Barbie is honoring journalist and activist Ida B. Wells by creating a new doll in her image as part of the company's "Inspiring Women series."
The doll features Wells in a black dress and holding a copy of the newspaper she wrote for, The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight.
"When kids learn about heroes like Ida B. Wells, they don't just imagine a better future – they know they have the power to make it come true," the company said in an Instagram post.
The doll will be available at major retailers beginning Jan. 17.
Wells was born into slavery just prior to the Civil War. She began her work in the Reconstructionist South, advocating against segregated schools and shedding light on lynchings and other extrajudicial killings of Black people in the region.
Late last year, Barbie introduced a Susan B. Anthony doll as part of its "Inspiring Women" series. The line also includes dolls of Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Florence Nightengale and Billie Jean King.
