Welcome to Maven in the Making, where we celebrate the young women in our community who are poised to be future leaders.
At the young age of six, Amor Coleman and her mom Erica Scott have already made a big difference in our community. Amor and Erica started Fly Kids Read, a 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is placing diverse books in the hands of today’s youth.
Amor has been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fox59, and many more local news sources for her work as an advocate for books to include characters that look like her.
We chatted with Amor to learn more about her incredible mission, her love for reading, and her encouragement for other young mavens out there.
Maven superpower:
Reading! Because I can read chapter books.
What inspired you to start Fly Kids Read?
Because there weren’t that many black people in my class when I was in kindergarten.
How do you find the books you collect?
We add books to our wish list and look for books with illustrations of people of color. People find the list on the Fly Kids Read website.
What are some of your favorite books?
Princess in Black series, Dogman, Mo Willems books, Fly Guy books, and You Can Be by Jaleesa Bluitt.
Do you have any book characters that you want to be like, and if so, why?
Princess in Black because she fights monsters, and she never gets hurt. She goes on vacations, and she has a lot of cool friends and meets a lot of cool heroes.
“Believe in yourself, keep going, and do what you think is right!”
How do books help with diversity and inclusion?
People can read them, and they can learn about different cultures like the book All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold.
If you wrote a children’s book, what would it be about?
I would write a book about my life and how to solve problems.
What is the best advice your mom has taught you?
To stand up for myself!
Where do you see yourself with Fly Kids Read in 10 years?
We would offer books for teenagers about how to handle problems.
What is a life lesson you’ve learned from reading?
That you don’t give up! Like with reading, don’t give up on words that you don’t know. Keep reading and try to sound it out and keep going.
Do you have any advice for other young people looking to make an impact?
Believe in yourself, keep going, and do what you think is right!
Megan Lilly is the Editorial Intern for Indy Maven and would love to read a book written by Amor.
Know a young woman who is a Maven in the Making? Nominate her by emailing editorial@indymaven.com.
