West Orange Student Inspires With #1000BlackGirlBooks Campaign

West Orange, NJ - Name three books that you’ve read that feature a black female protagonist.

Can’t do it? Now you understand the frustration of 11-year-old West Orange student Marley Dias.

“I was sick of reading about white boys and dogs,” she told the Philly Voice, explaining the origin of her inspiring campaign to collect 1,000 books that feature black girls as the lead characters.

It’s a simple but powerful realization when you can’t find anyone that looks like you in the books that you love so much. And for the 11-year-old aspiring actor – who describes herself on her blog as “the girliest tomboy you’ll ever meet” – it meant one thing… action needed to be taken.

Dias’ resulting effort – #1000BlackGirlBooks – was launched in November.

Since then, Dias’ campaign has spread like wildfire via social media, and she’s even appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“I know there’s a lot of black girl books out there, I just haven’t read them,” she told The Huffington Post as the book drive neared its Feb. 1 end date. “So if we started this I would find them and other people would be able to read them, as well.”

On Thursday, Dias and her mother left to take the donated books to Retreat Primary and Junior School and Library in the parish of St. Mary, Jamaica where Dias’ mother was raised as a child.

But the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign may have a shelf life that extends well past the end of the book drive. As Dias’ effort went viral, inspired readers flooded the Internet with a deluge of heartfelt messages.

• “I wanted to take my daughter to the local children’s independent film fest, and, of the 9 films, only one featured a female main character. And YES, several of the films were about white boys and dogs.”
• “This young lady is what gives me hope that we haven’t gone too far down the rabbit hole of idiocy yet in this country. She is an incredible inspiration to young people.”
• “If we’re ever going to get children to love reading we must find books with which they can connect. Good on her for doing this!”
• “The first books I picked up in middle school was Encyclopedia Brown, Sweet Valley High, Baby Sitter Club and other similar. They all had like one black person in them. I’m 36 and still feel that there is a shortage of books that spotlight African American friendship or positivity, or just plain fun to read.”

Inspired by the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, Barnes & Noble released a list of “15 Books Starring Black Girls for Readers of All Ages,” which can be seen here.

As for Dias’ personal recommendations?

“For younger kids, I would recommend The Story of Ruby Bridges and No Mirrors in My Nana’s House,” she told Elle.com. “For kids in 2nd or 3rd grade, I would recommend the Dear America series… But for people in 4th through 6th grade, I would recommend Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.”

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