A New England tradition 50 years in the making continues with a new goal this year: setting a world record for gathering holiday decorations designed, created or engineered by people of color.
Ebony Village returns to the Emerald Square Mall at 999 S. Washington St. in North Attleboro. Organized by the National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture, Ebony Village is an effort to put on a display of joyous holiday decorations where children of color feel included.
Jerica Washington, guest services and museum curator, said the tradition is rooted in a moment where a child felt excluded decades ago.
“There was a child who wished he was white so he could be a part of the holiday joy,” Washington said in an interview Saturday.
While Ebony Village technically opened on Friday, more is still being set up, Washington said. Ebony Village is a place where each visitor is treated as an honorable guest, invited to wonder at the decorations and appreciate the history and splendor of the items.
The world record this year grew out of a concern among museum organizers and guests that there are too few holiday decorations available that are tailored for people of color.
“People would search 20 stores before they could find holiday decorations that were designed by, created by or engineered by a person of color,” Washington said.
The museum has about 900 items to display, but is encouraging visitors to bring holiday decoration items to be added to the count — either to add to the museum’s collection or simply to be counted and then taken away by the owners, Washington said.
Items now include nutcrackers, cookie jars, dolls and Santas in many forms: lumberjack Santa, Santa from the islands, Santa from Central or South America and of course Santa at the North Pole.
The record, while it doesn’t currently exist in the Guinness Book, would be a first, and the museum is pushing for it to be included.
Washington hopes they surpass 2,000 items.
An opportunity for a photo with Santa at Ebony Village will be on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Washington said.
The museum was founded by sisters Felicia Walker, Tamara Mattison and Debra Britt, and was incorporated in 2012, according to its website.
In an interview earlier this year, Britt described the idea behind the museum devoted to Black dolls.
“My biggest thing is I love people, so I go to the Irish cultural center and I learn all about their history, and I go to the synagogues, and I go to all these different places because I want to learn, but I need to learn about me,” she said.
“And I feel like, how do I teach that to people so that they’re at ease, so they can find some ease with it: we’re going to do it with the dolls,” she continued. “Everybody has a doll, and everybody has a doll story.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
