How not seeing yourself represented on book shelves as a child can make you a very powerful activist. MARIAH C. ‘29 is a 13-year-old author and activist and a member of Walker’s 8th grade class. She wanted to create a book that was not the “common” type of book that you see on the shelves, so she wrote a children’s book with a focus on Black characters, wanting children like herself to see someone that looks like them. Selling Black Lives Matter bookmarks and with additional donations, she was able to raise over $15,000 for her Black Characters Matter movement. She also donated 100 books to all 11 elementary schools in New Britain, CT. Mariah is the recipient of the frst Martin Luther King Award from the New Britain Museum and received acknowledgments from New Britain Mayor and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx