Marley Dias, the 11-year-old girl who launched #1000BlackGirlBooks, has now created a new magazine for her project, under Elle.com’s excited management.
“A year ago, I wanted to collect #1000BlackGirlBooks, but I see now that there is so much more to do and so much more to this journey. I want to use what I’ve learned to elevate the voices of all those who have been ignored and left out. This experience at ELLE has given me a preview into my future and shown me what is possible. So even though I am still very nervous, I hope you will enjoy what this amazing team of women and I have put together,” Dias wrote in a letter announcing her new magazine.
Dias then went on to gush about Misty Copeland and Ava DuVernay, who she was able to interview in this issue.
“This issue is about women and girls who have left their imprint on the world. Some of them have charted new courses. Some have expanded the way we see the world and what we think is possible. And all the women (and man! Hi, Larry Wilmore!) in Marley Mag are people who have inspired me,” she explained.
She finished her letter by writing, “My generation feels the pressure to make things better, but we need more spaces to speak our minds and to make a difference. 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.”