‘They shine a light of hope.’ Zaya Wade headlines The Root’s Young Futurist 2020 class

Coming out as transgender turned Zaya Wade into a superhero.

For black and brown kids struggling to be themselves. For the LGBTQ+ community. For advocates of disenfranchised groups across the country.

The preteen’s bravery recently earned her a spot on The Root’s Young Futurists 2020, an annual list of African-American trailblazers from various fields who strive to make the world a better place — all before the age of 25. Genetta Adams, an orchestrator of the list, says the decision to include Zaya was easy.

“To be a 12-year-old kid, to know yourself so well and be able to bring that to light was incredible,” said Adams, The Root’s managing editor. “... She is walking in her truth and she’s showing people how to do that.”

Aside from her courage, it was Zaya’s eloquence that really stood out. Many adults, let alone 12-year-olds, struggle to explain themselves on a daily basis. Not Zaya.

“It feels great,” Zaya said of coming out in a March interview. “I feel like there was always something that was like I was meant to do, but I was never able to find it. ... I eventually just stopped looking for it, and I think I found it.”

As she alluded to, activism appears to be the next step in her journey. Using her platform for positive change appears to be the expectation in the Wade household.

“I looked at her and said, ‘You are a leader,’ ” Dwyane Wade told Ellen DeGeneres in February. “This is our opportunity for you to be a voice. Right now, it’s through us because she’s 12 years old but, eventually, it’ll be through her.”