---
title: "A Moment in Black History: Marley Dias"
description: Focusing on one Changemaker each week for Black History Month. This week is Marley Dias.
---

[Congressional School Blog](https://blog.congressionalschool.org/blog)

# [A Moment in Black History: Marley Dias](https://blog.congressionalschool.org/blog/black-history-marley-dias)

 Written by [congressional](https://blog.congressionalschool.org/blog/author/congressional) | Feb 12, 2021 1:49:25 PM

Young People Who Were Change Makers

By: Edwin P. Gordon, PhD, Head of School

*Photo Credit: Andrea Cipriani Mecchi, Published by NPR*

**Who**

When Marley Dias was 11, she couldn’t keep her nose out of a book—but she was frustrated with reading story after story about boys that did not feature kids of color. In [an interview with NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/26/467969663/wheres-the-color-in-kids-lit-ask-the-girl-with-1-000-books-and-counting), Dias explained how that frustration inspired her to start the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, aimed at finding 1,000 books with black girls as protagonists. 

 

**What**

The [#1000BlackGirlBooks](https://twitter.com/search?q=%231000BlackGirlBooks&src=typed_query) campaign collects and donates books and works with educators to discover and promote more diversity in reading.

To date, Dias has collected over 9,000 books. She told Forbes, **“I’m working to create a space where it feels easy to include and imagine black girls and make black girls like me the main characters of our lives.”**

Marley Dias used her love of reading and determination to change the content of books for children. She is this week’s Black History Month’s Changemaker. 

 

 

**Marley's Recommended Children's Books**

**Brown Girl Dreaming** *by Jacqueline Woodson*   
Age level: Grades 6-8

**One Crazy Summer** *by Rita Williams-Garcia*  
Age level: Grades 3-5

**President Of The Whole Fifth Grade** *by Sherri Winston*  
Age Level: Grades 3-5

**Please, Baby, Please** *by Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Kadir Nelson*  
Age level: Ages 2-5

**Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry** *by Mildred D. Taylor*  
Age level: Grades 5-8

 

 

 

 

 

**Edwin P. Gordon, PhD**

Head of School

[Learn More](https://www.congressionalschool.org/fsdirectory/edwin-gordon/)

 

 

[View full post](https://blog.congressionalschool.org/blog/black-history-marley-dias)

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