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Please join us for the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program’s
ETHNIC DOLL DRIVE- Every girl deserves to have a doll that looks like them
December 8, 2015
Where: The Ave Bar / 1607 Ocean Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112
Time: 4 pm to 8 pm
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Monique’s Ethnic Doll Drive
JILL NICOLE PEELER·FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015
Twenty four years ago I was blessed with a beautiful daughter named Monique.
Monique had big brown eyes, the cutest giggle, and beautiful brown skin.
Monique is bi-racial, half Caucasian, and half African American. We are native
San Franciscans, and live in one of the most diverse cities. In 1992 I had a second
birthday party for Monique. I remember Monique being as excited as she tore
wrapping paper off of her gifts. Everything was going great that day, until
Monique opened her last gift. Inside the box was a doll, with red ribbons in her
hair, and a glamorous satin red dress. The doll looked like it cost quite a bit of
money, it was perfect; except for one thing. As Monique held her doll up, my
mouth dropped open. The lady who gave my daughter this doll had altered the
original doll, and painted the white dolls face black. It was not a professional
paint job, yet a splotched coat of black paint over the dolls face. I looked at the
lady who gave her the doll, and she proclaimed proudly, “I couldn’t find any black
dolls, so I wanted to get a doll that looked like your daughter so I painted the
dolls face to look like your daughter. “ I was not okay with this at all. Since that
day I have made it my mission to never have another child of color receive a doll
that does not resemble them. Not long after that doll incident I started
volunteering for the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program. I made it my
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mission to get dolls of color donated, and try to explain to people how important
diversity and culture plays in our children’s lives as they grow up. Some people
might argue that color should not matter. They are right, in a perfect world it
should not matter. We have come a long way since 1992 with dolls of color being
sold at toy stores. The average person who walks into a store that sells toys will be
able to find an ethnic doll; they might even be able to find ten dolls of color.
Sounds great right? Wrong, although this is an improvement it is not enough. I
have had to go from San Francisco to San Jose buying out all ten ethnic dolls in
each store so I can get enough for the kids we give toys to. This adventure can
take me days to finish. I always ask the store managers why they don’t buy more
ethnic dolls. One manager told me that there was no need to do that since mostly
white dolls sold. Over the past few years I have started Ethnic Doll Drives, and
asked the public to help us provide dolls of color for kids. This year we are trying
to donate over 400 dolls of color to the African American Art, and Culture
Complex for their annual holiday party for 800 kids. Most kids come from lowincome households, and the gifts they receive might be the only gift they get all
year. Also, starting November 30th, the Toy Program on Jerrold Ave in SF; starts
giving toys to 200 families every day. It is a must that we are able to give these
kids dolls that represent who they are. I am asking for the public’s help in either
donating a doll of color to 2225 Jerrold Ave SF, or donating to us online so I can
purchase dolls. My dream is I walk into the Toy Program one day, and in front of
me are 1000 dolls of every color. So until that happens; I have made it my
mission to collect dolls of color. Could you please help us out? You can also
donate to www.sffirefighterstoys.org This year I decided to name this doll drive
after my daughter Monique, because I never ever want another child to open a
gift with a “black face” painted on a white doll. So in honor of Monique and every
other child of color; could you please be part of our solution. From my heart to
yours, help us make a difference.
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Jill Nicole Peeler/SF Fire Fighters Toy Program Event Coordinator, and
Monique Wells’s mom.
Photo of Jill Peeler/1991 with her daughter Monique Wells
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Monique Wells at 23 years old says, “Every girl deserves to have a doll that looks
like them.” This doll drive is in honor of “Monique, and her experience with dolls
as a child.” Monique is a volunteer at the SF Firefighters Toy Program, and is
asking the public to please donate a ethnic doll for the Toy Drive. People can also
donate online www.sffirefighterstoys.org or the go fund me account
https://www.gofundme.com/ethnicdollddrive
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