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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
Michael L. Sampson: 937-376-4944 x 117 or msampson@ohiohistory.org
For Immediate Release
African American Dolls – The Stories They Tell
Opens at the National Afro-American Museum
(Wilberforce, Ohio, Feb. 6, 2009) - In African American Dolls – The Stories They Tell, the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) explores over 200 years of the captivating history of Black dolls in the United States. Opening Saturday, February 14th, this engaging showcase is especially significant during Black History Month in that it serves as an aesthetic timeline paralleling societal changes that characterize several generations of struggle and triumph in America.
Dolls are a representation of a people. They depict how we see ourselves and how others see us, thereby conveying the values of a society. They teach young people various values from how to be a good parent to racial acceptance. For these reasons, Black dolls are an integral part of our past and present society.
For African Americans, early handmade dolls made by slaves for their children as well as those that were mass-produced represent the existence of Black people throughout history and the influence they had on Black culture. From mammies and cotton pickers to celebrated entertainers and sports figures, from beautiful playthings to collectibles, Black dolls have evolved and are still quite effectual today, albeit in a more positive sense than those of yesteryear.
Many of the first manufactured Black dolls were not a fair representation of Black people as a whole, and featured overly exaggerated features and outrageously dark complexions. They are reminders of a painful past and serve to evoke an appreciation of that which has been overcome. Thankfully, African American doll collectors now have the ability to own less stereotypical and more realistic depictions of Black people.
Modern Black dolls offer Black children the opportunity to see themselves in a positive light. They promote self-esteem, self-pride and self-acceptance, all important precepts for proper childhood development.
African American Dolls – The Stories They Tell will take you back through the past 200 years through the eyes of children. You will look back, view, and study dolls made to represent African American children or made for African American children. African American Dolls will be on view through August 29th, 2009.
The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center is located at 1350 Brush Row Road in Wilberforce, Ohio, ½ mile west of State Route 42 North, adjacent to Central State University. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Closed on Mondays. Admission is $4.00 for adults and $1.50 for children and students with ID. Call (937) 376-4944 x 113 for more information.
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