Kalamazoo woman pushes for representation, creates more diverse dolls

by:Dana Whyte

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A determined Kalamazoo woman has made it her mission to create more diverse children’s toys, specifically dolls.

Francis Alford said, “You go to a school and you’ll see a little girl dressed like this. You go to a store and you won’t see a doll dressed like this, so I’m trying to make that happen."

Alford added, “Growing up I always played with dolls all the time, Barbie dolls, full-sized dolls, the little walking dolls, and none of them ever quite looked like me. Even the Black dolls didn’t really look like me.”

Alford decided to take matters into her own hands.

Today, she is making more diverse dolls herself, buying different dolls, clothes, and hair, hoping to give kids something she never had as a child.

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