Today I am thrilled to announce that Bellen Woodard, world’s 1st crayon activist, President of Bellen’s More than Peach Project, and owner of More than Peach™ Multicultural & Rainbow crayons will speak at the My Private Brand Diversity Summit, February 24-24, 2021. I will have the privilege of interviewing this remarkable young woman and learning more about her important message.
Bellen was named a TIME Magazine Top-5 Honoree in the 1st ever TIME Magazine Kid of the Year for the work of her More than Peach Project and for creating the very popular More than Peach multicultural and rainbow crayons. Turning 10 only 1-day prior to the public announcement, Bellen is the youngest honoree and top 5 of over 5000 candidates considered. Each of the 5 honorees became a Time Reporter, received $5000 in support of their mission, and appear in TIME Magazine. Bellen has also been named the 2020 honoree by the Anti-Defamation League with past honorees including such inspirational figures as Congressman John Lewis and Ruby Bridges. And most recently, she was named “one of the most inspirational kids we met this year” by Scholastic Magazines.
All that and Bellen has a private brand connection she was featured in a commercial for Target’s athleisure private brand All in Motion.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_video src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw8mOHgqe9M” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_video][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]My Private Brand Gives Back
My Private Brand has named Woodard’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Bellen’s More than Peach Project our official “give back” for the Diversity Summit. For each ticket sold My Private Brand will donate $3 with a minimum donation of $1,000.
The More than Peach™ Project began in Spring 2019 after Bellen repeatedly heard her classmates refer to the peach crayon as THE “skin-color” crayon. She happened to also be the single African-American girl in her class and grade and wanted to do more so no one in her class or school felt “dis-included” (as she calls it) and that her classmates were more understanding of one another. “I told my mom I wanted to do something different and my mom gave me the option of sharing the brown crayon instead. But I came up with my own solution and decided that instead, I was going to ask my classmates: ‘Which color would you like…because it could be any beautiful color?” And so she did. And her teacher took notice. And before long, the language of her classmates changed, understanding evolved, and peach was no longer the presumed “skin color” in her class or school. This change, both substantive and tangible, inspired Bellen to extend and share her project with many more. She began by using her own money saved from professional modeling for Target. “I was confused that only one crayon was named “flesh” years ago by a brand and so decided to start my own brand and name all my multicultural crayons “skin color” and after natural landmarks or resources.” So Bellen created More than Peach™ multicultural crayons and built art bundles to grow conversations and perspectives everywhere. She has now donated over $45,000 of More than Peach items and curriculum resources nationally to students and classrooms and has also donated to senior citizens separated from their families during Covid-19. Items are also sold in furtherance of the mission of Bellen’s More than Peach Project.
Her project and crayons are now recognized as a worldwide movement and are deeply resonating with children, teachers, and families across the world. She omits no one and receives thousands of letters each month from fellow students, teachers, and parents with news of the project’s impact. And now, as the visionary of her organization and with widespread support, Bellen’s More than Peach™ product line has quickly become a formidable and distinguishable brand being considered a competitor to even the largest crayon producer and quickly selling out of stock. She’s very excited about her work and crayons, particularly when hearing of the value added to classrooms. Bellen is most proud that More than Peach™ is serving as a conversation starter and enhancing the culture in classrooms, communities, and organizations far beyond her own community. The project has also been credited with influencing big brands to make corporate-wide changes and increase accessibility.
In August, Bellen had the honor to be chosen as the back-to-school cover story of Scholastic Magazine and has also become a discussion in some of America’s top universities. So add to her resume being the homework and study of millions.
And if that’s not exciting enough, Bellen has recently joined with acclaimed New York designer, Stacy Igel, to launch the Boy Meets Girl® x Crayon Activist™ exclusive collaboration. Launched on her 10th birthday, the clothing collaboration features Bellen’s very own doodles, created two years ago and inspired by her More than Peach motto: “Be you. Brillant.” Bellen has also launched her own Crayon Activist™ line whereby proceeds support the EDGE (Empowering Diversity in Gifted Education) Program.
To add to the project’s historical impact, Bellen’s More than Peach Palette Packet is now part of the permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. She has also received proclamations from her town, county, and state, with the Virginia General Assembly recognizing her for her “visionary leadership and accomplishments on behalf of her fellow students.” She continues her focused work to advance her genuine ‘More than Peach™ mission: to (1) welcome the authenticity of all students; (2) support the creativity of students at home & school; and (3) advance enrichment opportunities to foster empathy, leadership, and curiosity.
To donate or learn more about Bellen’s project, visit www.morethanpeach.com
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”14px|||||” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#d1d1d1″ global_module=”75709″ saved_tabs=”all”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”41px” custom_margin=”||-40px|||” custom_padding=”||15px|||”]REGISTER NOW FOR THE DIVERSITY SUMMIT!
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Tickets are available to currently employed executives at Retailers who register using their corporate email address. These tickets include all live presentations, post-summit replays on-demand, VIP Speed Networking, decks where available, and sponsor pages.
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rate goes up on February 5, 2020
VIP EARLY BIRD tickets include all live presentations, post-summit replays on-demand, VIP Speed Networking, decks where available, and sponsor pages.
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The FREE standard ticket gives attendees access to all live presentations and sponsor pages. Upgrade to VIP for access to speed networking and replays of presentations.
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VIP EARLY BIRD tickets include all live presentations, post-summit replays on-demand, VIP Speed Networking, decks where available, and sponsor pages.
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About the Author: Christopher Durham
