Omaha Museum Honors Black History Through Thousands of Dolls

Mama's Attic features more than 3,000 dolls spanning different eras of Black history

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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In Omaha, Nebraska, the Mama's Attic museum is honoring Black history by showcasing a collection of over 3,000 dolls from different periods. The museum, founded by LaVon Stennis-Williams, features dolls ranging from the 1800s with minimal facial features to more modern dolls like the first official Black Barbie launched in 1980. The museum also displays physical artifacts of Black history, including a newspaper clipping about desegregation in public schools.

Why it matters

Mama's Attic provides an unconventional and immersive way to explore Black history, moving beyond textbooks and highlighting the evolution of Black representation through dolls over time. The museum aims to acknowledge the past, including the use of dehumanizing caricatures, in order to create a more inclusive and equitable future.

The details

Mama's Attic started as a way for LaVon Stennis-Williams to honor her mother's legacy of collecting Black history artifacts, including Aunt Jemima and Mammy figurines. The museum features three rooms filled with over 3,000 dolls, showcasing how doll design has changed from the 1800s, when dolls had little to no facial features, to more modern dolls that better reflect human beings. The museum also includes physical artifacts like a newspaper clipping about desegregation, as well as an annex dedicated to Mattel's Barbie dolls, including the first official Black Barbie launched in 1980.

  • Mama's Attic museum opened in Omaha, Nebraska.
  • The first official Black Barbie doll was launched by Mattel in 1980.

The players

LaVon Stennis-Williams

The executive director and founder of Mama's Attic museum, who started the museum to pay homage to her mother's legacy of collecting Black history artifacts.

Jackie Ormes

A cartoonist who went to Lincoln, Nebraska to create a doll called Patty-Jo with the Terri Lee Doll Company, honoring her main character in the comic strip Torchy Brown.

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What they’re saying

“She felt we should not be ashamed of this lady, which we refer to as Aunt Jemima or the Mammy figure.”

— LaVon Stennis-Williams, Executive Director and Founder, Mama's Attic

“So, the caricature that many people ridicule or feel is a stereotype, was actually an enslaved woman that was very instrumental in the underground railroad in terms of helping people get to freedom.”

— LaVon Stennis-Williams, Executive Director and Founder, Mama's Attic

The takeaway

Mama's Attic provides a unique and powerful way to explore Black history, moving beyond textbooks and highlighting the evolution of Black representation through dolls over time. By acknowledging the past, including the use of dehumanizing caricatures, the museum aims to create a more inclusive and equitable future.