From The Grio — A pig-tailed girl whose favorite accessory is a pink stethoscope has become a symbol of pride and hope for black women in medicine and the daughters they want to inspire.
Doc McStuffins, the African-American title character of an animated TV series for children, dreams of becoming an M.D. and, for now, runs a cheerful home clinic for stuffed animals and dolls.
“I haven’t lost a toy yet!” Doc exclaims as she hugs a blue dinosaur in need of attention.
For Dr. Myiesha Taylor, who watches Disney Channel’s “Doc McStuffins” with her 4-year-old, Hana, the show sends a much-needed message to minority girls about how big their ambitions can be.
“It’s so nice to see this child of color in a starring role, not just in the supporting cast. It’s all about her,” Taylor said. “And she’s an aspiring intellectual professional, not a singer or dancer or athlete.”
So Taylor sent a message back, creating an online collage featuring an image of the buoyant Doc encircled by photos of 131 black women who are Doc’s real life-counterparts, most garbed in their scrubs or doctor’s coats.
“We are trailblazers,” Taylor proclaimed on her website. “We are women of color. We are physicians. We ARE role-models. We are Doc McStuffins all grown up!”
For black women whose own wish to practice medicine came true, the show is welcome affirmation. The doctors shown in the collage are graduates of schools including Harvard, Yale and Stanford and work in a range of specialties such as neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and psychiatry. Taylor is a board-certified emergency room physician.
I like to see positive roles on cartoons. My son is 6. I used to keep the channel on Sprout and NickJr when he was younger. Now he likes to watch Cartoon Network, but I find myself having to change the channel. Cartoons these days are not appropriate for children. The language is awful i.e. idiot, stupid, shut-up.