Marley Dias

Name: Marley Dias

AGE:   17

INSTAGRAM:  Marley Dias (@iammarleydias) • Instagram photos and videos

HOW IT STARTED:

Marley Dias was born in Philadelphia and grew up in New Jersey. She was a voracious reader and when she was eleven years old she complained to her mother that all her compulsory reading at school were books about white children and their dogs. She said, “I really didn’t have the freedom to read what I wanted.” In 2015 at 10 years old , she launched her own campaign to collect books featuring blacl girls as the lead character . #1,000BlackGirlBooks  went viral and has collected more than 12k books as of now.

HOW IT’S GOING:

Now, she is the host and executive producer of “Bookmarks,” a Netflix series that amplifies Black experiences through children’s books. She is also the author of “Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!, and a 2021 Ambassador for the National Education Association’s Read Across America campaign.

QUOTE:

“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.”

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