In The Know Honors: Marley Dias

Founder, #1000BlackGirlBooks
Age: 16
Hometown: West Orange, New Jersey

Marley Dias made a profound observation when she was just 11 years old: The main characters in many of her school-assigned reading books were all white boys and their dogs. With her mother’s support and encouragement, Dias started #1000BlackGirlBooks, an initiative aimed at highlighting, collecting and donating books with Black characters in leading roles. Her initial goal was to collect 1,000 books to donate to Black girls at other schools, but Dias’ drive quickly took off. She has collected more than 13,000 books to date. In 2019, Dias wrote a book of her own titled Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! She is also the host and executive producer of the Netflix series Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. She has received national recognition for her activism.

Instagram: @iammarleydias
Twitter: @iammarleydias
Website: www.marleydias.com

In honor of Black History Month, In The Know is highlighting changemakers impacting the world through cultural advancement, community leadership, and entrepreneurial innovation. See all of the honorees here.

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