and African American Studies at Harvard University<\/strong>, expected to graduate in 2026. She serves as the National Ambassador for NEA\u2019s Read Across America<\/strong>, collaborating with educators on literacy and anti\u2013book banning advocacy\u2014especially for teen mental health programs like Green Ribbon Week<\/strong>. She also sits on advisory boards including the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation\u2019s National Racial Equity Initiative<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Philosophy & Vision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Marley believes representation is transformative: having stories that center Black girls provides both mirrors and windows<\/strong> for readers. She sees frustration as fuel for innovation<\/strong>, emphasizing youth power in advocacy paired with adult collaboration. She describes her generation as technologically savvy storytellers<\/strong>, uniquely positioned to reshape literacy through multimedia platforms, zines, podcasts, and film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Impact & Recognition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Milestone<\/th>Detail<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Campaign Launch<\/strong><\/td>November 2015 at age 11<\/td><\/tr>
    Books Collected<\/strong><\/td>13,000+ featuring Black girl protagonists<\/td><\/tr>
    Media Impressions<\/strong><\/td>Over 10\u202fbillion<\/td><\/tr>
    Honors<\/strong><\/td>Forbes 30 Under 30, Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, TIME 25 Most Influential Teens (2018) <\/td><\/tr>
    Major Projects<\/strong><\/td>Netflix’s Bookmarks<\/em>, book authoring, literacy advocacy<\/td><\/tr>
    Current Role<\/strong><\/td>Harvard student; NEA Read Across America Ambassador<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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    Legacy & What’s Next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Marley Dias is not just creating change\u2014she\u2019s inviting others to join her. Through books, media, and public dialogue, she is pushing for a world where diverse stories are celebrated<\/strong>, classroom shelves reflect real communities, and every child sees themselves as the main character<\/strong> in their own life story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Her next chapters? Expect continued impact through innovation, storytelling, and educational equity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Marley Dias is an American activist, author, and media producer who launched the viral #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign at age\u202f11\u2014a movement that has forever changed how we talk about representation in children\u2019s books. Driven by her passion for reading and a deep sense of justice, Marley has become a global catalyst for equity, empathy, and youth-led social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[98,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activists-humanitarians","category-social-justice-activists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395\/revisions\/2397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/votters.com\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}