Jada Perry is a spunky, determined and active 10-year-old Cleveland girl, reading enthusiast, spelling bee guru, move-making mogul, dancing doll and the list goes on … who had a vision, saw it through and is now on her journey to (young) excellence! Oh, and she is also the Founder of the Young Reading Divas Book Club, based out of Cleveland, Ohio. I don’t know about you all, but when I was 10, I was too busy focused on what outfit Barbie was wearing on the yacht with Ken, making nasty brownies in my Easy Bake Oven and writing nonsense in my Lion King diary.
I wholeheartedly commend Jada on the moves that she’s making at such an early age and would like for you to take a moment to learn more about Ms. Jada Perry!
MMR: What is the background to how The Young Reading Divas Book Club started?
Jada: I went to an event called Paint Me Beautiful. It was for girls 10-13 years old, and it was about self-esteem and loving yourself. It made me want to come up with a way for girls my age to meet up. I like to read, and I wanted to find other girls who like reading too.
MMR: So, tell us more about this organization.
Jada: The Young Reading Divas Book Club is a group of 16 girls who are ages 9-12. We meet once a month and only read books with African American girls as the main characters because I wanted to read about girls who are just like us. At the meetings we do icebreakers, group discussions and a craft or activity that goes with the book. We have a lot of fun together.
MMR: Who is your inspiration?
Jada: My mom is my inspiration because she encouraged me to do this. She always tells me I can do anything I put my mind to. Sharon Lucas also inspired me. She is the founder of the Reading Divas Book Club in Maryland. It is a national book club. She gave me some great ideas when I was starting my book club. Lastly, I was also inspired by Marley Dias. She set a goal to find 1,000 books with black girls in them.
MMR: What advice would you give to other young girls?
Jada: Advice that I would give to other girls my age is to never be afraid to put ideas together and try something new. Like my mom says, you can do anything you put your mind to.
MMR: How can readers learn more about The Young Reading Divas Book Club or inquire if interested in joining?
Jada: We are working on our website now, but we do have a Facebook page and an Instagram page, @YoungReadingDivas. Our email is [email protected].
Because empowerment, dopeness and all things divalicious comes in all ages…
