A Black college student started a doll company to honor the life of Breonna Taylor and empower Black girls.

A Black college student started a doll company to honor the life of Breonna Taylor and empower Black girls. Following the death of Breonna Taylor, University of Houston student Datreese Thomas started The Melanie Dolls as a way to honor Taylor and empower Black girls by teaching them self-love and giving them something to look up to. Initially, Thomas applied for grants and seed money, but when she didn’t receive any funding, she saved up income from an internship and officially launched the venture last year. Her Breonna Taylor doll sold out almost immediately after a TikTok post featuring the product went viral earlier this year. Currently, the site is taking pre-orders for the flagship Breonna Taylor doll, and the second doll will be inspired and designed after author and civil rights activist Angela Davis. YPulse’s Causes/Charity & Activism research found that two in five Black young consumers want brands to get involved in Black Lives Matter—and a portion of profits from the dolls will go toward Thomas’ nonprofit The Melanin Movement, which has a mission of financially empowering and assisting creative talent in Black communities. According to Thomas, she’s glad that people are becoming more aware “of the lack of Black representation in retail.” (Black Enterprise)