American Girl’s New BeForever Character – Meet Melody Ellison

I received the product below in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

American Girl is know for their quality dolls who are based out of different era’s in time. The newest BeForever character from American Girl is based off the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Melody Ellison is a 9-year old girl growing up in Detroit, Michigan who lifts her voice for equality during such a significant time in America’s history for girls today.

To create Melody, American Girl worked 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 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

I gave Melody to my daughter and she has carried her everywhere since we got her. The first thing she said was “Can I get a matching an outfit?” I will say her outfit is absolutely adorable and such a classic.

If you have never owned an American Girl doll before the quality is really amazing. The dolls are poseable and flexible which makes it so great for creative play. My daughter loves sitting her up and having tea parties with her. She comes with a beautiful outfit right down to her underwear! Along with the beautiful doll and clothes, you also get a great book. The book is a real book too and not a thin book with a few pages, and tells Melody’s whole story.

In Melody’s story, she uses song as a way to express her support for the civil rights movement, choosing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It is well-known in the African American community and is often called the Black National Anthem. But Melody picks it because the words are meaningful to her own personal experience.

To coincide with Melody’s debut, American Girl is launching the Lift Your Voice with Melody campaign. Starting August 20, 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.

And, starting August 26, American Girl retail stores are hosting free Melody-inspired events geared for girls ages 8 and up that include a free craft, 1960s music, food, and a free gift. More details are available at www.americangirl.com/retail.

WIN IT: (1) US winner will receive the American Girl Melody doll

Need help entering a giveaway?  Check out my blog post for some help!

GIVEAWAY ENTRY:

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This Giveaway Ends October 17, 2016.