Black Barbie: A Documentary

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Lagueria Davis as Self – Writer / Director
• Beulah Mae Mitchell as Self – Mattel Employee, 1955 – 1999
• Maxine Waters as Self – U.S. Representative for California’s 43rd District
• Shonda Rhimes as Self – Television Creator, Author & Barbie
• Amitis Motevalli as Self – Artist & Director at the William Grant Still Arts Center
• Patricia A. Turner as Self – UCLA Professor: African American Studies, World Arts & Culture / Dance
• Bill Greening as Self – Principal Designer for Barbie Signature at Mattel
• Virginia Watson as Self – Black Barbie Collector
• Monica L. Bailey as Self – Community Coordinator & Storyteller
• Yolanda Hester as Self – Public Historian
• Billie J. Green as Self – Doll Collector
• Kitty Black Perkins as Self – Black Barbie Designer
• Misty Copeland as Self – Ballerina, Author & Philanthropist
• Ibtihaj Muhammad as Self – US Olympic Medalist, Entrepreneur & Barbie
• Julissa Calderon as Self – Actress & Entrepreneur
• Hayley Marie Norman as Self – Child Barbie Model & Actress
• Shellie Lewis as Self – Writer / Producer
• Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins as Self – Actress / Host / Producer
• Gabourey Sidibe as Self – Actress / Director
• Rebecca Gross as Self – Stylist & Mother
• Isis McKenzie Johnson as Self – Miss Black California USA 2005
• Stephen Mandela Sumner as Self – Barbie Former Project Designer, 2007-2012
• Stacey McBride-Irby as Self – Doll Designer & Diversity Consultant
• Byronique Goodes as Self – The Realest Doll You’ll Ever Meet
• Mason Williams as Self – Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Mattel
• Tasja Kirkwood as Self – VP Global Consumer Insights at Mattel
• Sandie Bailey as Self – Chief Innovation & Design Officer at Shondaland
• Amirah Saafir as SelfProfessor of Child & Adolescent Studies
• Yeshiva Davis as Self – Self-Relationship Expert, K&S Therapeutic Services, Inc.
• Brittany Jones as Self – Elementary School Principal
• Antonya Jackson as Self-Professor / Researcher
• Antwann Michael Simpkins as Self-C. Phil, UCLA Department of Sociology
• NaChelle Jackson as Self-Mom of Black Girl Magic
• Kayden Jackson as Self-Black Girl Magic
• Aydrea Walden as Self-Writer
• DooWop Byrd as Self-Black Barbie Enthusiast
• Diahann Carroll as SelfActress, Julia (archive footage)
• Kenneth Clark as Self-American Psychologist (archive footage)
• Mamie Clark as Self-American Psychologist (archive footage)
• En Vogue as Themselves (archive footage)
• Susan Fales-Hill as self-producer & Author (archive footage)
• Elliot Handler as Self-Co-Founder, Mattel (archive footage)
• Ruth Handler as Self – Co-Founder, Mattel (archive footage)
• Deborah Mitchell as Self-Mattel Product Manager (archive footage)
• Mellie Phillips as Self-Black Barbie Hair Designer (archive footage)
• Thomas Quinn as Self-Black Barbie Designer (archive footage)
• Louis Shelton Smith III as Self-Lou Smith’s Son (archive sound)
• Louis Smith as Self – Founder, Operation Bootstrap (archive footage)

Storyline:

Tracing the origin of the first Black Barbie doll to the filmmaker’s aunt, who asked why Barbie couldn’t look like her, this documentary explores her quest for representation and diversity.