5 Lessons From Netflix's "Black Barbie" on Why Representation in Homeschooling Matters

Why Representation in Our Kids’ World Matters More Than We Think

I recently sat down with my daughters to watch Black Barbie, the Netflix documentary that traces the story of the first Black Barbie doll and the long road it took to get her there. 

And I’ll be honest: it stirred up a mix of emotions in me…from nostalgia and excitement to heartbreak from wounds that I didn’t even realize were still raw. 

More than anything, it reaffirmed why I homeschool the way I do: with intention, with truth, and with positive representation always standing front and center.

Whether you’re raising girls or boys, this documentary is absolutely worth your time because the Barbies are really just the vehicle. 

The deeper theme is representation. And it’s important that our kids’ ability to dream and to see themselves as valuable and powerful is directly tied to what they see reflected back at them.

Here are five powerful takeaways that stuck with me:

 1. The absence of representation shapes our sense of possibility.

Award-winning screenwriter and producer, Shonda Rhimes, says it plainly in the film: “You don’t have the power to dream it if you’ve never seen it.” 

That reality hit hard. 

Because for Black children growing up before the 1970s, the idea of a Black doll may not have even crossed their minds…not because they didn’t want one, but because they had been conditioned to believe it wasn’t even a possibility.

Honestly, it's never even occurred to me to ask my mom or my aunts what their dolls looked like growing up. But after watching this documentary and listening to Beulah Mae Mitchell - a retired Mattel employee who began her career there in 1955 - something clicked for me: the most passionate doll collectors I know are women in that age group. They’re in their 60s, 70s, and 80s - and they’re still collecting.

Ms. Mitchell's story was fascinating, and it made me feel that when she finally saw a Black doll - even though she was already an adult - it likely filled a missing piece of her soul that she may not even have known was lacking. Maybe a piece of her girlhood was restored.

Now I look at those doll collections from women differently: I see them not just as keepsakes, but as symbols of pride, healing, and finally being seen.

2. Black dolls helped dismantle school segregation.

In the 1940s, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted what came to be known as the “Doll Test.” Their research showed that Black children - many as young as three - had been conditioned to attribute more positive traits to white dolls than to Black ones.

The damage was undeniable. The Clarks’ work became a piece of evidence in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education, helping to prove that segregation harmed children on a psychological level. Their study ultimately played a key role in the Supreme Court’s decision that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Today, schools may no longer be segregated by law, but many remain divided in practice: by zip code, by funding, by opportunity. Whether it’s the curriculum, the staff, or the peer group, far too many Black children still don’t see themselves reflected in positive or affirming ways. And when representation is absent, the message is still received: You are not enough.

That kind of conditioning creates a damaging effect that can last for generations.

So for me, homeschooling is one way I’m working to break that cycle in my family. I work very hard and very intentionally to create a learning environment where my kids can thrive…where they’re affirmed, supported, and surrounded by mirrors that reflect their beauty and brilliance.

It’s my way of saying: “This ends here.”

3. The first Black Barbie wasn’t released until 1980.

Let that sink in. Nineteen-eighty.

While I’ve always had access to Black Barbies in my lifetime, it’s wild to realize that, had I been born just a few years earlier, they would not have even existed.

In the 1970s, Mattel introduced a few Black dolls, but let’s be clear: they were never “the Barbie”. They were “friends of Barbie,” sidekicks, and accessories to the main character. 

The message? The only “real” Barbie was blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and everyone else was just background.

It wasn’t until 1980 that the first official Black Barbie was released. She finally held the title. She finally stood on her own.

Fast forward to 2023, and Issa Rae is cast as “President Barbie” in the blockbuster Barbie film. It was a full-circle moment, right? Sort of…

The irony is that her role wouldn’t even have been imaginable just a few years before Issa herself was born in 1985.

So... progress? Yes, I suppose.

But also a reminder: progress doesn’t mean arrival. And representation isn’t just about being included; it’s about being centered.

4. Kitty Black Perkins changed the game.

The woman behind that first Black Barbie was Kitty Black Perkins, a visionary designer at Mattel who modeled that first Black Barbie after Diana Ross and Diahann Carroll, ultimately creating a Barbie that radiated beauty, strength, and Black excellence.

But Kitty didn’t just design a doll - she made space for Black professionals that reverberated throughout an entire industry. Her presence at the design table cracked open doors in toy production, fashion, and marketing that had long been closed to professionals of color.

Kitty said in the documentary, “You don’t know you can be something if you’ve never seen it.” And she meant that.

As someone with a background in marketing and communications who’s led multicultural campaigns for major brands like L’Oréal, I know my career path wasn’t paved overnight. Women like Kitty laid the foundation.

Her work wasn’t just about a toy; it was about vision. She was responsible for opening doors for the next generation of Black creatives, strategists, and storytellers. And she had the vision to see that, despite their absence when she arrived at Mattel, Black professionals belong in every creative studio, office, and boardroom where decisions are made.

5. Even now, representation isn’t where it should be.

Yes, we’ve made progress. But let’s not confuse visibility with equity.

Let’s take today’s animated Barbie movies, for example. Sadly, Black Barbies are still rarely the lead. They’re often the sidekick or the best friend. And that message doesn’t go over our kids’ heads.

Children pick up on hierarchy, and they notice who gets to be center stage (and who’s relegated to the background). So when the main character is always blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and the Black characters are consistently positioned as “friends of Barbie”, what does that teach them about who’s worthy of being the star?

So yes, we’re still waiting on a Black Barbie to lead her own movie and to be the one whose story gets told from beginning to end.

Because storytelling shapes self-image. And if we want our children - especially our Black children - to believe they’re main-character worthy, they need to see it reflected back at them: consistently and boldly.

They deserve to see themselves as heroes, visionaries, and as the ones who drive the story forward. Not just the "friends" standing beside the one who does.

So, what does all this mean for us as homeschool families?

For me, it’s a reminder that this is exactly why I homeschool the way I do: not to shield my children from the world, but to ground them before the world tries to define them. 

Every book they read, every lesson they explore, every conversation we have is part of a bigger vision: one where their Blackness is not only acknowledged, but honored. One where they are the main character. One where they feel seen.

In our homeschool, they see Black authors, Black educators, Black characters, and Black joy. They learn Black history that didn’t start with the horrors of American slavery. They meet peers from strong, loving Black families. Every single day, they are reminded that who they are is something to be proud of.

And I know I’m not the only one doing this work. If you’re a mom of color who’s reimagining your child’s education with intention…if you’re building a life where your children are centered, celebrated, and surrounded by mirrors of possibility…then I’d love to walk alongside you.

👉🏾  Join the waitlist for the next round of my group coaching program, the Homeschool Launch Blueprint Collective. It’s a 5-week journey where we’ll build your family’s personalized homeschool plan with support, structure, and sisterhood every step of the way.

Because we’re not just homeschooling: we’re healing, we’re rebuilding, and we’re raising whole children on our terms.

Share this with another mom who needs to hear it today. 🤎