The Ultimate Gift Guide When Representation Matters

As a single mother of a beautiful growing African American boy I have to put a little extra thought into his gifts each year. Not having a father around is one thing but then to also have difficulties seeing examples of young men that grow up looking like him is a whole other ballpark.

I know some feel, it shouldn’t be too hard just buy him his favorite toys and move on, but it is a big deal when most of his favorite toys look nothing like him. What he sees and watches at this delicate time in his development is integral to how he will feel about his self later on.

Of course he loves superheroes, cars, puzzles, characters from shows, and games like any other young kids. However, if we’re being honest, in each category there’s probably only one African American that looks like him. There’s a few movies and shows out there that make it big enough to create merchandise but it doesn’t happen all of the time. For example, my son loves “The Black panther” but he wants more options as well.

This year I was adamant to not only buy gifts that he wanted but also to get a few that looked and sounded like him as well. There’s plenty of different companies out there that are claiming to support diversity and representation but I felt like it was only right to show my support and encourage the black-owned businesses that were at it even before it became the movement it is today.

For the parents out there that are interested in these products, but are of a…