CREATING DOLLS TO BUILD CULTURAL PRIDE AND GENERATIONAL WEALTH

Melissa Orijin recalls the moment she will “never forget.” While shopping for toys, she witnessed her young daughter, Esi, select a Caucasian doll with blonde hair. Although she taught her daughter to be proud of her familial ties to Cabo Verde (or Cape Verde) and Ghana in West Africa, Melissa noticed Esi began to shun her skin tone and curly hair when she became the only Black girl in class at school. Another blow to Esi’s cultural esteem: Melissa could not find a doll that resembled her child.  

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