Support Black Business & Your Child's Confidence

​With it being the holidays, people are in toy shopping mode. These expressions of love and generosity create bonds and joy. It’s a magical time, especially for children, but beware of the Trojan horse.

​How does it make your melanated princess feel when you give her a Frozen wig to wear, a Blue-eyed Baby Alive doll, a backpack decorated with Anglo fairies? What does it teach her about herself?

How does it make your melanated son feel when you give him that Buzz Lightyear Toy, Mario Brother’s game, etc?

​If s/he has been fed a steady diet of mainstream media (cartoons, clothes, books, toys), s/he will be excited. In fact, any child may be excited because the mainstream media are exciting, colorful, fun, and it connects one to a group experience. After all, these companies spend loads on marketing to children and parents. However, what is the subconscious message and what is it doing to your child? 

​Many times we (parents) feel it is okay because the characters are animals, but the animals all have blue eyes and the animal that is the leader has white fur; there is that one Black character, but the main characters and superhero are all Anglo, heck even the Black character may be anglicized (you know with straight hair); the movie is based in China or somewhere in the “middle east,” but you best believe the main characters are light-skinned while the antagonist/evil characters are dark-skinned with heavy accents; or it’s a techy game, ​

but the packaging usually has an Anglo girl/boy on it.   Oh, yeah it gets very petty. And some would call me petty for acknowledging it. But honestly, these clichéd tropes are exhausting, boring, and uninspiring.

​What if I told you that this mainstream children’s media chips away at your malenated child’s self-esteem? And gives your anglo child an artificial sense of self-esteem.
What if I told you that main stream children’s media decreases your malenated child’s life chances? Yeah, like that means that when someone gifts your melanated child that Sir Topham Hatt it is the gateway to illiteracy, apathy, depression, low academic achievement, low financial literacy, it’s like slipping someone a shiny little pill and they never see it coming.

​It’s one thing to bamboozle adults with silky shampoo commercials, and drunk Black superheroes, but it is another when one tries to destroy my child’s identity and sabotage his/her future. 

​Play at the expensive of my child’s self-esteem—no thanks. “Hispanic and Black girls who watch more Black-oriented television have higher body satisfaction,” (nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eating-disorders). Negative media stereotypes (thugs, criminals, fools, and the disadvantaged) are demoralizing and reduce self-esteem and expectations. Dealing with negative expectations may also create stress and drain cognitive resources in some contexts — leading to the lowered performance. Not to mention these negative media stereotypes feed white fear/imagination. Lack of diversity in children’s literature is a blockage to melanated children becoming motivated, engaged, and proficient readers. And even when they do become proficient readers, despite the lack of positive representation, guess what that teaches them? Don’t be yourself and you will be successful. Serve those not like you and you will be successful. 

On this bag you can see who is in front and highlighted. Which fairy are they suggesting is the most beautiful and important? What type of skin is more represented?

​So, when someone hands your child a Pokémon poster, a show with all the anglo characters and the controversial Blackface Jynx, it is telling him who is important, who deserves to be loved, and what is beautiful! Why not say, no thank you, and get him a Meltrek poster.
Mic Drop.

Here is a list of Black-owned businesses that create children's toys, books, etc with equity and positive representation. Go shopping:
​
https://edanimeproductions.com/shop/dvd-meltrek/
http://www.blackbeautydolls.com/
http://www.misszee.net/
http://www.myakids.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
http://www.bbe4.com/vandora.html
http://www.martidumasbooks.com/books
http://babysparkles.biz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=259
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1530439191/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
https://www.icecreamtoysandbooks.com/
http://www.pattycakedoll.com/black_dolls
http://www.sugarfoots.com/
http://shawncrealcreations.com/
http://yeslioness.bigcartel.com/category/coloring-books
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OffDHookCreations
https://sites.google.com/site/buymoorish/place-your-order
http://www.funrise.com/positively-perfect/#/store/collection/zair
http://www.itsbathtimebaby.com/order.html
http://www.taylormadenc.com/new-products/
http://www.kujichaguliapress.com/
​Swift Walker Books
Fred Crump Jr Fairy Tale Books
Children's Backpacks, clothes, shoes:
https://www.facebook.com/AyAnnAsArt/
ayannasartfashion@gmail.com
Islamic Children's Books:
Reading Books
Fairy Tales 
*The Prophet 
*not Black-Owned, but positive representation.