Learn About Bellen Woodard: The World's First Crayon Activist

Meet the 10-year-old kid who has successfully persuaded others to no longer refer to the peach-colored crayon like a 'skin color' crayon.

She has inspired many people throughout the world, and her crayons have become woven into the fabric of a country! The Teacher Association honors Bellen with the Friend of Education Award.

Bellen Woodard received the Loudoun Education Association's 2020 Friend of Education Award for reinforcing an initiative in the classroom using her skin color crayons. Simone Biles, a gold medalist, shocked Bellen by announcing that she had been named a Time Magazine 'Kid of the Year' recipient.

'Put multicultural crayons in the hands of each pupil as well as every classroom,' she says, and 'develop leadership, empathy, and creativity to guarantee that no child is left out.' The 'More Than Peach' initiative was titled after Woodard's objective.

Woodard's More than Peach Project has developed into a non-profit organization, with the mission to 'empower students; build awareness; assistance gifted education opportunities; and disassemble perception gaps' and providing an amazing experience to adults and students and creating a framework for all to be heard!

According to People Magazine, 10-year-old Bellen Woodard, is the world's first crayon activist, transforming children's ideas about skin tone by making multicultural art kits with crayons. Her first intention was to transform the discourse surrounding skin-colored crayons by providing multicultural crayons along with art packages to over 80,000 classes and schools.

She is the founder of More Than Peach crayons, whose mission is to bring ethnic crayons into the hands of every school so that no child feels 'disincluded'.

What did Bellen Woodard do?

For many years, a particular crayon was known as 'flesh' but, more recently, the term 'the skin color' crayon is used.

It was until Bellen, an 8-year-old girl, managed to radically transform the language with a sympathetic answer tailored to each youngster! As CEO and President of More than Peach, she created both a revolutionary new product and a remedy and went on to alter an entire industry.

Woodard has contributed $40,000 worth of art packages through the More Than Peach project since it began in 2019. Woodard, from Leesburg, Virginia, has been named a candidate for the Kid of the Year award from Time Magazine for her efforts to produce multi-cultural skin color crayons. 

The Early Life Of Bellen Woodard

A fifth-grader from Evergreen Mill Elementary School in Leesburg, Bellen Woodard has been selected as one of five candidates for the Time Magazine Kid of the Year Award which was to be revealed in Nickelodeon.

This young activist from Leesburg, Virginia, has devoted the last two years trying to get as many of her crayon items into the hands of as many people as possible.

Woodard's crayons have affected worldwide influence on classrooms and children, and both instructors and pupils have praised her efforts. Bellen was recognized by the Anti-Defamation League, highlighting the influence of her movement among her numerous achievements.

She has also collaborated with New York designer Stacy Igel on clothing that features her drawings. 'Be you. Brilliant,' she says in her tagline, 'Boy Meets Girl x Crayon Activist.'

Bellen formed More Than Peach, a revolutionary and innovative label of 'many beautiful colors' to start celebrating kid's brilliance as well as to develop spaces after becoming perplexed as to why a single peach crayon was being called 'the skin color' crayon and acquiring knowledge it was once labeled flesh as flesh color.

Engineered and motivated by a child's wisdom and compassion, she came up with the idea of naming the hues after natural features and referring to them all as 'skin color'.

Why is Bellen Woodard famous?

She had the inspiration for More Than Peach after the white kids at her school kept asking for a 'skin-colored crayon' and expecting to receive a peach crayon.

However, when humans come in various skin hues, the young entrepreneur didn't accept it when the other kids assumed the peach-colored crayon was the only color for a skin complexion color. So to her classmates, she clarified that the skin-colored crayon might be any hue.

Bellen then started making her own ethnic crayon packages, with many colors labeled as skin colors.

Where does Bellen Woodard live?

Bellen Woodard resides in Leesburg, Virginia, and received the title of Time Magazine's 'Kid of the Year' honoree.

Bellen produced her own multicultural crayons with her 'More than Peach' project following findings that there was no hue to reflect her skin. According to Face2Face Africa, she has been given the title of the world's first crayon activist.

According to Bellen's site, the Virginia General Assembly enacted the 'Bellen Bill' in March to honor her for her efforts to change the narrative. In addition to the law backing her cause, 'Bellen's Palette Packet' is on permanent exhibit at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC).

Who was the first crayon activist?

Bellen Woodard is the creator and first Crayon Activist in the world. Bellen Woodard, ten years old in 2021, is not only the planet's youngest crayon activist, although she's the youngest 'Kid of the Year' recipient, according to Time for Kids.

With her More Than Peach project, Woodard started a conversation, which utilized crayons to challenge children's assumptions about skin hues. Woodard explained that it all began when one of her classmates requested the 'skin color' crayon during class, implying that they wanted the peach crayon.

As the only Black girl in the classroom, Woodard immediately found that no crayon color matched her true skin tone. Bellen went back to school after discussing why the event affected her with her mom.

She began by asking her students which color they would want for their 'skin', explaining that it could be any gorgeous hue. Peach eventually lost favor as the default hue, and Bellen, unbeknownst to her, had begun a trend.

She began donating art bundles loaded with distinct multicultural crayons entitled 'skin color' using her own resources to classes and schools.

These specialist Woodard crayons also included educational materials for students. As a result, the Virginia General Assembly,  Scholastic Magazine, and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture all recognized her, and her 'Bellen's Palette Packet' was included in the collection in VMHC.

Woodard is now the youngest person in history to be named Time Magazine's 'Kid of the Year'. She was among the top five finalists chosen from over 5000 applicants. Each recipient will get $5,000 for their cause, as well as the opportunity to be a Time Reporter and have their work published in the journal.

Woodard has already done a lot of good in society at such a young age. We're excited to see what she comes up with next!

Having a set of More Than Peach crayons is like having a piece of history in your possession! She is, above all, a 10-year-old who plays hard, works harder, and seeks to make the most of her surroundings and improve the world one crayon at a time!