LI College Student Publishes Anti-Bullying Children's Book

BAY SHORE, NY — When Devin Moore, of Bay Shore, was 14 years old, he experienced what many children too often endure — bullying from other students because of his skin color.

"I was targeted because of something that is beautiful, that is part of me," he said.

Moore, who identifies as Black, said the experience made him feel isolated and sad.

"I had nightmares, and it kept me from getting a good night's sleep," he said. "I genuinely just didn't feel safe."

No child should ever experience bullying, especially over their race or physical features, he told Patch. And so, converting his pain into a cause greater than himself, Moore founded the anti-bullying non-profit organization "Race To Speak Up!"

Today, at age 18, Moore is an accomplished author, public speaker, and anti-bullying advocate.

In October, he published children's book "Devin Speaks Up!" teaches others about appreciating the physical features of ourselves and others.

Moore, a freshman at the University of Maryland, said he first began speaking at other schools. Driven to give kids more concrete tools to prevent bullying, he began writing "Devin Speaks Up!" during his senior year of high school.

"I determined I wanted to write a children's book, because I wanted to focus specifically on youth," he said. "I know that when it comes to youth, things start at young ages. So let's teach them about bullying prevention at a young age."

The book is geared toward children ages 3 to 7. However, any child or parent can benefit from its message.

In "Devin Speaks Up!" Moore shares his own personal story of being bullied, speaking up to someone you trust, self-love, and being an upstander.

It also features children of different skin colors, sizes, religions, and more.

"I have a black girl with braids, a girl with alopecia, a boy that's bigger in size, a child that has Down syndrome, a Muslim child, a child that has vitiligo, even a child with a chipped tooth and another child with glasses," he said.

To see yourself represented, he said, is beyond meaningful.

"This world has people from all different walks of life. And that's a beautiful thing," he said. "We need to make sure that when we see all these people from all different walks of life. We shouldn't be hating on them for any reason, we need to spread unity, we need to spread positivity, as well as diversity and inclusion."

Moore said that when he experienced bullying, he was grateful his parents showed only love and support.

"When I first went through that bullying, the first people that I spoke up to were my parents. I'm very fortunate to have them. They understood, that this is wrong, just any bullying behavior, especially when it comes to your skin color."

His parents also supported his decision to create "Race To Speak Up!" and encouraged him to speak at different schools. So writing a book, he said, was a no-brainer.

"They were very supportive," he said. "They were like, let's do this."

The project was also a collaboration of young, Black entrepreneurship.

His publisher, Ssanyu Lukoma, is also a teenage entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and founder of non-profit organization Brown Kids Read.

"Youth lifting other youths up, that's what we need. We need to lift all of each other up," he said. "And I think it's a beautiful thing."

In addition to speaking engagements and his children's book, Moore also hosts the "Race To Speak Up! Podcast." He interviews youth and adult activists, entrepreneurs and business leaders about how they're creating a positive impact within their community.

One thing they all have in common, he said, is experiencing bullying.

"Each and every one of them have a story where they went through bullying," Moore said. "Now they're telling me how they're spreading kindness, positivity, diversity. They're showing me how they're educating about suicide prevention."

In the four years of his non-profit's existence, Moore has been recognized multiple times for his work, such as in Newsday’s 2022 Extraordinary Seniors, The 2022 Princeton Prize in Race Relations, the 2020 Virtual TLC Give A Little Awards, and 2019 TLC Give A Little Awards.

He was also featured in Bully Magazine, and featured in a segment of Carmen Sandiego: Fearless Kids Around the World.

Moore told Patch he's interested in multiple career fields, with a special interest in the fields of law, mental health, and/or civil rights.

"I can see myself as a lawyer, specifically a civil rights lawyer," he said. "Or I could also see myself as a psychiatrist who focuses on youth and within maybe with their bullying experiences."

For now, Moore intends to prioritize school work while balancing non-profit work. On his winter break, he spoke at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School in Amityville.

Students received copies of Moore’s book, which were donated by Optimum/Altice USA, the district said.

Moore conducted a read-a-long with students as they discussed the importance of being comfortable in their own skin, speaking up a trusted person about being bullied, the importance of kindness, and he encouraged kids to be upstanders for each other.

“Even though we all look different and act different, we’re all beautiful, and we can unite through our differences,” Moore told the students. “We need to embrace each other’s differences
in a world that includes all kinds of people from all walks of life.”

"Devin Speaks Up!" is sold in Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Abe Books, and on the "Race to Speak Up!" website, and more.