Where Does Freedom Lie?
Where does freedom lie? Perhaps right where we are. Through the story of his ancestors, Benjamin and Amelia Ruffin, Mark Ruffin explores the courage t…
Reimagining Childhood: Recreating My Cloth Dolls with a New Awareness of Identity and Diversity
Revisiting the cloth dolls of my childhood, I reflect on how media shaped my earliest ideas of beauty and identity. Through Black Dolls Matter®, I no…
Returning to FIT
Returning to F.I.T. is more than an exhibition milestone. As Black Dolls Matter® joins Doll Dressing at The Museum at FIT, I reflect on family, fashi…
What Endures
What the Numbers Cannot Measure About Building a Small Business There is a particular kind of arithmetic that comes with building a small business. Revenue.…
The Merge Problem: Why Black Excellence in White Spaces Often Serves the Institution More Than the Community
Black Dolls Matter believes representation shapes self-worth from childhood. This article extends that belief into adulthood - examining what happens …
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin: A Legacy That Still Speaks
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin built the infrastructure of Black women's power long before the world was ready to acknowledge it. She founded The Woman's…
What Black Children Need From Us Right Now
A Letter to the Adults Raising the Next Generation Dedicated to every elder, parent, teacher, mentor, and community member who shows up – your presence…
ReAligning Reconstruction
Kujichagalia — Self-Determination in the Age of Erasure The Ancient Call Every generation faces a defining question: Will we allow others to define who we…
Soil Independence: Black Farmers & the Composting Revolution
When a Black child sees themselves reflected in a doll, they see that they are already part of the story. That same truth extends to the food they eat…
What Does Kujichagulia Require of Us?
Kujichagulia, the principle of Self-Determination, calls us to define ourselves, tell our own stories, and build according to our values. In a time of…
