01x09 - Radiant Jayera

[bunniefuu]

[narrator]
At Marvel, our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some of
our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories of
kids doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,

and changing the world.

These are the kids who will
inspire our stories for years to come.

When you don't look your best,
you'll be like, "Oh, don't look at me."

[woman] She decided she wanted
the community to have a free laundry day.

I'm trying to give them the upper hand
so that the playing field is level.

Keep it going.

[narrator] Jayera is already a hero.

Now, we bring her story to the world
with the surprise of a lifetime:

making her into a Marvel superhero,

immortalized in her very own comic,

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

who have accomplished the amazing.

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

-[woman] Jayera! She is so great!
-[man] She's great!

And I think we can create
a really special story with her.

-She's from right outside of Chicago.
-Yeah.

From a really awesome,
cool, creative family.

She's doing such incredible things
for her community

to give other people an opportunity

to just get to the same level
as everyone else

so that they can really be
their best self.

She is a kid whose superpower

is all about seeing
the full potential in someone

and then helping them realize that.

I love that about her story.
I love what she did at her school.

She tried to help in the community
through her free-wash day.

She sees these problems,
she finds a way to solve them.

But she doesn't just stop there.

She's got another quest and another quest
and another quest.

She sees the world in a way
that other people don't, right?

She has this ability to kind of
see the differences

and see the potential
in a way no one else does.

-Right.
-That's Scarlet Witch.

-[Sarah Amos] Yes! Exactly.
-Yes.

I couldn't help but think of her
a little bit as sort of a...

you know how Professor X
brings the X-Men together?

-Cerebro...
-Yeah.

Like the way he sees the right team

-to pull together.
-Helps unlock powers also.

She's a very natural leader.

She is the epitome of
Black Girl Magic, right?

Like, she just has that thing
that you want,

that you wanna be around,

that you want to help
really light up a community.

There's a lot of great elements here.

I love the fact that
she's constantly going.

And I'm just really excited that
we can share her story with everybody.

"My name is Jayera Griffin
and I have a new project

that I would love to share
with the community."

When I began tutoring students,

I noticed that some of the kids
had clothes

that were not as clean
as they could've been.

So, I had a free-wash day
for people to come in

and wash their clothes for free.

Looking a certain way
will boost your confidence a lot.

And that feels good to know that
you're helping somebody else

rather than yourself.

Okay.

I embrace my weirdness a lot.
My friends are like, "You're so weird,"

and I'm like, "Thanks."
I take it as a compliment.

Had a pretty independent spirit.

From the very beginning, I could see that
she was different from the other kids.

For instance, this Christmas,
she wanted a ukulele.

I mean, who wants a ukulele?

[interviewer] What does your shirt say?

Um...

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Laundry.

Some people of my age are told
that they can't do certain things,

but they do it anyway.

Like, it's impossible to do something
that you're too young for,

but if you're too young for it,
and you do it, then it's possible.

So, you make the impossible possible.

"2nd Annual Free Wash Day."

"Riverdale,
here's your chance to come clean."

Okay, do you like that?

-[Jayera] What about this?
-[Tanya] Oh, that's pretty.

Okay.

Riverdale is on the south suburbs
of Chicago.

The biggest challenge with the village of
Riverdale and some of our children is

we do have a high poverty level.

The demographic is about


so we have a lot of children
that come in with struggles.

[Jayera] A lot of people who don't have
as much as they really should,

and my goal is to help people

so that they won't have an extra burden
to deal with.

I've known Jayera since
she was in the sixth grade.

There's no such thing as a perfect child
but she came very close to being that.

[Jayera] I was inducted into
National Junior Honors Society

at the end of sixth grade.

You have to have a 3.2 GPA

and you have to get


[coach]
I don't know if you know it but we...

[Jayera] I started tutoring the kids
on the elementary side.

[coach] That's good.

[Tanya] So, she came home one day,

and she said the kids' clothes were
not as clean as they could have been.

And then she'd also talk about how

sometimes the kids' behavior
was terrible that particular day.

[Jayera] I was looking at this one girl

and she looked up at me
and she was, like...

like, she was looking jittery

because I guess she thought
I was looking at her shirt

because her shirt wasn't as clean
as it could have been.

She was really intimidated
or something of that sort,

like I was going to
say something about her.

I knew that that could've been
a cause for bullying.

I was talking to my mom and I was saying,

"Maybe there's a connection to
behavioral problems and their clothes

and how they feel about themselves."

She wanted to do something about it.

So, then that's when her mom asked her,
"Well, what would Jayera do?"

[Jayera] When you don't look your best,

you're like,
"Oh, don't look at me. I don't look well."

Or you'll be feeling self-conscious

or thinking somebody will say something
about you.

You'll be worried about the wrong things.

But if you have clean clothes,
you'll be like,

"Yeah! I'm doing me.
I'm looking perfect. I'm feeling good."

And that's really what matters,
is people feeling good about themselves.

People don't really pay attention to me
until I do something, so...

And I did something.

-[interviewer] And what did you do?
-I had a free-wash day.

[Tanya] She decided she wanted
to have a free-laundry day

where the community could use
the laundry services free of charge.

[Jayera] My mom was, like,
"I know that you can do this,

and so I want you to raise
such and such money."

She was always afraid to ask
for donations,

and I'd be there,
"Jayera, you gotta talk to the people."

[Tanya] And she'd stand there
with her donation box,

tell them what she planned to do,

and she was able to raise the money
to be able to get it going.

[Jayera] I showed up at 7:00.

At about 7:15, the newspaper people come.

After that the radio station came.

[Mike] Couple hours later,
Channel 7 showed up.

Then Channel 5 showed up.
Then Channel 2 showed up.

[Jayera] And people just started
rolling in afterwards.

She was just happy that
she was helping somebody.

[chattering]

[Jayera] "Jayera Griffin's 2nd Annual
Free Wash Day."

Is that what it says?

Come and get your clothes washed for free.

Just a little service for the community.
Hosted by Jayera Griffin.

[girl] I have personally known
a couple people

that didn't have clean clothes

and it'll really break you down
on the inside,

and you won't do good at school
like you need to.

If you only got a little bit of money,
it do good.

Like today, money was kinda scarce.

Because of the free-wash day in here,
I'm able to pay my bills.

I'm able to sit here and eat,
dry my clothes,

listen to music and have fun.

[Jayera] A hundred dollars.

He gave me 100 dollars. That's cool.

She said it was basically
to give each kid a chance

to be able to be equal.

[indistinct]

She is able to be that kid
that's just like,

"I know this person needs help.

I know how this person needs help.

And I'm willing to step up and do it."

She pays attention to what
people surrounding her deal with.

And then from there
it grew into a mission.

[woman]
Of course she's a hero in this community.

She's making a change.
Like, for real, she's making a change.

You know how you power walk
and you just feel so good?

That's the feeling that I got.
I was, like,

"Yeah, this is working. I really love it."

When I was younger,
I just thought Black Girl Magic

was having natural hair and rocking it,

but Black Girl Magic is being powerful.

But when you're an African American
doing such things as this,

plus you're a girl,
that just makes you awesome.

Like, that just makes you a superhero
in yourself.

-[woman] Hey, Jayera.
-Hi.

[woman] How are you?

What Miss Griffin was able to do
in helping these children

was monumentous.

And the Village of Riverdale
passed a resolution

honoring her contributions
to the community.

[Jayera]
Jayera Griffin Day is on April 3rd.

[Lawrence] It is a day to remind citizens
of the Village of Riverdale

that they should be engaged in
some type of social service to others.

Find some way to serve your community,
serve your neighbor.

That's the purpose
of the Jayera Griffin Day.

It's to celebrate what she's doing

and hopefully inspire other peoples
to get on board.

What can you do to impact
your own neighborhood?

[chattering]

[Mike] She's inspiring the younger folks
to be good people

and kids are paying attention to her.
They like her.

I never really noticed through my eyes
people were struggling,

but now that she's brought it
to my attention,

and I feel like I've got to do better.

Like, I have to help other people.

[Jayera] I got it.

We have donated slightly used
or brand-new things,

and we're selling it,

and all the money that we get
will go to District 148.

I'm trying to give them the upper hand
so that the playing field is level.

-Awesome. Yeah. Keep it going.
-[chuckles]

We got one of our next leaders. [chuckles]

I give it about the end of the year,
and she'll be a new trend.

"Just be like Jayera."

[Jayera] I think that Jayera Griffin Day
should be changed

and should be giving back in all areas.

You may not see it
from the outside looking in,

but when you're on the inside,

you'll really see that there are places
that really need these things.

[man] Jayera, she's the best.

When you need something or you need help,
she's there.

[laughing]

[Tanya]
We were actually in a position once

where we lost our jobs, like,
a week apart.

We struggled.
We went everywhere, applied everywhere,

volunteered everywhere.

Nothing cracked.

And it just seemed like
at the end of the day

when you go in and close your doors,
nobody cares.

That's when you begin to take it to heart

that when you've reached
where you wanna go,

you've gotta reach
and pull somebody else up.

[Jayera] In order for
the playing field to be level,

you have to go out of your comfort zone
and help the other people

that aren't on your level
to come up to your level.

So they can have confidence too.

So, they can go out in the world
like we go out into the world

and believe we can accomplish anything.

And, that's kinda Jayera.

These are the tickets for your hot dogs,
chips and juice.

[woman] This is a community outreach event

where Jayera and her organization
teach children to skate.

Free skating lessons for children.

-Every Tuesday night?
-Yes.

Oh, my goodness.
And she looks so familiar.

Well, she was the one that was on TV
with the free wash.

-[woman] Are you serious?
-[Mike] Yeah.

Oh, my goodness. So, you're the one
that was washing all the clothes for free?

-Yeah.
-Oh, my goodness.

-Yes. That's my daughter.
-Give me a hug.

-Good job. Keep up the good work.
-Thank you.

[woman] Oh, my God. I'm so proud of her.

[Jayera] I'm really proud of Riverdale.

We are not that town where people are,
like, "Oh, you shouldn't live there.

There's bad people in that neighborhood."

We're at the point where people say,

"You know about that girl
that did that thing in Riverdale?"

-[laughs]
-[chattering]

You know when you wake up in the morning,
your parents have the news on?

I'd be seeing Jayera pop up on the news
and I'd be, like, "That's my cousin!"

[woman 2] Her smile inspires people,
she inspires people,

the things that she does inspires people.

I wanna be like her,
'cause she's, like, very successful.

Jayera's greatest strength
is she's... her own person.

[Jayera]
Even though I like being different,

I want to be someone
who is known for doing good.

[Romero] That's my sibling that's doing
incredible things for the world right now.

Incredible things for our town, Riverdale.

And that makes me happy,
'cause that's what I wanna be.

Because, I am worth more
and I can do great things.

The way that she has found
to help the people of Riverdale,

to inspire them, to give them
something to believe in about themselves,

is a fantastic addition
to the Marvel Universe.

And her power is about the way
that she sees the world,

but the way that she sees other people.

And how much she wants them
to see their best selves as well.

I love the way we've visualized the power
as she moves on.

She's sort of showing them
what they could become.

Mm-hmm. They're showing a little bit
of doubt, and she's, like, "Nope."

[both laugh]

She's, like, "You can do it."

"You can do great things."

So much of creating her story
is in the visuals of it.

Of course, the glow,
which is the power in itself,

but also just the simple details
of her everyday life.

And who she is, what she looks like.

What I thought was really impressive,
that the artist did,

-was the details in her hair.
-[Stephen Wacker] Yeah.

The hair is so linked
to an individual's identity,

character's identity,

and so we wanna make sure
we are as accurate as possible,

because that is really meaningful
and that goes a long way.

And this is actually very,
very hard to do.

-To be able to get this subtle.
-Yeah. Mike Bowden is the artist.

And I think he really, you know,
he got in there with his pencils and inks

and really got those details right.

So, we're going to be sharing it with her
for the first time

at this event
called the "Leaders of Tomorrow,"

which is where Jayera's going to be
a keynote speaker.

So, this is just a moment for us
to all be able to celebrate her

and all the incredible things
that she's done.

And also remind her

that she not only has accomplished
this great potential within herself,

but she's allowed that
in so many other people

and we're so grateful.

[man] Everybody put your hands together
for Jayera Griffin.

-Let's give her a round of applause.
-[cheering]

We have the power as young people
to change the world,

simply by paying it forward
or just giving back.

Thank you.

[cheering]

Before you return to your seat...

there is something special just for you.

I'm getting ready
to bring your mother up here.

-Hi, Mom.
-Tanya, come on up here.

[Jayera] Hmm?

[Tanya, Kendall laugh]

What?

"Dear Jayera, look around you.

This is the community that you have helped
in so many ways.

From free-wash days,
to "pay what you can" pop-up stores,

you've shown enormous empathy for others,

and you've used that empathy
to see the best in people,

allowing them to see
the best in themselves.

That's the kind of compassion
that changes lives.

We, at Marvel, admire that spirit,

and we think it makes you a superhero.

Open the box in front of you.

And when you do,

you'll become part of an elite group
of powerful kids, like you,

who are changing the world for the better.

Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project."

[applauding, cheering]

This is cute. I like this.

"Jayera,
you have made your village so proud.

We would like to honor you
by donating to an organization

that supports lower income communities

in the amount of $10,000.

[cheering]

Now, take out the last surprise
in your box.

It is an instant collector's item
from the mighty Marvel Bullpen.

Radiant Jayera,

a comic book with you as the star.

[applauding, cheering]

We hope that inside these pages,

you see yourself as the superhero
that you truly are.

Jayera,
we're proud to have you on the team.

The Marvel Hero Project,
and the world, needs you.

Your friends at Marvel."

[Mike] That's our daughter.

[applauding]

[crowd] Wow!

Can I keep the box?

Yeah.

-Yeah.
-[chuckling]

[Jayera]
Marvel actually sending me a letter.

Like, Marvel, Marvel.

Like, superheroes, Spider-Man, Marvel.

-[woman 1] And here she is.
-[woman 2] Oh, look at that.

Our superhero. Yes!

I'm proud of you, girl. Look at this.

I really, really, really, really, really,
really, really, really like the comic.

I mean, I had the braids,
and they got my gap right,

so that was really cool.

"I see students getting made fun of
because of how they dress.

Like, if their clothes aren't clean."

My favorite part is when it says, "If that
can help them, then that's what I'll do."

Because it just shows
how compassionate she is,

and it just shows how big her heart is
that she's so dedicated to helping people.

"There's amazing potential in them all,

like a bright shining vision
of their future

that I can actually see."

There's no other Marvel character
that has her superpower,

so she's different.
She stands out.

[girl] She always tries to create
new things, positive things for, like,

the future and she tries to
help the community so much.

She's shining.
She's glowing for everyone to see.

I'm considered a hero,
but I still feel the same,

because a hero can be an ordinary person.

People will know me as "Radiant Jayera."