Co-Workers Who Think AG is Racist..... Need Help!

Deleted because some found it offensive.


I think everyone here will agree with my when I say that American Girl is the most widely avliable Black dolls that I know of. Next time you are in a toy store go walk down the doll ilse and count the number of colored dolls and I guess it will be something like ZERO.

Ashley

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ March 22, 2006 01:31 PM: Message edited by: Ds9jullian ]</font>

Just so I understand......

The people giving you hassles are people from the old job that you are leaving when you go to work for AGPLA, right?

And they are the people wanting an explanation from you and threatening a protest?

If I have that right, I'm a little floored by this, on several levels.....

--There are so few AA dolls out there, I think that it's great that AG has so many quality ones, and especially one in the historical line, with a quality story and quality clothes and quality accessories.

--I see her as a former slave, not a slave doll. I see her as a courageous girl who did something (with her family) about her situation, against great odds.

--If your co-workers were African American and were unhappy with the doll, then it would be an argument to take seriously, but white people protesting a issue that they don't fully understand?

--I can't even take them seriously myself when they haven't even read the books.

--Why are they making it your job to educate them?

So it seems to me that the first task is to get them to read the books. Maybe persuade them that they will only look foolish to the rest of the world if they go public with this without first reading the books?

Joy

With how rude they've all been, I'm curious as to why you care enough to try to teach them any differently. Let them be close-minded, who cares? You know the truth, as does everyone else who knows what AG is. I don't see how an intelligent person can claim something is bad when they have absolutely no knowledge on it. I think you're wasting time making a portfolio for people who obviously don't care, or they wouldn't be so rude about it.

The books are very short. They can get them at the library, perhaps they should just read them instead of acting like they know everything about something they've never even seen (you said they thought she came in tattered clothing), much less have any information about.

If I were you, I'd bring in Meet Addy, and an old PC catalogue. Anyone who cares enough, instead of just wanting to complain, will read them, and be amazed at how wrong they were. Of course, this would probably just give them something else to complain about, ("How come this white girl has better clothes than the black one?," for instance), as they seem to just be complainers.

If they were to read her books, they'd see that Addy, as a character, and as stories are nothing about the slave aspect. Yes, they were slaves, but they escaped (very courageously) during the FIRST book. There's 5 others that show them adjusting to life, and how important family and friends are. And how important it is to be true to oneself, and to try to make your life better. Addy's books show that life can be rough, but everyone can only do for themselves what they WANT to do. Addy's family was amazing, and eventually they all got to freedom, and, more importantly for them, they were together.

I think most of the little girls reading AG's books are learning so many valuable lessons earlier than they normally would. Racial tolerance being one of the more important things. There's 3 (under-represented, imo) girls of color in the Historical Collection, and with all of them, their race is important to who they are, but anyone can see while reading the books, that these little girls are just like them. I'm a middle class white girl, and when I was little, I could see pieces of myself in everyone of these girls, and I love that AG is presenting these more controversial periods in the way they are- these are little girls just like you, who lived at a different time, and sometimes with different situations than you might be used to.

The reason you're having a hard time finding the negative information is that any journalist worth his salt is going to actually read about the doll, and her books before writing a negative article. Hence why there are so few (if any). You might be able to find things like blog entries, but really, what the heck importance are they? Most of them haven't read the books, either.

To quote an old PC catalogue, one of the intro Addy ones, "In Meet Addy, the first of six books in her series, you'll read about Addy's daring, dangerous escape to the North when her family--and the country--are separated by slavery. In a story filled with hope and heartaches, choices and challenges, Addy--and America--learn the importance of freedom." It makes me sad that people would think anything negative about Addy.

I think AG needs another AA girl, but for over 10 years, Addy's books have been enchanting little girls, and many adults. Anyone who can't understand how great ALL of these girls are is close minded and ignorant. They all represent different cultures and periods, and races, and I know most of us here LOVE Addy.

All that said, I'd love to see your coworkers protest outside of AGPLA. We all saw Marisol's sales quicken when some other ignorant people (who also hadn't read the book) protested about her. Hopefully Addy would start to sell better, as well.

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ March 22, 2006 09:55 AM: Message edited by: cami713 ]</font>

I agree with everyone's comments here. It is absolutely ridiculous that they think it's wrong for Addy to have been a slave. It was 1864. Slavery existed. It's a way to teach all races of girls about slavery and the bravery it would have taken to escape.

Right after Addy was released Ebony magazine did an article on good gifts for black kids and highly praised the doll. If i remember correctly 2 of the things they liked about her were the books which dealt honestly with slavery and the fact that she really looks like an African American girl.

I guess the fact that Asians were in concentration camps during WWII means that Jess shouldn't be bought by Asian people, and that Lindsey, who was a Jewish girl, shouldn't be bought by Jewish girls. Puhlease.
The fact that we are all still here and show pride in our cultures is what the U.S. soldiers fight for. It's called Freedom.
It's unpatriotic of anyone to say that black slave people did not play an important part in history - that they did not do anything worthy of justifying a doll - that escaping their "captors" was not an action worthy of noting - that freedom is not a worthy and just cause for all people.
My point is that all cultures are intermingled here. We are not just characterized by our descent. Addy is not a black person, Jess is not Japanese, Lindsey is not Jewish .... they are all JUST AMERICAN GIRLS!
I don't know if I've said anything to offend, but apologize if I have.

Here's a few things you can ask your co-workers. Should we ban The Diary of Anne Frank because she died in the holocaust? Should we start teaching kids that slavery and the holocaust among hundreds of other historical horrors never happened? That's what they are advocating. The worst thing we can do for future generations is to fail to tell them what went wrong. There are few times in American history when AG could have created an AA doll when she wouldn't have faced terrible things. Addy is one of the most inspiring characters in children's literature today! She is a 10 year old girl facing a world that doesn't accept her, and she faces it with courage and strength! What better way to teach about slavery than to contrast the evils of ownership and abuse with the goods of strength, courage, and virtue that were embraced by some of the most oppressed people in human history? Shouldn't the slaves who had courage like Addy's be heroes to our children? They fought for freedom even more strongly than did our founding fathers. It is good to remember and honor people who looked evil in the face and defeated it. If your co-workers want to hear a story about the goodness of Addy, I've got one for you. I used to live in Atlanta (it's my home and I'm going back in less than two months, yay!) and while I was in college, I went to a few memorials/celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. They were genuinely beautiful gatherings. I think just about every race you can imagine was well represented at these gatherings, and ages from about 3 to 100 were also represented. All of the children present were playing together indiscriminately. In one corner was a group of little girls, each with an Addy doll all playing together. Two of the little girls were white, three were black, one was hispanic, and I think the last one was chinese. I was pretty proud of my own Addy doll at that point. So, whatever your coworkers might think the problem with Addy is...she's doing a lot more to promote goodwill between people of all colors than they are.

My favorite thing about the Addy stories is that when Addy feels angry because of the way she is treated, her mother will not allow her to harbor that in her heart. Addy is taught that hatred begins when we do not forgive. She will not allow her daughter to waste her life in negative energy like that, and teaches her to let it go and live in the light! There is nothing more empowering to any human being than that!
I love Addy's stories and I think every girl AND BOY in America should read them!!
~Annie

Maybe AG can give you a press release or something. I assume they're fairly used to dealing with protests from all sorts of groups. Plus, if your co-workers are upset, I can't imagine they're the only folks in Southern CA who are going to get upset over Addy, so AG might want to know.

If your co-workers wouldn't even listen when you told them that Addy is NOT sold in tattered clothing, though, I don't know that you'll have much luck getting through to them, although I suppose pictures might help. But if they've already made up their minds, the best you can probably hope for is perhaps for them to admit that, "I guess she's not THAT bad." [img]tongue.gif[/img]

First off, let me say welcome, and congrats on your new job at AGPLA. I hope you love it!

Our members here have brought up some very good points. I just wanted to add that I am very glad AG came out with a black historical that experienced from slavery. Slavery is such a huge part of black history, and in Addy books it is taught that it is wrong. We see how horrible slavery was through Addy?s point of view. If AG didn?t do a black doll that had anything to do with slavery I would feel that they are trying to escape that period and hardship in American history. Instead they are taking it head on, tackling it, and showing how horrible it really was.

They are teaching little girls all over the US what slavery was all about and how truly horrible it was.