Children can do incredible things. We often underestimate their ability to formulate complex ideas and navigate situations that challenge them emotionally, mentally, and physically. Children hold within them the power to change the world and oftentimes that power doesn’t wait until adulthood. As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we’d like to introduce you to five black children that are changing the world and blazing new paths for people of all races, genders, and backgrounds.
Mo’ne Davis
Mo’ne is breaking just about every barrier there is! In 2014, she was one of two girls in the Little League World Series, but she was the first black girl to ever play in the renowned event. Not only that, but Mo’ne was the first girl to pitch a shutout in the entire history of the Little League World Series! After her incredible history-making win, Mo’ne became the first Little League baseball player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
Nyeeam Hudson
Also known online as King Nahh, Nyeeam Hudson was bullied when he was 10-years-old. Nyeeam wasn’t going to let the bullying bring him down. Instead, he decided to use the hurtful actions of others to be his fuel for creating change. He’s now a motivational speaker and has nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram. Nyeeam’s powerful inspirational videos help empower other children who are victims of bullying. With a certain deepness to his wisdom, Nyeeam inspires others to value their mind rather than material things. He travels the world spreading his messages of hope and positivity.
Marley Dias
In her words, Marley Dias was tired of reading stories that were about “little white boys and dogs.” Her revelation inspired her to make a change. Marley worked diligently and collected over 7,000 books featuring black girls as the main character. She organized a book drive and used the hashtag #1000BlackGirlBooks to help other girls like herself find books that would help them feel represented. Marley’s hard work and activism has earned her a partnership with Elle called “Marley’s Mag.”
Mikaila Ulmer
Mikaila was stung by a bee twice, but rather than getting angry about it, she became curious. Mikaila set out to learn about bees and their impact on our ecosystem. Through her learning and love for lemonade, Mikaila was inspired to create her own company called Me & The Bees Lemonade. She used her grandmother’s recipe and now you can find Mikaila’s famous flaxseed lemonade at some of the biggest retailers around! It doesn’t stop there, though. Mikaila uses some of her profits to support organizations around the world that are working to save honeybees from extinction and she advocates to others about how they can help the cause.
These children are doing incredible things but perhaps the most inspirational part of each story is that they all learned to take a bad situation, reframe their thinking, and problem solve ways that they could excel and make an impact on the world.