Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s Baby Girl is Already a Champion for Women

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s Baby Girl is Already a Champion for Women

 Photo: Kaavia James/Instagram 

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter, Kaavia James, into the world on November 7th of last year. Not only is she adorable, but at just four month’s old, she is already using her Instagram platform to uplift and acknowledge other young girls. 

Since its launch just 11 days after her birth, the account has consistently featured girls as Kaavia’s #WomenCrushWednesday who embody leadership, courage, compassion and drive that any parent would want for their child.

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Already learning from my mama and kicking off my very first #WCW straight from the crib! Please meet Mari Copeny (@littlemissflint), an 11 year old activist to admire! Mari or "Little Miss Flint" is passionate about the water crisis in her hometown, Flint, Michigan. When she was only 8 years old, she wrote a letter to President Obama on behalf of the children of Flint who could no longer drink from the tap or shower without their eyes burning. Obama replied to Maria, visited Flint, and eventually signed off on $100 million in funding to help repair the city's water system! Maria shares tips on how to become a young activist: "Don't let your age hold you back. You're never too young or too small to change the world," "Start small. Work up to big," and "Be sure to have fun along the way." Thanks for leading by example, Mari! Maybe you'll be my President one day! Stay up to date with everything she is working on: www.maricopeny.com

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This week's #WCW is Daliyah Marie Arana of Gainesville, Georgia! At just 6 years old, this bright student has already ready 2,700 books! When Daliyah was a baby, she would hear her older brother reading chapters of books out loud at home. By the time she was only 2 years old, Daliyah read her first book on her own. Her love for reading has set her apart from the rest, even earning her the position of "Librarian For The Day" at the world's BIGGEST library ever, the Library of Congress!!! Daliyah says she wants to teach other kids to read at an early age too! Her passion extends to her community, where she says she wants to work with her mom to make her school the best group of readers in Georgia. I hope to read my first book by the age of 2 just like you, Daliyah! And on that note - Mom, let’s get started!

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Still feeling festive after my first ever Christmas, but jumping back into things to share my latest #WCW. This week's #WCW is @iammarleydias! 13-year old founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, is an author, activist, and feminist to follow! It all started with Marley was just 11 year old... she loved reading but was sick of the books she was being given in school. With a desire to relate, she launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks. The goal was to collect and donate 1,000 books that featuring black girls as the main character. Today, Dias has gathered more than 9,000 books and has landed a book deal of her very own! "Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!" She speaks to kids about her passion for making our world a better place, and inspires others to chase their dreams too! Thanks for bridging the gap for young readers, Marley. I can't wait to read many more of your books to come!

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Starting off the new year strong with a new #WCW. Meet Mikaila Ulmer, the 13-year old founder and executive of @MikailasBees, Me & the Bees Lemonade! When she was just four-years old, Mikaila got stung by a bee twice in one week. Ouch! It scared her but then something unexpected happened: she developed a fascination for the fuzzy little creatures. After learning about what they do for the ecosystem, she took her curiosity and her Great Granny Helen's recipe, and created Me & the Bees Lemonade! Sweetened with local honey from her own community, Mikaila sells-out of her Me & the Bees Lemonade at children entrepreneurial events AND donates a percentage of the profits to local and international organizations fighting to save the honeybees. Her motto? "Buy a Bottle, Save a Bee!" This young girl is an outstanding member of her community, social entrepreneur, bee ambassador, educator and student! I hope to be a bizzy bee like you one day, Mikaila.

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This week's #WCW is Asia Newson aka Super Business Girl #SBG! At just thirteen years old she makes and sells her own candles and merchandise under her business Super Business Girl with the mission to recognize the true potential in every child and to develop security that makes use of their individualized talent. She started Super Business Girl at the age of just five years old when she learned how to make candles from her dad who sold candles door to door in Detroit! Since then, shes won multiple awards and has set many lofty goals including becoming the city of Detroit's "Mayor", finish middle & high school and attend Harvard University. Until then, my mommy and I will be buying all your candles. Keep up the good work, Asia! Your business is lit! (Literally!)

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Just woke up from my nap on mom’s set to write today’s #WCW! Meet 18 year old Maya Penn (@mayasideas)! Maya is an award winning designer, activist, and CEO of her own company "Maya's Ideas", with a passion to shift corporate fashion brands into sustainable, eco-friendly corporations! She started her company in 2008 at just 8 years old and will not be slowing down any time soon. When Maya started her business, she said she knew two things: all of her products had to be eco-friendly and she had to put her profits towards making an impact. (She generously shares 10% of profits with local and global charities and environmental nonprofits!) During her time of work, she has received multiple awards, been featured in numerous publications and magazines, served as a keynote speaker for a handful of TEDTalks and has even written a book called, “You Got This". WOW! Thank you Maya for paving the way for young entrepreneurs in this world!

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Todays #wcw is one of the coolest girls i know, and at 6 years old, is already a young hero. Meet Bobbi Elle Metelus a kindergartener from Miami, FL. She is passionate, driven, and takes pride in her Haitian roots and exemplifies black girl magic! Her charitable spirit moved her to co-host, alongside her brother AJ, a lemonade stand during the holidays to raise money for kids at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. She personally shopped for toys and delivered them to kids in time for Christmas. She’s already making plans to host an even bigger fundraiser this year! She recently launched a youtube channel – “The Bobbi and AJ Show” where she co-produces content around some of her favorite travel and life experiences. Can’t wait to grow up together girl💛 @bobbi_elle 📸 by @ericamelissa_

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Although we know Kaavia isn’t curating the content herself, we love that her platform, which stands at just over half a million followers, has been used to not only showcase her growth and personality, but to shine a light on other girls the world should know about as well.

When discussing her daughter, with Women’s Health Magazine last month, Union shared that she wants to instill morals and values in her daughter. With so much of our world and how we view people being centered around social media, and how we use it, this simple but important practice is by far, is putting Union on the right track to do just that.

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