TULSA, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation's first female Principal Chief is being honored with her very own Barbie doll ahead of her birthday on Nov. 18.
The Wilma Mankiller doll is the newest addition to the Barbie Inspiring Women series.
Mankiller, a Tahlequah native, served as principal chief from 1985 to 1995. She is known for being a fierce advocate for social justice, earning the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
She advocated for improved healthcare and housing services for the tribe.
"Under her 10-year leadership, infant mortality declined, and educational achievement rose in the Cherokee Nation, whose population more than doubled, from 68,000 to 170,000 during her tenure," Mattel said in a press release.
The doll's look takes inspiration from an iconic photo of Mankiller, taken by her husband Charlie Soap in 2005.
Mankiller served two terms as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation before health issues forced her to step away from politics in 1995 and she returned to her activism work and taught at Dartmouth.
She died from pancreatic cancer in April 2010.
“Wilma’s impact on women’s rights and her strength to break down barriers continues to be an inspiration for women and girls in Native communities throughout our world. Wilma always brought others to the table with her and she would be very happy that Mattel is including other indigenous dolls. Barbie celebrating her legacy with the Wilma Mankiller Inspiring Women doll continues to share her story with so many others for years to come.” said Kristina Kiehl, Wilma Mankiller’s close friend and producer of the film “Cherokee Word for Water," which profiled Bell waterline project that helped launch Mankiller's political career.
The Mankiller Foundation named after her focuses on educational, community and economic development projects. A hospital in Cherokee Nation is also named after her. In 2021 the U.S. Mint honored her with a quarter.
Other women honored in the Barbie series include Ida B. Wells, Dr. Jane Goodall, Madam C.J. Walker, Dr. Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Billie Jean King, Ella Fitzgerald, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson, Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, and Sally Ride.
In addition to the doll's release, Barbie is donating $25,000 to The American Indian Resources Center, to support initiatives dedicated to empowering indigenous women and girls and fostering preservation. To learn more about the Barbie, click here.
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