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6 Year-old Esi Orijin Starts Line of Black and Brown Dolls To Raise Self Esteem
Rooted in her African culture, prior to starting school, 6-year old Esi Orijin loved everything about herself. To her, being Black was “normal” and feeling included was a way of life. However, Esi struggled with confidence issues within three weeks of starting private school and being the only black girl in her class.
Her mother, Melissa Orijin, was devasted and needed to find a solution after witnessing Esi’s preference for toys change and her self-love take a dip. Esi no longer loved her skin tone or her curly hair.
She wanted only white dolls with straight blonde hair. After struggling to find dolls that truly represented her daughter to show her that she was in fact included, Melissa, together with her daughter, Esi, decided to start Orijin Bees.
