A nine-year-old boy and his mom are on a mission to change the world – and they're doing it one doll at a time. Demetrius Maurice Davis, Jr., who is lovingly referred to as "Lil Dee," is the CEO of Our Brown Boy Joy, a plush doll line for young Black boys. Lil Dee runs the successful brand alongside his mom, Luciana Gilmore, with a mission of promoting representation and changing the narrative about Black youth in the United States. "It is important to me because I want the world to think good things about Brown boys," Lil Dee tells PEOPLE. "We aren't bad, or mean, or trouble; we are smart, fun, and creative." The Twinsburg-based duo launched the business in June 2020, right after Gilmore planned a weekend conference with a group of young girls she was mentoring. Around that same time, Gilmore, who is a former principal in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, says she was feeling disheartened following the murder of George Floyd. After speaking with her son, Gilmore got to work, developing a company focused on young Black boys to present to her son as a surprise on his eighth birthday. Our Brown Boy Joy was born soon after. The mother-son pair decided to design the doll so that it resembles Lil Dee.