Barbie® Releases Naomi Osaka Role Models Doll

In 2019, she was a Barbie® Shero, honored with a doll in her likeness. Now, in 2021, we're thrilled to honor tennis player Naomi Osaka with a Barbie® Role Models Doll that's available for collectors and tennis fans around the world!

Osaka represents Japan as a professional tennis player. She became the first Japanese player in history to win a Grand Slam (one of the four major annual tennis tournaments) at the U.S. Open in 2018. The following year, she won another Grand Slam tournament (the Australian Open) and reached #1 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. She already won her fourth career Grand Slam title earlier in 2021, and she's using her platform to speak out about issues surrounding human rights and racial injustice. Naomi is a force, on and off the court!

To make the Naomi Osaka Doll a reality, Barbie® Signature turned to designer Carlyle Nuera. He's well-known for the research he puts into his subjects, and when asked for his thoughts about her, he says, "Obviously Naomi’s athletic skill is unmatched, that's a fact. But what I personally admire the most about Naomi Osaka is how she uses her platform, the spotlight on her and her voice, to raise awareness about social justice."

The Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll wears a Nike tennis dress with brushstroke print, inspired by a look she sported at a major match in 2020. With a white Nike visor, light blue athletic shoes, and a replica of her Yonex tennis racket, she’s ready to hit the court.

The doll body Carlyle chose for the Naomi Osaka doll is the Made to Move™ original doll body, which features 22 total points of articulation, for endless posing possibilities. The included display stand will help you set up some great action shots for your social posts, too.

The Barbie® Role Models Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll is part of our Black Label® series of dolls, available for $29.99 in the online shop. When she debuts, there will be a limit of two (2) dolls per person, so as many Naomi Osaka and Barbie® fans as possible can add her to their collections. (This limit is subject to change at a later date.)

This doll also represents the Roles Models who play a part in our ongoing Barbie Dream Gap Project. It's a global initiative designed to introduce girls to women’s stories from all walks of life, because imagining they can be anything is just the beginning. Actually seeing that they can makes all the difference!

With displayable packaging and so many true-to-life details, this collectible doll makes a great gift for tennis fans of any age. Get your Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll in the shop today!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE NAOMI OSAKA ROLE MODELS DOLL

LSU president offers National Spelling Bee winner, Zaila Avant-garde full scholarship

Louisiana State University (LSU) on Saturday offered Zaila Avant-garde, the first African American contestant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a full scholarship.

In a tweet on Saturday, LSU President William F. Tate IV said Avant-garde, 14, “performed at the highest level in the National Spelling Bee.”

Zaila Avant-garde @basketballasart performed at the highest level in the National Spelling Bee. Your academic performance reflected scholarship first! You modeled intellectual excellence. @LSU_Honors awaits. I write to offer you a full scholarship to attend LSU. Here for you! pic.twitter.com/LopV3bdeWI

— William F. Tate IV (@WFTate4) July 10, 2021

Zaila Avant-garde: First African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Zaila Avant-garde won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night, making her the first African American champion of the contest.

Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Harvey, La., won the Scripps Cup in the 18th round. She is the first African American contestant to win in the competition's 96-year history.

When presented with her final word, murraya, she first asked if it included the English name Murray, "which could be the name of a comedian."

Even with the pronouncer's response — "I don't see that here" — Avant-garde spelled the word correctly, winning the title and the $50,000 prize.

“I was pretty relaxed on the subject of Murraya and pretty much any other word I got,” Zaila said.

Zaila also told the media she hoped her victory would be followed by greater representation for her and other minority groups in future.

“I’m hoping that within the next few years, I can see a little bit of an influx of African Americans, and not many Hispanic people, either, so I’m hoping to see them there, too,” she said.

John Lewis statue installed in Atlanta park

A statue of John Lewis was installed on Wednesday at a new park in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Ambassador Andrew Young debuted the statue, at the new Rodney Cook Park on the Westside.

National Association of Black Journalists wants meeting with ESPN over Maria Taylor/Rachel Nichols issue

The National Association of Black Journalists released the following statement on the developing situation between ESPN, Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is outraged to read reports in The New York Times and other publications that uncover a toxic ESPN culture that appears to promote bias.

According to the Times, a white sideline reporter and host of “The Jump,” Rachel Nichols, was recorded inferring that Maria Taylor, a qualified, talented Black journalist, analyst, and host of “NBA Countdown,” was only in her position because ESPN was “feeling pressure about (its) crappy longtime record on diversity.” Nichols issued an apology earlier this week and yesterday it was announced that her role as NBA Finals sideline reporter was given to Malika Andrews, who is Black.

Nichols’ comments and the actions that followed over the last year were not only disappointing but disparaging given the ongoing reports by Black journalists of white men advancing at ESPN because of their skin tone and not by merit. ESPN’s response to the matter was even more appalling, as the Times has documented what appears to be an attempt by ESPN to sweep the matter under the rug until it was recently exposed in greater detail. The company’s actions could have alienated Taylor and left another Black employee punished for exposing the matter.

According to some reports, the last time the matter was addressed on record was in a statement ESPN issued to Yahoo Sports in July 2020 that did not address the racial insensitivity on display: “We are extremely disappointed about the leak of a private conversation. It’s indefensible and an intrusion on Rachel’s privacy. As for the substance of the conversation, it is not reflective of our decision-making on staffing assignments for the NBA, which has largely been driven by the circumstances of the pandemic.”

“The NABJ Board of Directors is disturbed to learn the details of this situation and what appeared to be a lack of accountability and a desire by ESPN to provide accommodations for a white employee who mocked diversity and a well-qualified co-worker while seemingly ignoring how Taylor and others who later heard the conversation may have been affected,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker. “The silence and apparent inaction by ESPN leaders over the last year is deafening and, as a result, NABJ is requesting a meeting with Bob Iger, executive chairman at The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN; Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN.”

ESPN issued the following statement to NABJ but did not directly address Nichols’ behavior and the subsequent fallout.

“We’re proud to lead the sports media industry in making significant progress to develop and place diverse talent on-air and in key leadership positions,” a spokesperson said. “Diversity, Inclusion and Equity are top priorities at ESPN. We recognize more work needs to be done, and we will continue our commitment to creating a culture that reflects our values. Our partnership with NABJ is an integral part of that commitment.”

NABJ looks forward to meeting with top leaders at the company to present our concerns, demand answers and change at ESPN.