Our Story

It was always important to my mother that her children be surrounded by positive representation of Blackness. From dolls to Christmas ornaments to art. I thought she was nuts...then I became a mother and I realized what she had done for me and why representation was so important. Black greatness was normalized for me so growing up instead of me wondering if I was capable of achieving something, the question was more, why wouldn't I be capable. Through normalizing greatness, my mother instilled a confidence in me that the world couldn't break. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how special my experience was. It is now my mission to do that for other children. 

• Brown Toy Box launched in 2016 as a subscription box curating culturally affirming products for Black children. In 2018 we realized we need to be more focused, we weren't addressing a bigger issue. While it is still very important that our boxes are culturally affirming and builds confidence, we needed the boxes to be more purposeful.  We took a hard look at the tech industry, science, and all other areas of STEAM and recognized there was a major gap in what the diversity of America looks like compared to the diversity in these industries. We asked ourselves how can we instill  confidence, curiosity, and capabilities to engage in learning about STEAM. We are determined to make STEAM accessible, representative and fun. 

We relaunched the box to meet three goals:

• To ensure Black children saw people that look like them positively represented in the STEAM driving the US economy and that will be the high paying jobs of the future.
• To use fun and play to expose them early and often to activities and experiments that instills confidence in the abilities and a curiosity to learn and do more.
• Encourage parental participation. Not enough can be said about the important role parental involvement plays in the success of young students. We want the box experience to be one that takes the intimidation of of STEAM making it more accessible. Ultimately activating parents as advocates of STEAM immersion for their children throughout their academic careers.

We have always known that some of the best and brightest young scholars who would benefit from our boxes the most, would come from families that could afford them the least, which is why in addition to our existing monthly direct to consumer subscription box, we continue to pilot programs and partnerships in Title 1 schools.

We know the need is national, actually global, but Atlanta is our backyard and we wanted to partner to support a nonprofit right here at home in celebration of back to school. 

How Does It Work

Give a Box or Get a Box. As a backer you can decide if you contribute your box to HEY! or you can opt to keep your boxes and give them to children in your village. 

What We Need & What You GetSave Campaign

We plan to deliver a minimum of 100 Brown Toy Box enrichment Boxes to HEY! this fall. In order to make this happen we need people who share our vision and support our mission to support this effort.

• Each box cost $50.00
• In every box a child receives a book on a Black STEAM trailblazer, an experiment or activity and a toy of other fun item, all supporting the same theme.
• Every Box will go to a child supported through HEY!
• In the event we don't reach our full goal, we will deliver as many boxes as the funding we raise allows.

Every Box represents more than toys and games, it represents an opportunity for us to equip each child to confidently dream, plan, and work towards becoming a future innovator, artist, and leader. 

Why HEY!?

HEY! is one of the premier youth leadership development organizations in the Metro Atlanta area and is working hard to ensure that young people are equipped in leading themselves. HEY! challenges youth to stake claim, prepare, and take action ensuring a positive, successful, and impactful future. 

Other Ways You Can Help

So you can't contribute financially, we understand but here are some other ways you can be a gamechanger:

• Help spread the word about the missions of Brown Toy Box and HEY! 
• Share our campaign link with your network.
• Follow us on Instagram @browntoybox Facebook @browntoybox Twitter @browntoybox