Marsai Martin is a young boss with her heart in the right place, a combination fans both love and need more of.
The 15-year-old “Black-ish” star is using her platform to bring attention to an issue that children across the United States still struggle with, even in the land of opportunity: access to school lunches. The Genius Production company owner has partnered with nonprofit School Lunch for All to become “a champion for free school lunch for all K-12 students.”
The “Little” executive producer wrote an editorial in Teen Vogue to raise awareness of the issue and break down, in her own words, why the problem isn’t one to be taken lightly.
She began by reflecting on seeing her grandmother, a former lunch lady, saddened by the students she wasn’t able to feed due to their parents’ financial hardships. “When I was younger, she would tell me about the kids she’d see sitting alone at lunch, hungry and embarrassed that they didn’t have food. I could always tell how much it bothered her that these kids didn’t have access to what should be available for all students in school.”
This left a mark on young Marsai, and now that she’s in a position to help her peers, she’s making sure to do just that.
“Whether or not students have access to lunch at school impacts not only their health but also their ability to learn and perform in the classroom,” she wrote in the July 20 Teen Vogue piece. “According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there is a direct positive correlation between students’ health and their academic performance, education behavior, and cognitive skills and attitudes. Students who are well-nourished also miss less school and have fewer behavioral issues in the classroom.”
After explaining how the COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated issues for homes struggling with food insecurity, she closes her appeal by outlining the first step in her campaign to end school lunch debt. In the petition, she calls for free school lunches for all children grades K-12 during the 2020-2021 school year.
Martin is quickly asserting herself as a young voice to follow and strong-willed force within the industry. Her maturity was on full display when she recently clapped back at haters who had opinions on her latest look, a slightly more grown-up, blond collarbone-length lace front wig.
“Y’all, we are in quarantine, and we’ve got more things to focus on than just my hair,” she said in a video she posted to Instagram addressing the trending topic. “Justice for Breonna Taylor.”
The mature young mogul-to-be doubled down on her unbothered attitude on Twitter, writing, “Sorry some of y’all don’t like my hair. Or teeth … which are my actual teeth btw. Good thing I don’t put my effort into trying to please everyone. I like it. Chile I’m 16 this year, let me live. I’m trying to stay sane in quarantine.”
