Frustration is fuel that can lead to the development of an innovative and useful idea.
Marley Dias
Dressing in an androgynous way, mixing up the masculine and feminine, blurring those boundaries - I'm cool with that. No one should ever be limited by stereotypes of gender, just as no one should ever be limited by stereotypes of race.
Black girl stories aren't just for black girls: they're for everybody.
I am unapologetic about the need for social change, greater inclusion, and equity.
I believe activism is the true source of change in the world. Pushing to change social structures in communities that you are a part of is critical for making real lasting change.
I wasn't seeing black girls in the books I was assigned to read at my school. I was tired of only reading about white boys and dogs and wanted to collect books featuring black girls.
Most girls spend most of their time at school. If real change comes from hearing our voices, it has to start in school, but school is a place where black girls tend to experience microaggressions. Microaggressions are not always obvious, ugly, or terrible things, but they make you feel as though your voice does not matter.
I don't want to bring negative energy to myself, and if people feel one way about me, I don't want that changing how I feel or what I believe.
People say, 'Dream big!' - but you have to think about the logistics. It's not just coming up with a great idea; it's how you can sell or market or promote that great idea.
Like feminism, I want to create systems and structures for the equity for all people, especially girls and women.
Reading has been a part of my life ever since I was born.
I have some friends who love to perform and wish they were getting the attention I am getting. But that doesn't stop them from supporting me.
My parents have taught me the value of reading and self-love through books that have characters that look like me and talk like me.
I have role models, but I take the attributes of the people that I admire, and I use them to create my best self.
When I speak at events, I often wear my dad's ties and my mom's earrings. It's a small, almost secret way of having them with me when I'm up there onstage, talking to a roomful of strangers. It makes me feel safe.
I come from a community that has a lot of white kids, and I notice how, a lot of times, they don't understand our differences and how I come from a different culture and my ancestors are different and my history is different.
Innovation comes from, one, acknowledging yourself; two, studying and understanding the problem; and three, finding a solution.
My goal for the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign is to create systemic change across all school systems. I want there to be diverse books that reflect the lives of every person, regardless of whether or not they are in the majority.
Anyone can change the world however they want for the better!
'Marley Dias Gets It Done - And So Can You' is a book about how girls who are 10 and up - and everyone who is 10 and up, basically - can use their gifts and talents to help the world in a way that's unique to them.
My mom was born in Jamaica and has always been around a community of black people, so she encouraged me to get out and act. My dad, on the other hand, is from suburban Massachusetts, so he had not been around a lot of black people.
You always need to make sure that you're looking at every angle and every perspective so that people, when they read the story, know what's happening. You have to write for everyone.
I believe that feminism needs to teach more girls about how to make institutional changes and how to further engage men and boys into being our allies.
I go to Amazon to browse for things I can then go find at the mall. It's like window shopping online. I want to touch the things that I buy. I am the kid who still likes actual books, bookstores, and libraries.
Even though I wear glasses, I'm not just a mousy person who stays in my room - even though I do sometimes stay in my room and read.
Yes, you can be passionate about school and fashion simultaneously. The two are not mutually exclusive - one doesn't cancel out the other.
I want young girls to know that their passions are important and that they should pursue them, regardless of whether or not they think that they'll be successful in terms of the mainstream.
In my class - in all fifth-grade classes - we were required to read 'classics,' books like 'Shiloh,' which is about a white boy and the dog he rescues. And 'Old Yeller,' which is about a white boy and the dog that rescues him. And 'Where the Red Fern Grows,' which is about a white boy and the two dogs he trains.
I'm working to create a space where it feels easy to include and imagine black girls and make black girls like me the main characters of our lives.
Black History Month could focus less on slavery and civil rights and more on the Harlem Renaissance and everything we have achieved. I want to know about the whole black experience.
I've learned to use big words. Because I'm an avid reader, I can prove myself as a smart and diligent person.
My parents taught me the importance of telling the truth no matter what.
I write every day.
It's important to read books and see people who look like you. It helps you know that you are not the only one or the weird one because you're a black girl and you are not seeing anyone who looks like you in these books.
The first black girl book I fell in love with was most likely 'Please, Puppy, Please' by Spike Lee and Tonya Lee.
I want other kids to see the joy in reading and literacy and how, if you read about things, they become so much closer, and if you're willing to put in the effort and time and passion, you can really understand them.
I love YouTube. You can find me there watching cat videos. I even like to watch other people play video games. I know it's a bit creepy, but it's my thing.
My passion for books has changed my life.
Social actions means that you find an issue in your community, and you create an initiative to solve that issue or to help people.
All my friends can probably only name one publishing house, and that is Scholastic; they are everywhere. Scholastic is the perfect partner for spreading my message of diversity, inclusion, and social action.
I am purposeful in how I present myself to the world. I want my ideas to be taken seriously, and so I present myself in a way that allows people to see me and listen to what I have to say.
My health and schoolwork come first. I work hard to get lots of sleep, but I probably work just as hard to spend time with friends.
I think reading about black girls if you are a black girl is important. And for those who don't like to read, seeing yourself in a book can help them learn to love it.
I think the biggest thing, where my passionate-ness comes from, is that I love reading, and it is something that I really care about.
I think the biggest thing is that success is not measured by whether or not you're on 'CBS This Morning' or whether or not you make the local news station.
If you like reading, you are allowed to like to dance and to like to sing and to like to act.
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. I launched #1000BlackGirlBooks, a book drive to collect the stories of women of color.
Between school, homework, tests, and play time with my friends, I have worked my butt off to create this space where black girls' stories are read and celebrated in schools and libraries.
As members of society, we should always be pushing our girls to strive to be the best and to speak up and out about issues we see.
When I was really little, I wanted to be our first woman president. I always knew I want to be the kind of grownup who makes people's lives better. And since that's pretty much the job of the President of the United States, it seemed like a good idea.
