February is Black History month, and what better way to celebrate than with a brand-new American Girl Doll. It was announced on Feb. 22 that this summer American Girl will debut a new BeForever historical doll named Melody Ellison who grew up in Detroit during the 1960s civil rights era.
While the announcement of the Melody American Girl Doll coincided with Black History Month, the doll will not be available for purchase until the summer. The character Melody is a 9-year-old girl who loves to sing and dance and uses her voice to make a difference, according to CBS News. The American Girl company hired a panel to make sure that Melody was historically accurate and to make sure the doll has the correct look and feel for the era she is from.
"When we learn about the civil rights movement, we learn about a handful of really important people. But the movement was... driven by average, ordinary Americans, like Melody," Mark Speltz, a senior historian who helped develop Melody's story, told CBS News.
"Her stories are set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, which was gathering momentum, and the music scene, including the success and popularity of Motown Records and its artists," American Girl writes on its website of Melody. "As Melody gains more awareness of racial inequality and her sense of community grows from her extended family to include her neighborhood and, ultimately, all African Americans, she is inspired by Dr. King to have a dream of her own: to lift her voice for fairness and equality."
Melody is part of the BeForever historical line and comes with books that are meant to tap into the imaginations of young girls while giving them a history lesson. Other dolls in the history line include Native American Kaya and Addy, a former child slave who escaped to freedom.
Check out author Denise Lewis Patrick talking about writing the Melody stories below: