WEBVTT - MINISODE: 15-year-old Marley Dias on her push to diversify children's literature 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:12.520 Hi, I'm Pete good Judge and this is the Deciding Decade. 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.040 A few weeks ago, we spoke with director John Chew 0:00:16.160 --> 0:00:20.080 about the importance of diverse representation in film. We discussed 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:24.000 why it's so significant for younger generations to see themselves 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:28.160 in the images and the stories. Before there's a parallel 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:30.479 conversation to be had about what kids growing up and 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.400 learning about the world are reading. As they start diving 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:37.520 into books, are there characters who have similar backgrounds, characteristics, 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.519 and experiences to them? Do they see their families and 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:44.159 neighborhoods reflected in what they read? In short, to children 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:47.440 of every background see themselves on the page too often, 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:49.960 as you can imagine, the answer is no. But my 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.280 next guest, part of our series of conversations with youth leaders, 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.240 is a next generation advocate who has already done a 0:00:56.360 --> 0:01:02.200 lot to change that. Marley Dias is a fifteen year 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:06.839 old activist and author. In November, she launched the hashtag 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:10.720 thousand Black Girl Books Drive with the goal of collecting 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.839 a thousand books featuring black female protagonists. She not only 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:17.880 collected and delivered one thousand, six hundred books within that 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:21.400 first year, but has also collected over twelve thousand to date. 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:24.520 Since then, she has served as an editor in residence 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.320 at l dot Com, published a book called Marley Das 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:29.880 Gets It Done and So Can You, was named a 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.960 Forbes thirty list for Media and Times twenty five most 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.280 Influential Teens, and was a speaker at the first night 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.920 of this year's Democratic National Convention. She's also an executive 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:45.720 producer for and host of Netflix's Bookmarks series, which features 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.120 children's books written by black authors about the black experience, 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.800 and each episode shows the books read aloud by black 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.960 leaders and activists. Welcome, Marley. It's so good to have 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.400 you with us today. Thank you for having me. I 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.240 really appreciate you joining and cited for the conversation that 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:04.440 we're going to have. Especially interested in learning more about 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.680 your great work with the book Drive and other projects. 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.000 But first I want to learn a little more about 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:12.360 your background. I understand that you grew up with a 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:15.600 love of reading, and I was curious what things you 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:17.440 read as you were growing up that had the biggest 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:19.840 impact on you and sparked that love of reading for you. 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:22.480 I'm only fifteen, so I don't have, you know, a 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:26.440 long history ahead of mirror behind me, but I've always 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:29.200 been a lifelong reader. My mom is a sociologist, and 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.959 even though she doesn't necessarily love to read, she's done 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:35.480 research and understand the importance of making sure that books 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:39.120 and curiosity is involved in every household and every family. 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.040 My dad's kind of like a magazine guy, so they 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.200 would always, you know, push me to do something that 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:45.800 they wish they had done as a kid, and I 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.320 think it really helped in the development of my vocabulary, 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.280 my understanding of my sense of self and of other people. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.480 And one book that I really motivated me not only 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:56.800 to start the one thousand Black Girl Books campaign, but 0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:00.440 hopefully read more and to encourage more kids to read 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:03.800 is Ground Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. She is one 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.640 of the most prolific Black authors of all time. She's 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.440 now I consider her a family friend after five years 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:11.960 of one thousand Black Girl Books. But um, it's actually 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:14.560 a memoir about her life written in verse, and I 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:16.960 had never felt that there was really a story about 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.120 kind of the people that were the in between the 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:22.160 teacher's daughters, the bus driver's daughters, the people that don't 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.360 necessarily stand out as always needing help, but the people 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.040 that sometimes need the most, that they're not the most 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:30.760 privileged or resource, but they're not the least. UM and 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.000 kind of struggling with feeling like it's hard to ask 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:35.440 her help or hard to feel like you're exceptional, but 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:37.840 not to feel like you're terrible. UM. And I really 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:39.360 loved that book and I think it helped me a 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.520 lot in my own personal confidence and giving it to 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.880 other kids to read. So you described your your upbringing, 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:48.680 your parents as a big influence on your reading life, 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:50.640 And am I right that it was a conversation with 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.480 your mother that helped lead to you launching the Thousand 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.520 Black Girl Books initiative. Yes, it was. I was sitting 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:58.160 in a dinner with my mom. We used to go 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:01.000 to the dinner every single weekend an elementary school and 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.920 middle school, and she asked me, when I was in 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.280 sixth grade, what I wish I could have changed about 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.280 my elementary school experience, and I told her that I 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:11.200 really liked to read, and I thought my teachers did 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.920 a great job of like having us read interesting books, 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:15.760 but a lot of them did not have black girls 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.520 as the main character. And my fifth grade year, I 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.200 read three books, all of which had white boys and 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:24.400 their dogs as the main character. So I read Old Yeller, 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:26.279 I read Where the Red Fern Grows, and I read 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:30.360 the Shiloh series all about hunting dogs and blonde hair, 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:33.160 blue eyed white boy playing with them. So as much 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:34.680 as I like to read, I thought that there was 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:36.960 an issue with that, you know, kind of repeated pattern, 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.560 and she encouraged me to do something about it. And 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.440 how was that received when you were talking with classmates 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:45.839 or teachers or others who were introducing these books to you. 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:47.440 Did they see the issue right away or did you 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.320 feel like you had to be kind of explaining and 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:52.719 educating those around you on why you know that there's 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.240 more to childhood than white kids with their dogs. It 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:58.360 was difficult for me, It really was, because I was 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:00.360 nervous that my teacher would have thought that I didn't 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:03.640 believe in his teaching or the style of teaching. But um, 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:05.560 I actually didn't really even talk to him about it 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:07.520 when I launched the campaign because I was afraid that 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:09.520 he would hate me, or like once he started to 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.080 go viral, that he would be upset. But talking to 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.440 him within those six months where it started to grow, 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:16.799 he was very happy that, you know, someone was willing 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:19.880 to openly challenge something that he really thought was great, 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.080 and I think it really helped my teachers in my 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:24.919 school develop a new understanding. But for a lot of 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.039 kids who may have live in low income household or 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:30.680 have less resources and go to our public libraries, they 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.280 don't necessarily know what they don't have. So if they 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.360 are not having parents that are actively buying them diverse books, 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.080 they're not going to know that stories about black girls exist, 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:42.000 that we can hear about black people's experiences other than 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:45.400 the civil rights movement or an enslavement story. Um. And 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.279 I think it was super interesting to realize that so 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:49.760 many people are open to that idea, but they don't 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.040 know where these books exist, They have never read them, 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:54.640 they don't think that they're out there, and they normally 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:58.400 see the white narrative, associational narrative. So tell us about 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.440 the process, now you now, where do you go? Is 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.440 you decide that you want to collect these books? Are 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:06.080 you are you rooting around the shelves at home, are 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:10.479 you googling black girls leading in books on online? Or 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:13.360 you're pouring through the library. To take us through that process. 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.320 So the first thing I really had to do after 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.279 I kind of watched that can play with my mom 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:19.400 was I had to understand if this was just my 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:22.320 school's problem or if it was a like American school 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:25.160 problem or a world school problem. Um. And kind of 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.520 through more research and my mom making me sit and 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:31.000 watch documentaries and read graphs and all these things, we 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:34.520 understand that it's an issue that exists on a nationwide 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.599 and kind of global basis of not having diversity within books, 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:42.040 uh and particularly having mainly white characters or animals before 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:46.320 having stories of Latin X people, black people, LGBTQ people, um. 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:48.240 And it's kind of a repeated issue. So the first 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:49.840 thing I had to do is know that it's not 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:52.080 this my problem, but it's actually a problem that can 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:55.240 concern so many other students. So after doing that, I 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.280 used to pose with my mom and take pictures with 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.080 the Black Girl books that I had in my home, 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.640 and I would tell her please donate to and then 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:03.960 we have a location where people can donate books. And 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.400 it was super slow at the beginning. Then I had 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:08.960 some more media opportunities and I finally got to talk 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.040 and introduce myself to new people, and that's when books 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.720 started to come in and really floor and cover the 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:17.840 floors of our office building and stack up. What did 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.880 you find as you started going through all of these 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:23.240 titles that were coming your way, were their patterns that 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:27.440 surprised you? Yes, there's one very unique pattern that, uh 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:29.280 it kind of upset me a lot. Is that a 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:32.480 lot of these books are published by independent authors or 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.960 from indie or independent book publishing houses. And that we 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:37.840 notice that when you look at the people that are 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.440 really doing the work to prioritize diversity, it's normally people 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:44.600 making books in their houses. And if you are an 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.760 independent or smaller book publisher, you are less likely to 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.920 end up in curriculums because a lot of the times 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:53.280 school districts or school boards will have partnerships with a 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.600 specific company. So let's say it's a really really big 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:58.280 publishing company, They're more likely to get all of their 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:01.040 books from one publishing house, so they're not going to 0:08:01.160 --> 0:08:03.280 the people that sell books in their trunk or the 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:06.040 people that are on page thirty of a list of 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:09.000 books to buy. So um, it's really difficult and in 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.440 frustrating to see that these people that are really putting 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:13.200 in the work to make sure that black gas stories 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.160 are out there don't get the credit or publicity as 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:19.080 many other authors. So who are your best partners in 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:22.680 in changing that? You've got these fantastic authors generating wonderful 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:25.600 books in literature. Who do you think is in the 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:28.360 best position to, uh to fill in that gap and 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:30.760 make sure these books reach a wider audience and get 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.040 onto that that shelf in the school library or the 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:37.000 public library or the classroom. Yeah, there's been really three 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.040 great organizations that have helped me in this work. Is Scholastic, 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.280 which my book is published with. And it was a 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:44.240 tough decision to figure out who I wanted to publish 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:46.920 a book with, because it was not only about the 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:49.319 experience of me, you know, having a book and being 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.960 able to secure things that I was interested in and traveling, 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:54.240 but also about how can I leave a mark that 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:57.080 exists beyond you know, an interview which I would normally do, 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:01.080 something that will exist long, long long after all these things. Um. 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:03.599 And one way we're really able to incorporate and to 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:07.080 prioritize independent stories was in the back of my book, 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.920 there's a list of five hundred books where black girls 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:12.240 are the main characters. So it's kind of like a 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:15.120 scavenger hunt to find more and to find more um. 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:17.479 And most of these books are not published by Scholastics, 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.240 so they are using their platform and putting me out 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:22.880 there in order to promote so many other authors that 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.720 they are not necessarily reaping the benefits of putting their 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:28.000 name out there. UM. And I'd say the second one 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.480 is the American Library Association, and all of those chapters 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:34.200 kind of count as my third one. Librarians are the best. 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.120 They're actually they don't get nearly enough credit in this country, 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.679 and they are so supportive of me online and they 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:42.600 can continue to show my interviews, my books and to 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:44.880 listen to the things that I recommend, and I feel 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:47.480 like I really have a space in their classrooms. That 0:09:47.640 --> 0:10:08.520 makes you super happy. It sounds like you're not only 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.880 an ambassador for representation in the publishing world, but you're 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:15.680 an ambassador for reading among your peers. How do your 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:19.800 classmates and peers think about what you're doing and how's 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.800 it been received? So that's a that's a tough question 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:26.520 because I think there's definitely a mix of responses a 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:28.680 lot of the times, because I have a larger social 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.559 media following and they don't see me having to count 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:34.880 books by hand or do excelf spreads. You's putting people's 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:37.959 titles and putting their names in, taking pictures for hours 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.760 and hours at a time, you know, meeting eight hundred people, 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:43.160 not now but obviously, but like you know, standing in 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.240 long lines. Um, people don't always see that. And they 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:48.240 get to see when you meet a famous person, or 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:51.040 when you get to travel to a country, or when 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:53.400 you get your name and a headline of something, or 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.040 when you get a Netflix show, and they don't understand 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.640 always kind of the harder work that it takes and 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:01.760 how I am a lot of the times when I 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:04.600 enter a space, I'm the youngest, I'm the first, I'm 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:07.200 the only, and how that can definitely be an intimidating 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:11.160 experience for me. Um, nothing I nothing I do necessarily 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:14.640 just comes naturally to me. That I obviously have some 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:16.920 abilities that other people don't have when it comes to 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.520 the way I speak or the success of my campaign, 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.000 But I still have to put in so much work 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:24.319 to keep these things alive and to keep this dream 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.280 of the importance of literacy, the importance of change making 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.560 within my life and my community. So for some people, 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:33.200 they're super, super proud and they understand that maybe this 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:34.960 is why she didn't come to this, or maybe this 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.120 is why she missed out on that. Um. But other 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.240 people just see it as, Oh, she got famous for 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:41.600 this thing, and now she gets to travel and do 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.600 all these amazing things. But UM, I think it's it's 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.200 more the positive than the negatives. But the negatives don't 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.640 bother me too much. I gotta tell you, this doesn't 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:53.240 sound wildly different than the experience of becoming visible when 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:56.240 you run for office. I wonder if you ever decided 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.240 to do that, you'd have a huge head start. So 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:01.360 tell me who one of the biggest things you think 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:05.720 are different for someone who sees themselves on the page 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.480 a black girl, for example, opening up a book where 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.839 the protagonist is a black girl, how does she see 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.440 herself differently? How does she see the text differently? In 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:17.600 other words, how do you explain why this matters so much? 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:20.640 So I get this question all the time from teachers 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:23.400 and actually from a lot of students. Uh, And I 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.160 think one of the reasons that it helps build confidence. Um, 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.120 many white people may see it as a given to 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.760 feel like, oh, I know all the experiences of what 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:33.439 happened in Europe and what happened from these time periods 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:35.800 to people that look like me, and it feels like 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:38.559 something that they don't have to fight for or necessarily 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:42.280 account for. Check out and make sure. Um. And the 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.080 reason why we don't necessarily have like a White History 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:46.680 Month and things of that sort is because it's a 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.959 given within this country that white history is told. UM. 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:52.320 So I think for a lot of people, I always 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.720 want to make sure that they understand that their narratives 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:58.200 are not something that necessarily has ever been put under 0:12:58.400 --> 0:12:59.840 like in the back burner or we'll just have to 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.600 say of it for this time that, um. The experiences, 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.440 the culture, the the the things that they love and 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.400 prioritize are put at the front. And it can help 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:10.600 so many young black people to feel like, oh my gosh, 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:12.880 my hair is cool, or some person who said this 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:14.560 thing to me, and now I hear it's happening in 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:16.960 a book and I know I'm not alone in that struggle, 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:21.200 or hearing that their accomplishments and goals are achieva because 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:23.720 a young black person did it too. Or they see 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.320 black astronauts, they see black archaeologists. Um And although race 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:29.319 is not everything, and I get that common a lot 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:31.439 too is that why does race matter? But it does 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:33.600 affect the way we see the world and does affect 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.520 our experiences and our access. And by showing to kids 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.439 that you have the potential to be great, uh, including 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.080 your race, not regardless of your race, you can do 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:46.239 amazing things, you know. I saw you once to describe 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:48.400 your campaign in a way I thought was really interesting 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.360 and important. In your words, he said that the campaign 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.440 is about creating space for all rather than pushing one 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:57.080 group out. And that really got my attention because I 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:01.599 think when it comes to struggles for racial equity and representation, 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:07.120 there is often a sense of pushback among people, usually 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:09.880 white people, who feel like they have something to lose 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:14.520 in a context of of greater equality. And I wonder 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:16.880 what you say to people who seem to have this 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:20.680 this fear that something is somehow being taken away from 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:24.360 them when everyone is fully represented. Have you encountered that 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.160 and what other ways have you found for dealing with that. 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.200 I definitely have encountered that or witnessed other activists for 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:34.680 people I care about encounter that, and it definitely kind 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.200 of deeply frustrates me that I feel as though if 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:39.840 you have an issue with someone else gaining rights or 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.120 gaining equity or the ability. That is a fundamental and 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.440 ethical problem that you have. That's not the problem of 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.800 anybody else. And it and when it comes to especially 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.360 in my library where I had five books I read 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.200 in one year that had white boys, is the main character. 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:58.640 That's simply taking out to and adding in two more 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.960 diverse books. You know, it not necessarily saying that we 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.720 are never going to learn about white people's experiences, We're 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.120 never going to learn about boys experiences, but we're gonna 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:08.840 add some more. We're gonna mix it up. We're going 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.560 to include people who are what we normally see and 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.080 people that we don't normally see um. And I think 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:16.840 people need to understand that there's always a potential for 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:19.400 change and that we don't need to see things as gordon, 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.520 as bad, but rather as new, um and exciting. And 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:24.400 I think a lot of people are not interested in 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.800 the potential for greatness for all and people need to 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.160 lose that fear and to understand that there's so much 0:15:30.200 --> 0:15:32.880 that can be gained from understanding and listening to other 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:36.960 people and not much to lose from that experience. So 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.640 we're in an extraordinary moment in American history, a black 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:43.640 woman for the first time ever. A matter of fact, 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:45.840 the first time a woman ever as well as a 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:49.320 black woman as well as an American and South Asian descent, 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.320 has been elected vice president of the the United States. What 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:55.760 what does that mean to you? They meant a lot 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.000 to me, And I think it's super exciting because, as 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:00.720 she said in her speech, that this is an opportunity 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.120 for so many other young girls to see themselves and 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.680 and feel really empowered and motivated to be great and 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:08.440 to achieve things that no one else has done. I 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:10.880 have spent a lot of time being the first and youngest, 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:12.640 and I can imagine the fears that she may have 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.480 had um and not even to that level of definitely 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:19.120 not being vice president but but vice president elect. But 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:22.280 I definitely understand the bravery that she's taken and the 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.520 steps that she's really kind of had to do that 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.000 so many people have had negative and adverse feelings about, 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:30.280 and it means a lot to me. It's super cool, 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:32.480 and it's really amazing to think that now that I'm 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:34.760 a teenager and this didn't happen like when I was 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.360 UM four or five, when Obama was elected, that I 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:39.920 now can remember this moment and see the election, to 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:42.720 be a part of this and to encourage my parents 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.400 to vote and to help them educate themselves. Uh is 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.040 something that's super awesome because now that I'm a teenager, 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:50.320 this will stay with me rather than when I was 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:53.320 super super young and I didn't know the significance of 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:57.400 some of the historical events that happened. So in your book, 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.840 Marley Dayas Gets It Done, you offer tips for paying 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.800 it forward, and the book shows young people things that 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:05.879 they can do to galvanize their own power for the 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:08.959 common good. Uh. Now, I'm I'm what you would call 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.960 an elder millennial. I'm in the older range of that 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.119 age group. I'm guessing a lot of our listeners are 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:16.639 probably a little bit older than you. Um, but I'm curious, 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:18.359 what do you recommend to us? How can all of 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:22.399 us do something with our strengths to make positive change. 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:25.600 I think one thing you can do, and it's simple 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.920 for everybody, is to learn to listen and really listen 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.040 to learn. My mom voices that to me that it's 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.960 super important to take a second to understand that. Okay, 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:36.920 I may think I know so much about one thing, 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:39.240 but what new perspectives. Can I be a part of 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.760 How can I be that person that someone says, this 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:44.000 person supported me and now I'm able to do great 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.560 things they listen to me even when I was struggling, 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:49.280 And to try our best to show empathy and compassion 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:53.280 for others. UM. I always believe that being hopeful and 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.119 being optimistic something that's super important. And I find that 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:59.280 especially adults that have more experience of watching things go 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:02.920 really well and go really bad or not always this optimistic. 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:05.520 And I feel like I've seen things go really well 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:07.760 and really bad and and still try my best to 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:11.879 be optimistic. So sharing in that hope and and spreading optimism, 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:14.320 whether that's on social media, and trying your best to 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:17.600 educate others about the potential for great things to happen, UM, 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:19.600 And to always kind of look to the horizon that 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.440 there is potential for greatness in everyday life and in 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:26.080 everyday people. That's really good advice. What what are your 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:29.560 greatest sources of optimism and and hope? How do you 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:34.520 replenish that well when you need to find more reasons 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:37.520 to feel good about the future. Well, I think one 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.320 of the great moments of optimism for me is when 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:42.960 adults invite me to come talk about how I feel. 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:44.960 I think for a lot of teenagers, they feel like 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:49.480 adults don't understand, they lack the compassion for teenage curiosity 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.800 or wild ideas or tenacity. Um, And when I get 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:55.600 opportunities to have conversations with adults, it means a lot 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.720 to me because I don't always like that feeling that 0:18:58.800 --> 0:19:00.800 I am only going to be able to appeal to 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:02.960 one audience, or that there's only one type of person 0:19:02.960 --> 0:19:05.360 that's going to want to hear me speak. But UM, 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:07.800 it's really awesome when I get those chances. And I 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.240 hope that as I grow older and I become a 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:12.520 person that can vote and can be cypically engaged in 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:16.120 new ways, that these kind of platforms and conversations continue 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.760 to grow for me and other young people. So this 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.680 podcast is called The Deciding Decade because I like thinking 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:26.119 about what the twenties are going to be, like, what 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.239 it would mean for them to go well or for 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:30.960