As the country faced a reckoning with racial injustice after the murder of George Floyd, Luciana Gilmore began having conversations with her 9-year-old son, Demetrius Davis Jr. about what they were seeing in the news.
"He had a front-seat view into what was going on in the world, which he had been shielded from a lot," Gilmore told "Good Morning America."
"He was sad. And for me as a mother, it's sad for me to even have to have discussions with him about race and colorism and those types of things, but I needed to connect for him," she said.
Gilmore, who is a former educator, also runs a mentorship program for girls, but she says Demetrius pushed her to create something for boys after their conversations.
"He was just like, 'Mom, what can we do? Why is this happening?' And it started from there," she said.
Together, they launched their business Our Brown Boy Joy in June 2020 to combat racial tensions and create positive images for Black boys.
"It's important to me, because I want the world to think good things about brown boys, we aren't bad or mean or trouble. We're smart and fun and creative," Demetrius said. "I just want brown boys to know that you're special."
The business started off with bimonthly, online subscription boxes containing 5 to 7 items including apparel and books written by Black authors. The boxes are packed with items including coloring books, comic books and building blocks to encourage boys' creativity.
Gilmore said she and her son then designed a line of dolls after she noticed the lack of representation of Black boys in toys as she shopped in stores.
"I was like, there's nothing on the shelves that looks like my son. There is nothing that he can play with that resembles him," Gilmore said.
In February 2021, they began to sell "My Friend" – plush boy dolls with brown skin and curly hair that also wear white hoodies and Timberland boots. Gilmore said the dolls were made in Demetrius' likeness, but also honor Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012. When squeezed, the doll recites positive affirmations such as, "you are powerful" and "you are strong."
Gilmore said they have sold nearly 10,000 dolls across the country through their website and said they have received positive feedback from parents, including some white parents who have bought the dolls for their children.
"What has been surprising is the response that we see from grown males who have purchased the dolls, saying 'I wish I would have had this as a kid.' That has been exciting," Gilmore said.
Demetrius, who is the CEO of Our Brown Boy Joy, says he has big plans for the company and its offered dolls including a possible television cartoon show.
"What I've learned is that whatever you believe, you can achieve. You have to do hard work to get what you want," he said.
Gilmore said she hopes Our Brown Boy Joy has an impact on young boys, instilling joy and confidence, and underscores the importance of representation.
"The impact is going to be for our boys to really have from a very young age, that social and emotional understanding that they are great, that they are able to achieve any and everything that they want," she said.
"We want to ensure that we are creating positive spaces and sending messages. And so that impact is exponential from our lenses."
