Melody Ellison, American Girl’s Newest Addition Will Make You #LiftYourVoice!

My daughter and I are really excited to be able to share the news about the newest BeForever character, Melody Ellison! One of the things that we love about Melody is the fact that she is from our home State, Michigan. My youngest also really connected this this doll as she is a 9-year old just like she is. While her life is very different than my daughters, her story is one that I want my daughters to learn, especially in regards to the issues of civil rights that she deals with in growing up in the 1960s. The story and the doll itself really allows girls today to gain a stronger understanding for issues of equality, as well as opens eyes to what the world was like in this important time in American’s history.

In looking into the creation of the doll and the story I was pleased to see that American Girl worked hard to ensure the historical accuracy and cultural authenticity of Melody’s story and product collection. To do this American Girl worked for over two years with an esteemed six-member advisory board who reviewed and provided input on all aspects of Melody’s development—from the doll, books, outfits, accessories, issues, and story setting. The Melody Ellison advisory board members included:

• The late Horace Julian Bond, chairman emeritus, NAACP Board of Directors and founding member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
• Gloria House, director and professor emerita, African and African American Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn
• Juanita Moore , President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit and founding executive director of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis
• Rebecca de Schweinitz, associate professor of history, Brigham Young University, Utah, and author of If We Could Change the World: Young People and America’s Long Struggle for Racial Equality
• Thomas J. Sugrue, professor of history at New York University and author of Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North
• JoAnn Watson, native of Detroit, ordained minister, and former executive director of the Detroit NAACP

To coincide with Melody’s debut, American Girl is launching the Lift Your Voice with Melody campaign. Fans can watch the Lift Your Voice with Melody video at www.americangirl.com/liftyourvoice and then share their own inspiring videos and photos on how they make a difference, using #LiftYourVoice.

The Melody Ellison doll itself is so well created. My daughters love her outfit and now that we have gone to a local American Girl store we have seen all of the other clothes and accessories that have been created for this great doll and they truly love all of the period costumes! The particularly loved the accessory pack, but all of the things provided with Melody Ellison will take you back in time. See them all here.

We are also really excited about the new American Girl movie that is coming soon in October 21 on Amazon Prime! See the trailer here!

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