Leeds mum who set up doll company is urging conversations around race
Olivia Thompson set up Akila Dolls.
Last updated 2nd Nov 2022
A Leeds mum who set up a doll company for her daughter says we need to open up discussions around race, past Black History Month.
32-year-old Olivia Thompson, who lives in Yeadon, created her doll company in 2020. Akila Dolls makes diverse and disability baby dolls. It's as Olivia's daughter Amira, 10, is mixed-race and has ADHD and autism.
Olivia says it came about it 2019 when they were out shopping and Amira became upset that non of the dolls seemed to look like her.
The first prototype was a doll called Bessie, which was based on the first female aviation pilot, Bessie Coleman.
Olivia said:
"I want my dolls to be educational. So, the concept is that every doll will be named after a figure in history and I tried to choose people in history that we don't tend to learn about within school,"
"It is important to have people's advice because these are the people that are going to be buying the dolls and they will have children represented through these dolls,"
"Because I want to give them something they deserve to have and something they should have had a long time ago."
Her daughter has also been involved in the process, witnessing how the dolls "come to life" by starting off as a drawing and then becoming a 3D illustration.
"It's nice to see her little ideas come to life and she's always telling me: 'Mummy, we should do this', and it's lovely that at her young age, she's got this passion and drive and wants to be so involved", Ms Thompson said.
"And it's nice for her to have something that represents her culture and what she looks like her."
"If children do not see themselves represented in the media, and represented in a positive way, it affects their self-esteem, it affects how they seem themselves and think: 'I can't do this.'
"When I grew up in the 1980s, I was a mixed-race child - my mum was Black Caribbean, my dad was white British - and I grew up watching TV shows, playing with toys and reading books where I didn't see anyone that represented me or my mixed-race family.
"I started to think, is there something wrong with my home environment? So, for young people, it is important for them to see themselves in a positive light."
While she noted that there have been "steps in the right direction" in terms of media representation, through shows like Strictly Come Dancing including Rose Ayling-Ellis who is deaf, she said that change still needs to happen.
As Black History Month draws to a close, Ms Thompson said that one of the biggest takeaways should be that "we should not discuss race solely across one month".
"We need to educate ourselves and be open and ask questions, and the black community should celebrate what we have done for this country and be proud of that."