Makena Williams

"Makena" redirects here. For the doll, see Makena Williams (doll). For the 2012 Girl of the Year character, see McKenna Brooks.

Makena Williams is one of the three members of the World by Us line. She was released in 2021.

Personality and Facts

Makena (her first name is Swahili, means "happy one", and is pronounced "ma-KAY-nah") is a thirteen-year-old girl living in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington DC with her parents, Chandra and Tony, and her younger (and taller) sister Amari. Her family has lived in the Anacostia area for four generations, and she traces part of her family origins back to Kenya; her middle name, Lilias, is after her paternal grandmother who died when Tony was young. She attends Aspire Academy Middle School (and is in the seventh grade), and her favorite colors are purple and glitter. She was born two weeks early (meaning she was due around Sept 8th). She used to be very shy, but after the pandemic lockdowns and missing people she has decided not to waste any more time being so. She adores butterflies and thinks of them as a sign of transformation; they remind her that though change can be difficult, it can lead to something beautiful.

Makena highly enjoys fashion (she calls it her passion) and fashion design, and uses her interest in clothing as a way to connect to other people. She especially loves African and African-inspired clothing; when she was four, her Aunt Belinda brought her back a kente cloth dress for Makena, which she loved so much she wore it to preschool every day and dreamed of someday visiting Ghana herself. During the pandemic lockdowns and virtual school, Makena decided--rather than wearing sweats every day--to pick out a unique outfit and gave herself time to style it based on how she was feeling, then post the pictures on her Instagram account. When her friends told her they looked forward to this (and that the pictures made them feel normal in an abnormal time), and also others started posting their outfits, she was encouraged. She posted pics all summer and has continued to do so even with school restarting. She runs a blog, MakenaShine, online, about fashion; her Instagram handles is the same in lowercase. She is also interested in art, cooking and bike-riding; drawing calms her and helps her focus. Her favorite class is art and later becomes social studies.

Makena first becomes aware of Evette when she sends Makena a picture of her platform shoes, and later meets her properly at Riverfront Community Center where she is also introduced to Maritza. Together they start the World by Us website, based on the idea that they can make the world a better place even at their ages.

Family and Friends

See also: Minor Characters in Makena's Story

Family

• Tony Williams: Makena's father.
• Chandra Williams: Makena's mother.
• Amari Williams: Makena's sister.
• Belinda Cook: Makena's aunt, also known as Auntie Bling.
• Alex Cook: Makena's uncle.
• Gran Cook: Makena's maternal grandmother.
• Rudy Cook: Makena's maternal grandfather.

Friends and Other Characters

• Adeline Joseph: Makena's new friend at school.
• Najee Warren, Jr.: Makena's long-time friend.
• Evette Peeters and Maritza Ochoa: Makena's friends from the Community Center.

Books

• Makena: See Me, Hear Me, Know Me

Doll

Main article: Makena Williams (doll)

File:MakenaDollFace.png

• Face Mold: Makena Mold
• Skin: Dark
• Hair: Dark Brown
• Eyes: Brown

Collection

See: Makena's Collection