The Black Doll Affair Launches Heirloom for Humanity with Historic ME Doll Giveaway!

Atlanta, GA, Black History Month — The Black Doll Affair, the Barack Obama Presidential Volunteer Service Award–winning cultural arts and self-esteem movement founded by Dana Hill, better known as Mama Doll, announces ME X You, a global artistic and cultural initiative inviting artists and the public to participate in telling the oldest story on Earth, the shared origin of humanity, through the Black Doll Affair ME Doll.

What ME Means

ME is short for Mitochondrial Eve, the African woman from whom all living humans trace their maternal lineage. While she was not the only woman alive at the time, she is the only one whose mitochondrial DNA line continued unbroken to the present day. This shared genetic inheritance means that every person alive today belongs to one human family, connected through a single maternal origin in Africa.

The Black Doll Affair ME Doll transforms this scientific truth into a tangible form as an educational artifact designed to spark conversation, understanding, and connection across cultures and generations.

Why ME Was Created

Mama Doll created the Black Doll Affair ME Doll to bring humanity closer together at a time of deep division and as an evolution of her organization’s long-standing work addressing the legacy of the Doll Tests, in which Black dolls were labeled bad, ugly, or less preferred.

“Mitochondrial Eve (ME) is more than a doll,” says Hill. “She is a human family heirloom and an educational artifact that I created to help narrow the distance between us, to dismantle the false divisions that racism depends on. When we understand that all of humanity comes from one African mother, the story we tell about who we are begins to change.”

Hill is widely recognized for shaping cultural dialogue in the doll industry. As a consultant to the Barbie team, Hill advised Mattel to place Barbie in an Afro, a recommendation that led to the release of Barbie Fashionista Doll Number 59, a milestone moment in representation. She later helped advance conversations around race and identity by encouraging Barbie to address racism directly, contributing to the now-viral video Barbie and Nikki Discuss Racism.

Black Doll Affair ME Doll Bestowed Not Bought

The Black Doll Affair ME Doll is a keepsake bestowed, not bought. In alignment with The Black Doll Affair’s philanthropic Be a Doll, Give a Doll programming, the Black Doll Affair ME Doll is gifted to all who wish to receive her. A flat shipping contribution supports her ceremonial preparation and passage to each recipient’s Dollhouse.

The Black Doll Affair ME Doll arrives veiled, her face a blank canvas, inviting individuals, families, and artists to unveil her and paint their vision. In doing so, each participant interprets her meaning and takes part in shaping how humanity’s shared story is told.

ME X You The Artistic Invitation

This is a direct call to artists across disciplines including painters, muralists, illustrators, sculptors, mixed-media artists, designers, educators, and visual storytellers.

Artists are invited to interpret humanity through The Black Doll Affair ME Doll.

Upon receiving their doll, artists are encouraged to unveil her, paint or adorn her, and transform her using their own artistic language, then share their completed work publicly using the hashtag #YOUPaintME.

There is no required style, medium, or aesthetic. The Black Doll Affair ME Doll is a keepsake blank truth. The vision is yours.

PAINT ME Selected Artist Collaborations

As part of ME X You, Mama Doll will personally call on select artists to participate in PAINT ME, a curated collaboration whose works will form the 2026 Gallery of ME, a year-long digital exhibition shared across social platforms.

PAINT ME Parties Art, Legacy and Conversation

Mama Doll will also host by-invitation-only PAINT ME Parties, intimate gatherings focused on art, legacy, and dialogue. Each invited guest will receive a complimentary Black Doll Affair ME Doll, with the option to donate her to a child, classroom, or community space, or take her home as a personal heirloom.

Black History Month Context

The announcement of ME X You during Black History Month holds special significance. Dana Hill is recognized as a Living Legacy Award nominee by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the organization founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History Month.

Through the Black Doll Affair ME Doll, Hill extends that legacy forward, using science, art, and storytelling to affirm origin, restore truth, and build bridges across communities.

How to Get Your Black Doll Affair ME Doll

1. Get ME: Visit blackdollaffair.com

2. Ship ME: The Black Doll Affair ME Doll is bestowed. Shipping contribution only.

3. Create ME: Unveil and paint your vision of ME

4. Share ME
   Post using the hashtag #YOUPaintME

5. Follow ME: #iamMEiam

About The Black Doll Affair

Founded in 2007 by Dana Mama Doll Hill, The Black Doll Affair is a nationally recognized cultural arts and self-esteem movement dedicated to restoring identity, honoring origin, and empowering communities through representation, storytelling, and art. Its signature programming, Be a Doll, Give a Doll, has empowered countless families and classrooms and earned national recognition, including President Barack Obama’s Presidential Volunteer Service Award.