Yesterday I shared a post about a 22yr old Rocket Structural Design and Analysis Engineer Tiera Guinn who has been described as the perfect sequel to the Hidden Figures movie. Today I wanted to share some news about another young lady who has been making waves in her own community using books.
Marley Dias came on our radar at just 11 years old when she founded her own book drive called #1000BlackGirlsBooks.
The drive collected books depicting black girls as the protagonists and since the launch she has collected 8000 books promoting how important diversity in literacy is. Marley is now 12 years old and she is in the news again because she just secured her first book deal!
Dias will be the main character and author of her own book which will be published through publishing company Scholastic.
Via NBC News:
“In her forthcoming nonfiction book for ages 10 and up, Marley Dias, the powerhouse girl-wonder who started the #1000blackgirlbooks campaign, shows kids how to make their own dreams come true. In this accessible “keep-it-real” guide, Marley tells how she’s turned her passion into a literacy crusade that has captured the attention of the media, policymakers, and young people throughout the world,” said the Scholastic announcement.
The book is scheduled to release in the spring of 2018. Dias said she is excited to be doing a book with her new partner.
All my friends can probably only name one publishing house and that is Scholastic; they are everywhere,” said Dias. “Scholastic is the perfect partner for spreading my message of diversity, inclusion and social action.”
Her cause has led her to appear on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and co-host of the Girls Can Do Program alongside Assistant Director to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, Lauren Mims. She’s also become Elle.com’s youngest Editor-in-Residence interviewing icons such as Misty Copeland and Ava DuVernay.
So proud of this little one!
