You’re absolutely right and it’s understandable why a business would do so. Now, it very well is likely that blatant racism did not play a part in any of this, but if we think about this a bit deeper, rather than just stopping at profits, we should ask why? Why don’t white children buy a black doll? Simply because they can’t relate to it?

Actually, I have question that will bust open the complex issue of racism and dolls. That question is, why do black girls also have preference to white dolls?

By companies choosing profit over the possible chance to help make a difference in the lives of black girls, would that actually make them (unintentionally) a contributing part of the racism that still persists today? Even with money being the intentional goal for the company does that negate their actions of helping reinforce the racist views against black girls?

These stereotyping views, that even children are consciously aware of, which degrades black females for their natural looks as if they are still perceived as inferior beings compared to white girls?

Where is the line that crosses into being racist? No, not blatant “gonna’ put on a sheet on and burn a cross in the front yard while yellin’ racial slurs!” A more settle racism where situations,like this one, are given any level of validity that negates a social or moral responsibility to end their part in the cycle of racism.

A 5 year year old black girl can already be influenced by society’s racism to view black as being undesirable or even less human. Well, then imagine what a company is doing to perpetuate that false perception when they repeatedly see only white dolls on the shelves.

“Only white girls are important, desirable, superior, and of any worth” which are a few descriptions of what these, fairly aware, black girls will grow up perceiving themselves to be the opposite of and allows oppression to continue it’s control.

We can’t keep excusing parts of society to just accept that it has to happen because it’s just business. No, it’s just innocent lives being deemed more worthless than the cost of making 2–3 black dolls for the moral sake of helping children value themselves again. Profit has to happen? It’s as if to say we are a society that values being rich more than bettering human lives or do we just value particular lives in our society?