Introduction

My name is Clara D. Lewis, and I am the founder of Brown Divas Dolls. I want to tell you about the story behind the creation of our company and beautiful Divas, who are much more than toys.

What sparked the idea 

I woke up one eventful morning and got tired of having chemicals in my hair. There and then, I decided to remove my perm. But what happened days after was even more intriguing.  

I would wake up to stare at my hair in the mirror. I started noticing something that had escaped my attention until that time. Yes, I realized for the first time that my natural curls were adorable. I was in my 40s.

Imagine the epiphany!

Imagine growing up and trying too hard to be like the cute doll. Blonde hair with blue eyes, and all that!

If you look like me and grew up when I did, you can relate to this. Can't you? Everywhere we went, we saw dolls that were completely different from us. So, we did everything to be like them.

But my natural curls are beautiful and adorable. So is yours! It is as beautiful as my doll's straight hair. It took me more than 40 years to come to that realization! Yes, we are all uniquely beautiful. Blonde hair, curly hair etc.

Not knowing this wasn't our fault. Was it? Our beauty standards were set for us right from childhood. This was one of the defining moments that changed my perception of my uniqueness.

This re-informed my decision to do something about this. I wanted kids like me to grow with the proper appreciation of the beauty of their uniqueness. And develop proper self-esteem.

I have been a social worker for more than 27 years. Nearly every day, I witness the impact of low self-esteem on black and white children. I see bullying and intimidation, and their consequences on growing children.

Then, I took the decision to do my part to change this. To help children grow up to appreciate their own uniqueness and that of those around them. That no matter our race or colour, we are all amazing creatures. 

So, I set out, first, to create a brand that allows black children to have dolls that look like them. That way, they will be proud of their beauty from childhood. Not only so, but they will also be less likely to feel intimidated or dazzled by a child who is different from them

Exposing Caucasian children to black dolls will also help them appreciate those who have a different identity from them.

This is why I created Brown Diva Dolls

I invite you to join me in this noble mission to change the world around us. Our effort may appear small. But years down the road, we would have made the world a better place for us and our children.