Media & Honors
Media
Tammy WilkersonHill-Fisher (Fisher), international doll diversity advocate and public speaker will close out the Black Doll Archival portion of the Inaugural Black Doll Symposium, hosted by the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University. Fisher, owner of Curiositeej, LLC, will talk about the history and future of Black doll archiving.
“I am honored to speak at this event,” Fisher said. “When I entered the doll arena, I sold dolls to help cover my child’s medical costs. I couldn’t have imagined, a decade later I would be speaking as an expert in a symposium with some of the most influential Black doll advocates and experts in the world.”
To learn more about Fisher and her goals of increasing diversity in doll and doll-adjacent spaces, visit her website: https://www.curiositeej.com.
The symposium will be a two-day, virtual, conference celebrating Black dolls through the eyes of doll artists, scholars, and collectors. It will be held March 15 and 16, 2024, and delivered live via Zoom.
For more details about the symposium and to reserve your free ticket, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-black-doll-symposium-march-15-16-2024-tickets-826486993847
Honors
History: Smarty Pants Academy, formally Young Enthusiastic Scholars, was founded in 2004 on the principles that parents should have quality, reliable and affordable childcare. Our goal is to prepare children for their future by giving them tools and experience to navigate life. I, Tamara James, am the owner and director of Smarty Pants Academy, and I am the only stakeholder of the company.
Mission: The mission of Smarty Pants Academy is to provide high-quality early care, education, and out-of-school programming to children ages 2 1/2 years through age 13.
Vision: Our vision is to work in partnership with families and our community to provide a developmentally-appropriate learning community which promotes and supports the growth of the “whole child”, to instill a love of learning, and to assist our families and community in making their dreams come true.
Our Philosophy: Our philosophy is that a truly, high-quality Center provides excellent early care, education, and a high-level of health and safety, as well as opportunities for parental education and involvement.
Warm, supportive, and respectful relationships between adults and children lie at the heart of an effective partnership between parent and school. We believe that early care and education (ECE) centers can and must be places where children, parents and caregivers, and teachers alike can feel a sense of belonging and safety. These are the key values of our program.
