Our Founders
Phallon and Kyra Pierce, also known as The Pierce Twins, are 17 year old identical twins sisters who excel in academics, arts, athletics and activism.
Phallon and Kyra are passionate about promoting social equity, wellness and literacy for kids and teens.
The path started after discovering a book on their 8th grade summer reading list entitled “And Then There Were None”, by Agatha Christie which was originally named “Ten Little N*s”. The book was later changed to its current name. They also learned there was a racist nursery rhyme that was a significant plot point. This discovery sparked them to push for the need for teachers to provide context around racially insensitive books and to add books written by diverse authors on school summer reading lists.
This issue inspired them to do more as they saw the lack of diversity, specifically authors from multicultural backgrounds, on summer reading lists, school literature courses, and school libraries across the state. They created an age-appropriate inclusive diverse book list for young readers, and wanted to take their mission to help a broader audience. They believe students of all races should be exposed to various authors and experiences to help them learn and connect to others. They also feel this will help kids to be more tolerant, inclusive, accepting, and appreciative of others. They believe this exposure will help young readers today be stronger leaders now and in the future.
Phallon and Kyra are experienced motivational speakers, hosts, national ranked competitive dancers, cheerleaders and actors who promote positivity and work to inspire kids to use their voice, stay active, pursue their dreams and be kind to others.
The Pierce Twins have received widespread recognition and support for their activism and positive impact. They have been featured in local and national media outlets, such as CBS2News, Fox32News, NBC5 News, Daily Herald, Chicago Defender and Chicago Citizen. They have also been featured in National publications that includes Popsugar, Authority Magazine, Enspire Magazine. Phallon and Kyra have been recognized by United Airlines, The Chicago Bulls and been featured globally by Disney in their Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration Campaign. Most recently they have been honored with the 2023 Inaugural Youth Leader Award by the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago and the 2024 Youth Trailblazers award by Alliance for Civic Engagement (A.C.E.). Their nonprofit, Positive Change Charities, received a $100,000 Grant from the state of Illinois to expand their charitable work.