Outrage Sparks As Poughkeepsie School District Pays 11-Year-Old $6,500 As Its Keynote Speaker

Outrage has sparked in New York after it was learned that a Poughkeepsie school district paid an 11-year-old $6,500 as its keynote speaker. Marley Dias was hired to talk and deliver a workshop among the students in line with her advocacy.

Marley Dias is behind the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign that encourages reading up on books with people of color in children's literature. At the Poughkeepsie event, the keynote speaker stood before 50 students of middle school age. The whole session, conducted on Tuesday, Nov. 8, was done within an hour and a half, The Poughkeepsie Journal reports.

The school district held a meeting on Nov. 9 to confirm its approval of Marley Dias' fees, with a vote of 3-1. Superintendent Nicole Williams said that they agreed to pay $6,500 for Marley Dias' service fee, travel and other expenses because of her impressive resume, which has earned her global recognition.

"We should not discriminate because she's 11-years-old," the superintended said. According to Daily Mail, the 11-year-old keynote speaker was paid through the federal education program funding.

Poughkeepsie taxpayers and parents thought that the fee was too much, given that the school district is already struggling with its budget. They also questioned why the school hired and agreed to the compensation for Marley Dias. Board Trustee Felicia Watson was the lone school district member who opposed the compensation citing that her fee was indeed too high.

Marley Dias attends the Roosevelt Middle School in New Jersey. In 2015, she set up #1000BlackGirlBooks on social media to push for racial diversity in literature, which received international attention. She was even featured on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and met First Lady Michelle Obama, according to NJ. Elle has a special magazine dedicated to Marley Dias' advocacy via Marley Mag, where the 11-year-old serves as editor-in-chief.