Reading habits have declined in the wake of social media and video games. However, reviving them is a sure way to secure the future of the next generation, and Netflix in collaboration with #1000BlackGirlBooks founder Marley Dias will stream a new series highlighting Black stories that will be read by notable Black celebrities.
The video series dubbed Bookmarks will be hosted by the incredible 15-year-old author, Dias. It will feature stars like Marsai Martin, Lupita Nyong’o and Jill Scott who will share the Black experience with viewers by reading children’s books from Black authors.
“The books and conversations featured in Bookmarks will explore themes of identity, respect, justice and action, allowing families to further discuss those topics,” according to Hollywood Reporter.
This is very crucial in these times as parents want to find a more structured way to educate their children and even broaden their own knowledge of racial justice. This project is one way to grasp the attention of these young folks and expose them to the Black experience.
Aside from hosting, Dias will executively produce the five-minute series and there will be a collection of 12 videos that will go live on Netflix and Netflix Jr. YouTube channel on September 1.
“The work I do with #1000BlackGirlBooks exists in the literary space, and I am so happy to promote diversity and tell stories of girls like me through a new medium,” Dias said.
There will also be additional book recommendations and resource guides and videos that will be available at NetflixBookmarks.com.
Professor and children’s media consultant Kevin A. Clark, who serves as creative producer, added, “This series creates a vehicle for children and families to begin to have conversations around concepts of racial identity and social justice through prolific Black voices.
“I’m excited to be part of a project that leverages the power of Black storytellers and provides an opportunity for children to see themselves and their communities on screen.”
Jesse Collins Entertainment are the producers and Fracaswell serves as showrunner, director, and executive producer on the Jesse Collins Entertainment project. Collins, Dionne Harmon, David E. Talbert, and Lyn Sisson-Talbert will serve as executive producers.
The giant streaming service will donate and distribute copies of every book read in the collection to children in need in the U.S. and worldwide. This is a joint exercise with First Book.
A complete list of the books, authors and readers featured in Bookmarks follows:
Tiffany Haddish reads I Love My Hair
Written by: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, Illustration by: E.B. Lewis
Grace Byers reads I Am Enough
Written by: Grace Byers, Illustration by: Keturah A. Bobo
Caleb McLaughlin reads Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Written by: Derrick Barnes, Illustration by: Gordon C. James
Lupita Nyong’o reads Sulwe
Written by: Lupita Nyong’o, Illustration by: Vashti Harrison
Marsai Martin reads ABC’s For Girls Like Me
Written by: Melanie Goolsby, Illustration by: Princess Kay
Karamo Brown reads I Am Perfectly Designed
Written by: Karamo Brown, Illustration by: Anoosha Syed
Jill Scott reads Pretty Brown Face and Brown Boy Joy
Written by: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustration by: Brian Pinkney
Written by: Thomishia Booker, Illustration by: Thomishia Booker
Misty Copeland reads Firebird
Written by: Misty Copeland, Illustration by: Christopher Myers
Common reads Let’s Talk About Race
Written by: Julius Lester, Illustration by: Karen Barbour
Jacqueline Woodson reads The Day You Begin
Written by: Jacqueline Woodson, Illustration by: Rafael Lopez
Kendrick Sampson reads Anti-Racist Baby
Written by: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Illustration by: Ashley Lukashevsky
Marley Dias reads We March
Written by: Shane W. Evans, Illustration by: Shane W. Evans
