“Most of us knew in our bones that things with the world weren’t right, long before it became a crisis.”

— Pernell Plath Meier (In Our Bones)

A vision to change the community is a powerful thing. It takes courage, determination, and a strong moral compass to see a problem and work tirelessly to bring about change. And that is exactly what Marley Dias did.

As a young black girl, Marley noticed something that many of us take for granted. The books she was reading in school were all about white children. She saw a lack of diversity in literature, and she knew that this was a problem. Books shape our minds, and if we only read stories about one community, we miss out on the richness and diversity of the world.

But Marley didn’t just complain about the problem. She took action. She started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to promote diversity in literature. She set a goal to collect 1,000 books where black girls were the main characters, and she succeeded in collecting over 11,000 books. She also collaborated with a famous publishing house to create an online library of books inspired by black people.

Marley’s vision to change her community through literature has had a ripple effect. She has become a voice for youth empowerment and social justice. She has inspired other young people to take action in their own communities. And she has shown us that no matter how young we are, we can make a difference.

We all have the power to change our communities for the better. We just need to have the vision, the determination, and the courage to act on it. Let Marley’s story be a reminder that we can all make a difference, no matter how big or small our vision may be.