Nonprofit Founder and CEO
Who is Zoe Terry?
At 5-years old, Terry remembers the experiences that shaped her. She was bullied, not only because of the color of her skin but also because her hair was “puffy.” It was her mother who helped turn that negative experience into a positive outcome. “When she was bullied, she said, ‘I’m not going to let this get me down. I’m going to do something positive about it,’” her mom said. “She doesn’t let her situation determine her outcome, she determines her outcome.”
It was this ideology that gave birth to “Zoe’s Dolls.” It had one big goal in mind — give colored girls dolls that looked like them. It was focused on girl empowerment and anti-bullying, putting together programming and communities, along with their dolls. “I really wanted to find a way where I can let little brown girls know that their image is beautiful no matter what anyone else says and I thought, ‘Dolls in their image would be a great way to show them that,’ ” Zoe said in an interview with ABC News.
“Not only does she spread a message of diversity and inclusion,” Karen Davis, a teacher at Zoe’s school said. “She really does feel that we are all beautiful.” Zoe, now fifteen-years-old, has distributed over 50,000. She dreams of starting her own line of ‘Simply Zoe’ dolls herself. Her company now has a chapter in Atlanta, Batesville, and Dallas! Her dolls have not only seen the United States but have been spread throughout Haiti, Zambia, Cuba, The Netherlands, Jamaica, Trinidad, India and London. Zoe has also expanded her company to include six empowering programs.
Zoe is the type of girl that rejoices in the act of servitude and in the spirit of giving back. These are lessons that were instilled in her at a young age. She learned the importance of her role and obligation to take on community responsibility and the notion that if one is in need… then we are all in need.
3 Things We Love About Zoe Terry:
- In 2017, Zoe was honored at the Nickelodeon Halo Awards for her organization that takes action against bullying!
- Zoe inspires other girls to love the skin that they are in!
- Her work and company sparks an important conversation in her community and around the country. Zoe spreads a message of diversity and inclusion!
Work Cited