I guess that's probably true for the majority. Personally, I just used dolls as "resources"; any doll I got wasn't the person the company wanted her to be, she was the person I wanted her to be as soon as I got through with her. XD I would have been better off just buying outfits and making my own dolls.
I dunno...maybe I was just a perceptive kid, but I always knew I wasn't Barbara Millicent Roberts. when I played with my dolls' hair, I was acutely aware that my hair would never behave that way. In fact, the only time they became similar was when the plastic got frayed and it would clump up: in essence, the dolls only had "black" hair when they were old and ruined. Didn't scar me for life or anything, but don't think I didn't notice. ;]
Anyway, it's not just about race. Dolls with freckles, dolls who are short, dolls who are tall, dolls who don't have boobs, dolls who have bigger boobs, dolls who wear glasses, dolls who have short hair, dolls who have no hair...no matter who you are, nowadays there's a doll out there for you. And if that helps even one little kid feel validated, I think it's worth it.