Every human alive today descends from one African mother. Meet ME, the heirloom artifact redefining our shared origin.

What People Are Saying About Eve

“All these mitochondrial DNAs stem from one woman who is postulated to have lived about 200,000 years ago.” Rebecca Cann- Geneticis

“If you don’t know, now you know. ”

At HoweverComma, often referred to as “Hoco,” is a social media creator known for producing content that explores Black radical traditions, decolonial thought, and critical conversations around cultural appropriation and so-called “culture vultures.”

Mama Doll (Dana Hill) — Founder, The Black Doll Affair® | Creator and Designer of the ME Doll™

“When I set out to design a doll for The Black Doll Affair’s 18th anniversary, I wanted to create something educational, empowering, and entertaining, but I also wanted something that didn’t try to reinvent the Barbie wheel. I wanted to design a doll that held meaning. Something that, like The Black Doll Affair’s mission, could change the way Black girls are perceived and, more importantly, how they perceive themselves. I wanted something for both my Black and white members. What I created was something simple for humanity to toy with, not just something for Black girls to play with. I created her as a blank canvas, designed to come to life when you paint her.”

The Black Doll Affair ‘ME’ Doll Is Here

A Human Family Heirloom and Educational Artifact ™

ME is passed down, not purchased.

The ME Doll was first released Christmas 2025, gifted and sold as a limited collector’s acquisition. Those inaugural editions are now held by collectors as rare and significant works. In 2026, The Black Doll Affair began offering ME not as a commercial product, but as a cultural legacy entrusted to families around the world. Families are not purchasing the ME Doll. They are supporting her archival preparation, documentation, and insured global journey in their care. By covering the cost of her preparation and shipment to your dollhouse, the ME Doll is entrusted to your family as a shared human heirloom - preserved, protected, and brought to life by you. When arranging your heirloom’s journey, you may also choose to Be a Doll, give a doll. Through this option, a ME Doll is gift to a child, family or institution in your name, extending the legacy.

ME & You

When you lift her veil and paint her face, you become the latest curator of ME.

Share your vision of the ME Doll using the hashtag: #iamMEiam

Why ME?

Why Me? is a question many Black girls ask—sometimes out loud, sometimes in silence.

Why was I born Black? Why does it feel heavy? Why does it feel different?

Science offers an answer. History offers context. The Black Doll Affair offers art. The ME Doll™ offers education.

Scientists call her Mitochondrial Eve—not because she was the first human, but because through mitochondrial DNA, every person

alive can trace their maternal lineage back to EVE, an African woman.

She was African. This is not metaphor. This is fact. The question Why me? becomes something else when we understand our origin.

So, the question is not Why me? But Why not ME?

ME DOLL ELEMENTS:

PAINTABLE DOLLHEAD

To deepen this remembrance, your doll is presented as a dollhead, an artistic homage to Omo 1,

the ancient Homo sapiens cranial remains discovered in Ethiopia, famous for being among the oldest modern human remains. While Mitochondrial Eve represents our shared maternal DNA (mtDNA),Omo 1’s fossil stands as the physical echo of early humans. As an art activity veil can be removed to paint and give personality to ME.

PAINTABLE WHITE GLOVES

For handling the ME Doll artifact with care. As an art activity gloves are paintable.

THE VEIL

An old wives’ tale in the Black family, says that a child born “with a veil” is believed to be protected, intuitive, and deeply

connected to life. The veil represents the womb—the sacred space where life begins and connects humanity. The veil does not

hide her. It holds her.

BLACK SEA SALT

Generational ME Doll OFFER
From ancient waters marked by tide, time, and mineral memory, this is the sediment

from which ME Doll sits - reminding us that we are the “salt of the earth.”

HEART SHAPED MIRROR

In the shape of The Black heart in our logo, this is included to remind you to take a look at your breathless bhuety.

Black Doll Affair VELVET HBCU (Historically Black Club for Us) INSIGNIA POUCH

Holds the black sea salt and 1 heart shaped black obsidian stone to match our logo and remind hue that you rock.

AFRICA INSIGNA

To remind you of the mother from the Mother Land.

SCENT OF GARDENIA

From the GARDEN of EVE…

MORE SPECIAL FEATURES

Each Doll comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, is numbered and signed by Mama Doll, Founder of The Black Doll Affair

The Black Doll Affair exists to remind Black girls of their beauty—especially when the world makes

them question it. The ME Doll is a reminder of your power.

#theblackolls

#BeAdollGiveAdoll - When you become a Black Doll, by purchasing your (first) Black Doll T-shirt, we donate a toy black doll to a child in your name. More than a T-shirt, it’s a bhuetiful doll story!

Born from the historic Doll Test that exposed the painful effects of racism on children's self-image, The Black Doll T-Shirt is a response and a revolution.

In those tests, children overwhelmingly chose the white doll as “pretty” and “good,” while labeling the Black doll as “ugly” and “bad.” So Mama Doll called on women to become the Black Doll — to wear it, live it, and rewrite the narrative.

What began as a shirt became a sisterhood. A social club. A legacy.

The Black Doll Affair empowers Black girls by showing them that they are beautiful, valuable, and seen.

👑 Worn with Purpose

This shirt is activism in cotton. It’s been worn by celebrity allies like Gabrielle Union, Misty Copeland, Khoudia Diop, Anthony Anderson, Ryan Cameron, Taye Diggs, and Danny Strong — each standing in solidarity with our mission to change minds and hearts.

✨ When You Wear It, You Join Us

The Black Doll T-Shirt says: “I’m an ally. I’m a Doll. I walk in solidarity.”

By wearing it, you’re not just making a fashion statement — you’re joining a community. A two-decade movement. A global conversation.

As a Doll, you’ll be invited into our social club — online and in person — to uplift, inspire, and create a world where every Black girl knows her worth.

💖 Soft. Flattering. Full of Power.

More than merch — this is your membership. Your message. Your moment to say: Black is beautiful. Always was. Always will be.

Shop

“Congratulations, Black Dolls of The Black Doll Affair, on receiving the Barack Obama Volunteer Service Award. This prestigious honor recognizes your outstanding contributions to civic engagement and helping others. Well done, my dollings!”

— Mama Doll

Welcome to The Black Doll Affair! There’s a reason for the heart in our logo - it’s LOVE! Love of hue, the doll in the mirror and the doll next door. The Black Doll Affair stands as a testament to the transformative power of its founder, former model and publicist,“Dana Hill. Created as a solution to the "doll experiments" of the 1940s and today, Dana (affectionately called Mama Doll), responded to the enduring effects of internalized racism in this video, with a one-time Christmas party that evolved into a movement and empowering journey for Black women and girls. The inaugural Black Doll Affair, held on December 21, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia (our HQ), marked the genesis of a mission to empower Black women and girls by turning them into living dolls (becoming the best they can be) and reminding them of their beauty through the gift of a toy black doll – a ceremony she coined "Be a Doll, give a doll."

In the subsequent years, Mama Doll's dedication, alongside her members — The Black Dolls, comprising Black Doll Brothas (representing all races of men) and Black Doll Porcelain Pals (non-Black women) — has elevated the movement into a force that transcends expectations, race, the status quo, boundaries, and standards for Black girls and toy black dolls alike. As you explore our website, immerse yourself in the extraordinary journey chronicling Mama Doll's groundbreaking vision, which has captured the support of icons and celebrities, resonated with leaders of the civil rights movement, and achieved monumental milestones in education and pop culture. Witness the intersection of entertainment, fashion, philanthropy, and cultural impact as The Black Doll Affair continues to change the way we play, shape narratives, uplift communities, and empower the collective voice of The Black Dolls.

After that unforgettable first Black Doll Affair in 2007, Mama Doll has not only fulfilled but exceeded her mission of changing the world for Black women and girls. Join us in celebrating this legacy of inspiration and empowerment that resonates through every doll, every story, and every shared moment within The Black Doll Affair.

To become a member (a living Doll) of The Black Doll Affair, there are no membership fees; simply purchase your member Doll tee, available in our Doll clothing store.