Marley Dias, 11-year-old founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, is now the editor-in-residence at ELLE.com.
Last year, Dias’s campaign to collect books for that shared stories of women and girls of color and put them in the hands of young readers was wildly successful, and so far she’s collected over 7,000 books. And with her partnership with Elle, she is now editor of Marley Mag, a ‘zine published on ELLE.com.
Dias, who has always wanted to be a magazine editor, teamed up with ELLE.com to curate a ‘zine that celebrates the movers and shakers who are changing the way our culture imagines black women and girls. The ‘zine includes interviews with Ava DuVernay, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Misty Copeland, and a video with Larry Wilmore. Other features include Marley’s sage advice for styling glasses, an eternally-relevant middle school survival guide, and four ultra-cool, print-ready paper dolls designed by 19-year-old artist Kyemeh McEntyre.
“I want to change the way we imagine black girls in books and in culture and I want to create new spaces for black girls to be represented,” says Dias in her editor’s letter. “I hope that, no matter how old you are, you enjoy this issue and that it inspires you to think. Most importantly, I hope it inspires you to act. The women and girls in this issue show us how.”
Explore Marley Mag here: www.elle.com/marleymag