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Mattel honors Black journalist, Ida B. Wells with new Barbie doll ahead of Black history month

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Mattel’s Barbie collection is honoring the life and legacy of Ida B. Wells with her own Barbie doll ahead of Black History Month.

The release pays tribute to the late activist, suffragist, and journalist who fought justice and equality throughout the 19th and 20th centuries  and will roll out as part of the toy maker’s Inspiring Women series that will launch January 17.

The toy maker created an authentic doll that features Wells in a navy blue dress with a high collar, low-heeled boots and her natural hair swept back from her face. The newspaper the doll is holding is actually from her report on an anti-lynching issue that was published in the Memphis Free Speech newspaper where she was part-owner.

Wells’ activism included leading a movement against the lynching of African Americans by racist whites across the Jim Crow South in the 1890s. 

In 2020, her work was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize in Special Citations and Awards.

Wells is considered an admirable role model that has fought for the freedom, justice, and equality of African Americans. Her story deserves to be remembered and Mattel is spotlighting this incredible woman who inspired us to dream big as well as paved the way for young girls.

Mattel

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