NEW AMERICAN GIRL DOLL IS BLACK & A ‘D’ GIRL
With all the dissonance surrounding #BlackLivesMatter, Beyonce’s Formation song/video, and conservative media jumping down the throats of entertainers and the American people who celebrate black lives and work towards ending the injustices surrounding African Americans and police brutality —- pours out a new Melody!
The American Girl Doll collection is celebrating its 30th year anniversary by birthing a young black girl by the name of Melody Ellison . The story of this young girl is centered around the 1960s civil rights movement in Detroit, Michigan. Melody Ellison is the third African American doll in the collection.
The previous two black dolls in the collection include Addy; a slave girl in the U.S, and Cécile Rey; a New Orleans girl, who comes from a well established family in the 1850s.
Now after 23 years of the debut of Addy and just after 5 years from the release of Cécile comes nine year old Melody, who uses her voice to influence the injustices blacks faced during racial inequality in the 60s.
The company’s online unveiling of the doll’s character, depicts Melody as an embedded church singer who used her voice to speak on the discrimination that directly affected her family and community.
Detroit at one time was the home of over 1 million people, making it the 5th largest city in the world and was the richest in per capita city in the 1960s, according to the U.S Bureau Census.
It was the muscle power of the Big 3 Motor companies, the extraordinary sound of Motown, and the pureness of the fashion industry, that made Detroit a great city to live in. Although Detroit’s assets were well valued, it was also a city of brutal segregation among whites and blacks.
The company decided to embark on Melody’s journey in the 1960s, while trying to educate today’s generation on the past.
Some may say that it is a bit ironic how the company decided to brand the new doll during Black History month, as racially skewed tensions are continuously being exposed, and as Detroit continues to rebuild after a fallen system of corruption and mismanagement resulting in bankruptcy. Spokeswoman Stephanie Spanos reported otherwise to the Detroit News.
“One thing I should point out is that she’s been in development for about two years,” said Spanos, adding it is typical for the company to spend years creating a new historical doll. “But the timing does seem to sync up.”
The Vice President of marketing Julia Prohaska also chimed in saying,“I think it’s that we’ve stayed true to our mission and our purpose. While it would be really easy to call us a doll company, we’ve always seen ourselves as storytellers.”
Although the story line takes place 56 years later, Prohaska tells critics, “We do approach every character very thoughtfully so this isn’t something we rush into. We’re not looking to address critical demand — we’re looking to tell stories in the most authentic and genuine way that we possibly can.”
Are you ready to see more of the New American Girl Doll Melody Ellison ? I think she definitely came right on time!
Check out http://www.americangirl.com .
