Mattel released a Barbie doll in honor of Rosa Parks. But they got her
story wrong.
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change logo[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Join us in telling Mattel to correct the story and accessories they’re
providing with their Rosa Parks doll.
[ [link removed] ]Take Action
John,
Earlier this week, Mattel released a Barbie doll in honor of Mrs. Rosa
Parks — a touching tribute to a civil rights icon. [ [link removed] ]Sadly, Mattel got
Rosa Parks’ story wrong, and we think they should fix it.
Splashed across the doll’s packaging and on their site, Mattel has reduced
Rosa Parks’ decades of activism into a single moment, saying she “led an
ordinary life as a seamstress” until an “extraordinary moment on December
1, 1955.”^1 But Rosa Parks was far from ordinary. As documented by Jeanne
Theoharis in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, she was a leader in
her community, an organizer, and a tireless fighter for the rights of her
people. She fought for justice for Black women who were victims of sexual
violence. She pushed for voter registration for Black people. She pressed
for the desegregation of schools and public spaces.^2 We cannot allow
Mattel to rewrite her story and minimize her life’s work.
[ [link removed] ]Join us in calling on Mattel to change their packaging, and correct the
language they’re using to tell Mrs. Parks’ story wherever they advertise
the doll.
Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger
was a strategic decision made by Black women who spent decades fighting
for civil rights in the segregated South. She made extreme personal
sacrifices that continue to go unacknowledged to this day. But Mrs. Parks
still decided to remain seated that day, because she knew that change
requires courage, resolve, and perseverance.
Adjusting the language for Rosa Parks’ Barbie is crucial. Dolls are one of
the first toys a child interacts with that allows a child to begin to
understand who they are, and start to imagine who they can be. They have
the power to represent culture and help a child understand their racial
identity. Barbie has a large role in this; Mattel and Barbie have been
pivotal in helping children begin to understand themselves, understand
their creativity and self-expression, and dream up goals and career
paths.^3 When a Black doll — particularly one based on a real person —
does not have a full, multidimensional story, it means the children who
play with it lose a powerful opportunity to imagine themselves
accomplishing their greatest dreams. It is necessary to tell Rosa Parks’
full story to avoid sending a limited to message to Black children that
their own stories — their history — are not worth being told.
[ [link removed] ]Mattel must do justice to Rosa Parks’ story. Tell Mattel’s CEO Ynon
Kreiz to revise the language they’re using with the doll and add
accessories that help tell her story.
Far too often, Black women’s stories are revised or minimized for the
white gaze. Much like the work of Mrs. Parks, our work is reduced to one
moment, something “extraordinary, ” or a stroke of luck. In reality, Black
women have worked throughout history in order to make the world a better
place for all of the people who live in it. Our activism is not luck. Our
successes are the result of perseverance, resilience, and hard work. This
kind of whitewashing of history diminishes Black people’s pivotal role in
this country’s story as organizers, agents of social change, cultural
contributors and powerful intellectuals. In a time when white supremacy
dominates the culture of this country, this kind of erasure is not just
wrong, it’s dangerous.
[ [link removed] ]We must honor Mrs. Parks by telling her full story. Join us in telling
Mattel they must correct the story and accessories they’re providing with
their Rosa Parks doll.
Until justice is real,
—Arisha, Rashad, Brandi, Johnny, Future, Samantha, Evan, Eesha, Marcus,
FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
1. “Rosa Parks Barbie® Inspiring Women™ Doll,” Barbie.com,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. “How history got the Rosa Parks story wrong,” Washington Post,
December 1, 2015,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. “The Significance and Impact of Barbie Dolls in Shaping the
Personality of your Child,” Medium, September 29, 2015,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
Photo: [ [link removed] ]Barbie.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.
<style type="text/css">
blockquote .original-only,
.WordSection1 .original-only
{
display: none !important;
}
</style>
<div class=".original-only">
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
</div>
