Black History Month: Celebrating Youth Who Are Redefining Advocacy

This Black History Month, we highlighted four youth advocates who are making waves in their communities and across the Nation. They are taking on big challenges and redefining what it means to be an advocate. The future looks bright and we are in awe of the work these four have done at such a young age. Take a look at the advocates changing the World!

Meet Mari Copeny, 14-year-old activist, philanthropist, and “future president." Dubbed, "Little Miss Flint," Mari is on the front lines helping kids to embrace their power through equal opportunity. When the Flint Water Crisis began in Flint, Michigan, Mari decided to use her voice to fight for the kids and the future of her community. Since then she has expanded her effort to help communities across the nation dealing with toxic water.

Mari has raised over $600,000 for her Flint Kids projects including giving out over 17,000 backpacks stuffed with school supplies, a yearly Christmas event with thousands of toys, easter baskets, movie screenings, and other various events centered around the kids in her community.

Marley Dias is an American activist and writer.

She launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks in November 2015, when she was in elementary school. Marley has collected over 13,000 books to date and has spoken at many prestigious events including the White House’s United States of Women alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah. Marley was recognized by TIME, as one of the 25 most influential teens in 2018.

We are highlighting Marley this BHM as a young activist making waves in her community, admiring her commitment to platform the stories and narratives of young Black girls!

Daughter of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Isra Hirsi is a climate and racial justice advocate. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the US Youth Climate Strike, and has organized hundreds of strikes across the country. Hirsi started her climate activism her freshman year of high school by joining her schools environmental club. Driven by her identity as a Black Muslim woman in this work, Hirsi has been a longtime advocate for intersectionality and diversity within the climate justice movement as well as in her daily life.

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has three books forthcoming with Penguin Random House. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Amanda is an inspiration to us at Maryland CASA!