Hi, my name is Annie Rose. I’m writing this to tell a story. It’s true, and it happened to me. But it’s not really about me.
It’s actually about how little people can do big things, and about how everyone can have a voice, but only if they aren’t afraid to speak up. I’m going to tell this story to show that that’s all true, and that you can do anything if you believe in yourself. Never give up!
One normal day- or, at least it was- I learned that the main character, Rey, had been left out of the new Star Wars Monopoly. That made me so MAD! I am a firm believer in equal rights, and leaving Rey out of a known and popular game was literally screaming out “FEMALE CHARACTERS DO NOT MATTER!” Which is so not true!
And, even though most children don’t know it, the toys they play with influence their thoughts. So, we need kids to see a female character, not one that’s popular because of her looks, but because of who she is. Kids hear too often that women are objects, judged solely by their looks. They need to hear that women are just as important as men.
So I wanted to do something about it. I mean, there was no doubt about it! So I picked up my markers and paper, to write a passionate five-color letter about female rights. It was kind of scary, wondering what people would say or do, but I knew I was doing the right thing. That kind of took away my fear. Then my mom tweeted it so everyone could see it.
But things didn’t happen immediately. That’s just not how the world works. After a little while, Hasbro, the toy company that made the Star Wars Monopoly game, responded. It took 18 months to get Rey added. But now, we play the game with Rey (probably the most popular game piece).
I want other little girls- and boys- to see that even at 8 years old, like I was when I wrote the letter, you can make a difference. All you have to do is try. Try, even if it is scary.
And, all of you little kids who hear or read this, never give up. You can do anything. I believe in every single one of you. If you see something that you think is wrong, stand up. And every one else will stand behind you.
Lastly, I want to thank anyone and everyone who stood with me throughout this. Maybe just by acknowledging the tweet, maybe by writing back. Maybe I don’t know their names, maybe they are close friends I’ve known my whole life. But I just want to thank them all for standing with me through something meaningful to me.
Thank you.
Thank you all for reading this,
Annie Rose (age 10 now)