Claudette Colvin
Her Story: Did you know a young girl refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus long before Rosa Parks did? Claudette Colvin did just that 9 months before Rosa. On March 2, 1955, Claudette was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman. Though Claudette’s act of bravery was not well known, she explained that people thought Roda sat down on a bus and ended segregation, but that is not what happened. Many people did the same as Claudette and Rosa, and that is what led to the change in bus segregation. No matter your age, you can be part of a movement to rewrite history.
Jahkil Jackson
His Story: Project I Am was created by 8 year old Jahkil Jackson. This non-profit organization helps homeless individuals in Chicago. It started out as helping his aunt give meals to the homeless, but Jahkil decided he wanted to do more. He decided to give away “Blessing Bags,” that contained wipes, socks, deodorant, hand sanitizer, granola bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bottled water, and more! Since beginning this project, he has helped organize “Blessing Bag” distributions all around the world. He has made a lasting impact on those around him, and touched so many lives in the now 13 years he’s been on this earth.
Isra Hirsi
Her Story: Climate and the environment affects us more than we think. That is what a 16 year old from Minneapolis, Minnesota wants you to know. Isra Hirsi is a climate and racial justice advocate who is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the US Youth Climate Strike. She has concerns about climate in the future, but she also wants other people of color to be involved because environmental racism is a big deal. She wants more than just her white peer’s voices to be heard in the climate debate, and to see change for herself that the world will be a better place.
Kelvin Doe
His Story: “DJ Focus” taught himself engineering at 13 years old and built his own radio station in Sierra Leone. Kelvin constantly was building things, from a generator made from scrap metals, to transmitters and batteries. Because he was a builder, he was invited to the Visiting Practitioner’s Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He became the youngest person to participate in this program and received worldwide recognition for his accomplishments. He also became a speaker at TEDxTeen and taught undergraduate engineering students at Harvard College, the undergraduate program at Harvard University when he was just 17 years old. He is one of the most respected African inventors, and proved that you can build whatever you dream from absolutely anything.
Mari Copeny
Her Story: Little Miss Flint is only 13 years old and continuing to change the world. When she was younger, she wrote a letter to President Barack Obama about the water crisis in her city of Flint, Michigan. In 2014, the drinking water became dirty with lead and certain bacteria, making it impossible to drink. This caused people all over the city to become sick. When Mari wrote the letter to President Obama, she asked him to come to her city at once and see what was happening. When he visited, he saw the problem and approved $100 million dollars to help the city. Mari has not only fought for the water crisis but she has also raised over $500,000 for her various projects to help kids in her community and speaks and participates at the Women’s March on Washington, March for Science, Flit Youth Justice League, MDE Anti-Racism Student Advisory Council, and many more. No matter your age, your voice can be heard, just like Little Miss Flint.
Mikaila Ulmer
Her Story: If you got stung by a bee, would you think of making lemonade? That is exactly what Mikaila Ulmer did. When she was 4, she was stung by two bees and did some research on them. Her great-grandmother sent a family cookbook and it had a recipe for flaxseed lemonade. She decided to combine the honey from bees with her special lemonade and created Me & the Bees Lemonade. Now at 15, her lemonade business has grown tremendously, being found in stores like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, World Market, and more! She also speaks at events on being a young entrepreneur and recently released her first book, Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid. Mikaila proves you can start a business at any age!
Marley Dias
Her Story: In November 2015, Marley Dias noticed that in a lot of the books she read, there was no one like her. When she realized this, she decided to create the #1000BlackGirlBooks project. She wanted to collect 1,000 books with Black female main characters by February 2016. She shared her project on social media, and soon it went viral. Since that day, she has collected over 13,000 books with Black females! She continues to advocate for diversity in children’s books so that equality is found in more than just everyday life. Marley wrote a book in 2019 called Marley Dias Gets it Done and So Can You, a book to help young children make their dreams come true, and to make the world a better place.
Mo'ne Davis
Her Story: Baseball is for boys, right? No, it can be for anyone! Mo’ne Davis did just that. She is a former Little League Baseball pitcher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She played in the 2014 Little League World Series and was the first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history. She was the 18th girl to play in series history! When she was 13, she could throw a 70 mph fastball. She was in the national spotlight for her amazing skills, not just because she was a girl. She now plays softball at Hampton University, but she defied gender norms and proved the world that girls can do anything.
Robby Novak
His Story: “Love changes everything. So fill the world with it.” Kid President, aka Robby Novak, is a 17 year old actor and speaker from Henderson, Tennessee. What started out as fun home videos about a kid sharing his thoughts with the world turned into pep talks, interviews, motivational messages, and dancing and being awesome! His biggest message is kids and adults need to work together in order to change the world, and everyone needs a pep talk.
Nyeeam Hudson
His Story: Speeches in front of a lot of people can be scary. Not to this 15 year old. Nyeeam Hudson is a motivational speaker. First getting seen on his Instagram @kingnahh, Nyeeam delivers positive messages about self-love and confidence to kids. He has also written a book called We Are All Kings: A Motivational Guide for Young Men with the message “anything is possible if they just believe in themselves as kings of greatness.” Nyeeam has traveled across the world, giving hope and motivation to so many. Speak from your heart, and share your message with others.
Audrey Faye Hendricks
Her Story: Can you imagine being in jail at 9 years old? Well, in 1963, Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement. On May 2, hundreds of children took part in marches against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Her parents played a big part in the movement, so much that Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other leaders had dinner in Audrey’s house! One day at church, Mr. King spoke about the children’s march they were planning, and Audrey decided to go home and tell her parents, “I want to get arrested.” And her parents let her do just that. She was arrested and released from jail 6 days later. The next day, she went to school. No matter how young, you can stand up for what you believe in, even if that means you may get into trouble.
Sidney Keys III
His Story: At the age of 10, Sidney Keys III decided to create Books N Bros Reading club. This group is for boys ages 7-13 to have multiple meet ups to advocate for African American literacy. He has been recognized in Oprah’s magazine, Good Morning American, CNN, Huffington Post, and even Disney+ as a Marvel Hero! Now 15, he want to be an even larger entrepreneur than he is now when he grows up, partnering with schools and becoming an example for future young leaders.
