GAME CHANGER

Marley Dias is Changing the World, One Book at a Time

After noticing a huge lack of representation in books during the fifth grade, avid reader Marley Dias decided to turn her frustrations into a movement. She founded the campaign #1000BlackGirlBooks to collect books with black girls as the main character. Since it launched in 2016, Marley has collected more than 13,000 books. And she’s just getting started.

When Marley isn’t fighting for representation in library books or chatting with Michelle Obama (#nbd), she’s just a normal girl who likes hanging out and reading in her room. Though the vintage wood paneling and quirky ceilings presented a challenge, our Design Experts embraced the room’s distinctive details and added a bright and sunny palette, culminating in a cozy haven for the inspiring activist.

C&K: Tell us about starting #1000BlackGirlBooks

MD: I really love to read, and as an only child, I especially found it fun during long summer breaks. When I entered fifth grade, I noticed that a lot of the books showed the same type of narrative and did not include stories of girls like me. I became frustrated, not only as a person who loved to read, but as someone who valued my teachers’ experience, valued my classroom and wanted to learn more about the world around me.

I complained to my mom about those frustrations, and she challenged me to do something about it. So I started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign. My original goal was to collect 1,000 books with black girls as the main characters. Over the past five and a half years, I’ve collected more than 13,000 books.

Our Design Experts created a cozy reading nook for Marley, complete with our June Blush Upholstered Swivel Glider and Blue Velvet Pouf to kick her feet up and dive into a good book.

C&K: Tell us about a time you’ve felt proud working toward your cause.

MD: One of the proudest moments of #1000BlackGirlBooks has definitely been when I got to go back to my old elementary school and donate 1,000 books alongside two of the authors that originally inspired me to start the campaign: Jacqueline Woodson, the author of Brown Girl Dreaming, one of the books that I got when I was in sixth grade that made me realize that maybe my story can help other kids. And Rita Williams-Garcia, who wrote One Crazy Summer, which was the first book I read about the Black Panther Party, an important part of Black history. It’s often erased from public school curriculums, especially for young kids.

Our streamlined Suspension White Wall Mount Shelf is perfect for displaying Marley’s favorite framed memories (as well as her best-selling book!).

C&K: What other forms of activism have you found yourself interested in, and why are you passionate about them?

MD: Mental health issues and mental health awareness have been really important for me, especially in high school. Once I went from eighth grade to ninth grade, it was really difficult for me. I felt like there was nothing that my school was really doing or had the resources to do to help me or help other students that were experiencing that same stress from a new environment. I ended up doing a health-care fellowship with the largest health-care system in New Jersey. We got to learn about in-patient care and all the different aspects of the hospital. Before heading to our final project, we noticed the gap between teenagers getting mental health resources and adults getting mental health resources was really large. Kids my age (between 12–16) were really not engaging or getting access to those same resources without the help of their parents.

So we came up with Green Ribbon Week, a mental health campaign during the second week of September. Kids wear green in solidarity, teachers take time to interact more with their students and kids try to have more open conversations with their parents.

Even though it’s not really related to #1000BlackGirlBooks, it’s really about continuing to make sure that kids and teenagers feel safe about who they are, feel strong in their identities and have the support from educators and schools to be their best selves and to help others while doing it.

From jotting down ideas to taking Zoom calls, our Roselle White Wood Desk can tackle any task with style.

C&K: What can you do in your new room that you couldn’t do before?

MD: In my new room, I actually have a nice desk in front of a window to do schoolwork. I have never had a desk in front of a window, which I know sounds sad but it’s actually really exciting because I’m on my last leg of school. It’s a nice place to study that isn’t around my parents and has a lot less distractions.

On-trend marigold Linen Bedding adds a dose of sunshine. Plus, it pairs perfectly with patterns, from our Teal Striped Quilt to bright and fun Marrakech Tiger Sheets.

C&K: How does this room help you be creative?

MD: I think having a space that I really enjoy makes me automatically feel so much more motivated. I obviously liked my room before, and I didn’t really know that it had the potential to look like this. In all honesty, I didn’t think it could be. I knew that if anyone could do it, it would be the Crate & Kids design team. It’s been so fun, and I know that now I have everything I could have dreamed of in my room. I’m really excited to have my friends back here hopefully soon.