A passionate doll collector is transforming her collection into a free museum that showcases America’s Black history.
Located next to Stennis-Williams’ other African-American history museum, Mama’s Attic, the dolls offer a distinctive way for the collector to educate others about the past.
“Dolls have been more than a plaything throughout our history. They help tell the story of what America was like,” Stennis-Williams said.
“My start was collecting baby dolls and, of course, collecting African-American dolls as a way to help teach my daughter about different things, about her race and culture.”
The dolls had been sitting in storage, with a few on display in her home and office, until she launched the free exhibit.
“I got to a point where I wanted to make sure that they were available for the public to see,” Stennis-Williams shared.
“Some of the dolls were still considered to be very derogatory, and unlike the slavery period, many of these dolls here were not made by Black mothers. They were made by white manufacturers who produced these dolls,” said Stennis-Williams.
“Slavery had ended. You had Blacks that were climbing the economic ladder. They wanted more for their children than just the mammy and the other derogatory dolls that were on the market,” she said.
“The study was done by the Clarks. It was used by the Supreme Court to show the devastating effects when kids are separated in their education,” she said.
The free museum is part of Stennis-Williams’ reform efforts as a formerly incarcerated woman who also runs a nonprofit, ReConnect Success, where she and her team assist currently or formerly incarcerated individuals in finding meaningful careers.
Both of her museums are open to visitors by appointment only. Free admission is available for everyone, including school groups and clubs. Appointment information can be found on the Mama’s Attic website.
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Source: Black Enterprise
