Photo courtesy of Bellen Woodard/ Instagram.
Ten-year-old Bellen Woodard is the world’s first crayon activist, and she is changing kids’ perceptions about skin color by creating multicultural art kits using Crayola crayons, People Magazine reported.
After the white children at her school would constantly ask for a skin-colored crayon and expect the peach crayon in return, she had an idea.
The young entrepreneur didn’t like the other children assuming that the peach-colored crayon was for skin when people come in multiple skin colors. She explained to her classmates that the skin-colored crayon could be any color. Bellen then began creating her own kits of multicultural crayons, with certain shades being called “skin-colored.”
After she began giving away kits to middle and elementary schools using the money she earned modeling, they became trendy. Bellen was suddenly getting requests from across the nation.
Her mission is to “get multicultural crayons in the hands of every student and every classroom” and “to grow empathy, leadership, and creativity to ensure absolutely no kid is disincluded.”
Woodard named her mission the “More Than Peach” project.
The “More Than Peach” project has inspired classrooms to discuss race and skin color.
Woodard also began a “More Than Peach” product line that includes colored pencils and sketchbooks in addition to crayons. Bellen’s line is so popular that beginning on Aug. 1, they will be available in Target stores online.
Bellen has also been named Time magazine’s Kid of the Year. She is the youngest winner to receive the honor. Talk about Black girl magic!