In the fifth grade, a bright-eyed Marley Dias grew curious about her school’s curriculum and the absence of books featuring black girls as central characters. Troubled by the lack of representation, she raised the issue with her mother, who encouraged her to become the change she wished to see in the world. That conversation would spark the launch of Dias’ 1000 Black Girl Books initiative when she was just 10 years old — a campaign that has since collected and distributed more than 15,000 books across the United States and internationally, including Jamaica, where her mother was born. Recently, Dias co-authored the book I am the Dream Come True alongside her parents, and her mother, Dr Janice Johnson Dias, could not be prouder of her daughter.

“I love Marley, and I am deeply proud of her. She was born with her eyes wide open, which is unusual among children. But she was ready to see and take on missions that seemed bigger than what her little self could do,” Johnson Dias told Sunday Lifestyle.

Grateful for the diverse collection of books featuring black girls that filled her home library growing up, Dias said she longed to see that same representation reflected in the classroom. “I didn't see myself being reflected in the books that we read in school, and I noticed that a lot of other girls were insecure about their hair and skin colour,” the 21-year-old explained.