The Struggles of the Democratic Party: For a long period of time, the Democratic Party has been pushing initiatives for social spending, a major aspect being President Biden’s plans in the trillions. However, the public’s skepticism mixed with the party’s own divide on the bill have been hindering its passing. 

NPR conducted a survey of the views and who would support the $2 trillion Build Back Better bill, focusing on social spending and domestic issues in the country. 41% of respondents showed their support with Democrats taking up 75% of that total but only 36% of independents and 13% of Republicans taking up the rest. Taking that into account, Biden has expressed that he was elected into office to control the Congress and the White House in order to change the federal government, stating in a speech in October, “More people [81 million] voted [for the agenda in the bills] than at any time in American history. That’s what they voted for. Their voices deserve to be heard, not denied – or, worse, ignored.” This may be true and the public may majority agree with the Biden administration’s plans, but that does not mean that is reflected within the actual party (Snell). 

Negotiations have been going on for months centered around this bill and the struggle to maintain a set and stone plan has made democrats grow impatient and irritated. John Fitzgerald, a democracy respondent of the poll, explains that he supports Biden’s plans, as he has experienced first-hand benefits from some passed policies, but believes his overall goals are being hindered by Congress. And though this is a positive case in terms of what the bill will provide, only 42% said that it would help people like them (Snell). 

The poll’s disparity is not going unnoticed. Democratic New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries expressed to reporters in November that he recognizes the failure of Democrats to persuade voters of their plans but he is optimistic this time around, utilizing headlines to promote their message in a persuasive way. A technique the party is currently working with is choosing to pass the legislation without the help of Republicans, meaning they would need unanimous support from Democrats in the Senate and a majority of voters to support their plans in order to maintain power of the House and Senate. Historically, whichever party controlling the White House loses seats in Congress the following midterm, which is in less than a year. A lot of pressure is riding on their ability to sell their plans to voters and though Senate Democrats are eager to get the Build Back Better bill passed by Christmas, it would take a holiday miracle to convince a mass amount of people in such little time (Snell). 

Although struggling, stable leadership within the party has not been an issue according to NBC. With both Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeking re-election in their next terms, two key players in the Democrats’ success, powerful leaders are still planning to be in the game. However, what is to occur if/when they leave the political arena. NBC quotes the New York Times who explained the ongoing fear among democratic voters: “On top of concerns about Mr. Biden’s age and present unpopularity, there is an overarching fear among Democrats of the possibility of a Trump [Republic President from 2016-2020] comeback-and a determination that the party must run a strong candidate to head it off… Should Mr. Biden change his mind and bow out of 2024, there is no census among Democrats about who the best alternative might be” (Todd). 

I don’t have the power to tell the future and I can’t decipher everything that will happen in the next few months and years, but the uncertainty in midterms approaching and inability for the Democratic party to secure its main bill has caused wariness among Democrats alike. 

Immerse into the Diverse: We are so much more capable than what we know. I’m 16 and for some reason, I feel restricted within self-established parameters and the belief that I can’t do anything other than make homemade pizza. That isn’t true, though, and it is not true for you either. We all have the power to achieve something bigger than ourselves, and that is exactly what Marley Dias has done at 16-years-old. 

The office Marley Dias website details that Dias is the creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks and author of Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! at just 16-years-old. What is #1000BlackGirlBooks? It was a drive Dias launched in November, 2015, with the goal to collect (you guessed it) 1,000 books with Black female protagonists by February, 2016 (“About”). TeenVouge interviewed Dias where she talked about how she has loved to read since a young age and as a child, was accessible to books with Black girls as protagonists, seeing herself and connecting with these characters. It’s one thing to love something, but it’s another to gain the full experience of something you love. But when she started going to school, everything changed (Lyons).

The literary world isn’t fully diversified. It is a completely white-centric domain that commonly makes white people main characters, something that is pushed heavily in school curriculums (Lyons). PBS quoted Dias about the shift she experienced when in school: “I knew I was frustrated by the lack of diversity in the books I was reading in school, but it wasn’t until my mother asked me about what I wanted to change that the [book drive] idea fully became clear.” Representation is crucial and minority groups in America have struggled with proper representation in jobs, entertainment, and other factions of life. Therefore, Dias’ moves to highlight Black girls as protagonists forces recognition of the lack of diversity and need for inclusion within the reading world (Thoet). 

Although it was only meant to be a one-time-thing, her idea transformed into a continuance campaign to emphasize (Lyons). With the help of social media, her story went viral and she was able to reach widespread audiences around the world, resulting in millions of people eager to contribute to the project (“About).

Her aforementioned book inspires other children to utilize activism, inclusion, and community involvement to incite positive change. She wrote and published it when she was 13-years-old, a remarkable feat for someone so young. The director of “A Wrinkle In Time,” Ava DuVernay, actually wrote the introduction to her book and Dias commented on the movie, which stars a Black girl as the main protagonists and other influential Black women as leading roles: “It is so nice to see that the Black girl is the main character, and not the sidekick. This movie, like the black girl books I collect, will serve as a mirror for Black girls and as a window to other young girls to see what they can do” (Thoet). 

She has collected over 13,000 books (“About”) and hopes to collect and distribute 1 million of worldwide to libraries, schools, and community organizations (Thoet). That’s not all. Dias has spoken at the White House’s United States of Women, The Forbes Women’s Summit, United Nations Girl Up, Inbound, CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the Social Innovation Summit, was recognized as one of the 25 most influential teens in 2018 by TIME, has appeared on Ellen, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, The View, and more. She has had conversations with influential women such as Ava Duvernay, Misty Copeland, and Hillary Clinton for Elle.com and has been featured in a Microsoft Commercial, a Disney World Resorts digital campaign, and a Walmart Black History Month campaign. She has been awarded the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, Ebony 100, and numerous others, and she is the youngest recipient to be a member of Forbes “30 under 30” list (“About”). She also has a successful Netflix series named Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voice and hosted Rebel Girls Fest: Adventure Awaits during Women’s History Month in 2020, inspiring and empowering girls (Lyons).

Marley Dias is an advocate, inspiration, young Black woman taking the world by storm. She is an inspiration to many around the world and has utilized her love for reading to make an enormous difference in diversity and inclusion in white-centric world.

Works Cited

“About.” Marley Dias, 6 Apr. 2021, www.marleydias.com/about.

Lyons, Sierra. “Marley Dias on Her Female Heroes, Representation, and Changing the World.”

Teen Vogue, 2 Mar. 2021, www.teenvogue.com/story/marley-dias-female-heroes.

Snell, Kelsey, and Sprunt, Barbara . “Democrats Are Struggling to Sell Biden’s Agenda. It Isn’t

the First Time, Either.” NPR, 10 Dec. 2021,

www.npr.org/2021/12/10/1062895561/democrats-struggles-to-sell-bidens-agenda-mirror

past-messaging-woes.

Thoet, Alison. “13-Year-Old Founder of #1000blackgirlbooks Shares Some of Her Favorite

Reads.” PBS NewsHour, 16 Feb. 2018,

www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/13-year-old-founder-of-1000blackgirlbooks-shares-some-of

her-favorite-reads.

Todd, Chuck, et al. “Run of Stable Democratic Leadership May Come to an End after 2022.”

NBC News, 13 Dec. 2021,

www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/run-stable-democratic-leadership-may-come

end-after-2022-n1285811.