When six-year-old Esi Orijin was in private school, she was one of the only Black girls in her class. As a result, she began to lack self-confidence — and it wasn’t long before she began to dislike the texture of her hair and the color of her skin.
According to Black News, that’s when her mother, Melissa, stepped in — and together, they founded Orijin Bees, a one-of-a-kind doll line that celebrates Black girls of all shades, shapes, and sizes.
Aside from Orijin being the family last name, “Orijin Bees” stands for “Our Representation is Just Inclusion Normalized, Beautifully Empowering Every Soul.”
They also have a program called the GetONE GiftONE program, which means that for each person that purchases a doll, another little girl will get a doll as a gift.
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“As a company, Orijin Bees has and continues to gift dolls to different organizations and individuals,” said Melissa Orijin on the company’s website. “As a mother, I find pure joy in seeing a little girl’s eyes light up when they receive a doll they were not expecting, especially when the doll is representative of them and their community. It’s that joy that confirms we are heading in the right direction as a company.”
Follow the company’s journey on their Instagram page and check out their website here.
