Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson (born October 13, 1952) is an American supermodel, actress, and businesswoman. She made history when she rose to fame as the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. The groundbreaking achievement paved the way for black women in fashion, and future supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks. Johnson was honored in 2006 at Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball along with Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Tina Turner and other female African Americans in entertainment, civil rights, and the arts. The New York Times named Johnson one of the 20th Century’s most influential people in fashion.
Naomi Sims, Katoucha, Iman, Beverly Johnson, Peggy Dillard, Sheyla Johnson, Wanakee Pugh,,, many Black women who have succeeded in this industry, and if we go to more recent years, are Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks …and several more, and which would take me an entire afternoon to remember and write their names
All but 4 women you named are here.
yes, i know!!! =)
Thanks for doing your homework! I get asked often why I don’t have an album for someone who is on SMI!
It is such a shame though that in the early generations of top black models, you can only name them on one hand but as the decades progressed it became two. It was at the close of the twentieth century that black models could number beyond ten when counting them among the representatives of a generation. In the 50′s there was Dorothea Church. In the mid 60′s it was Donyale Luna, Naomi Sims, Bethanne Hardison, Pat Cleveland, and Marsha A. Hunt. In the early 70′s to the early 80′s there was Beverly Johnson, Iman (*who reflected sadly in an article by Veronica Webb that at least five white models represented HER generation while she and Beverly Johnson were the only black models counted), Carole Labrie, Tamara Dobson, Mounia, Peggy Dillard, Grace Jones, Toukie Smith, Alva Chin, Sheila Johnson, and Katoucha Niane. In the mid 80′s to the early 90′s it was Gail O’ Neil, Louise Vyent, Veronica Webb, Shari Bellafonte, Waris Dirie, Kersti Bowser, Karen Alexander, Lana Olgivie, Aya Thorgren, Kara Young, Beverly Peele, Claudia Mason (*who seemed to have denied her bi-racial heritage in favor of a caucasian aesthetic at the insistence of her agencies), Roshumba Williams, Stephanie Roberts, and Naomi Campbell. From the mid 90′s to the early 2000′s there was Lorraine Pascale, Tyra Banks, Kiara Kabukuru, Alek Wek, Lisa Butler, Adia, Lois Samuels, Tomiko Frazier (*who has the distinction of being the only known black model to have a cosmetics contract that spaned beyond 10 years as black models are notorious for having short-lived contracts), Georgianna Robertson, Chrystele Saint-Louis Augustine, Shakara Ledard, Quiana Grant, Oluchi Onweagba, and Brandi Quinnones. In the 2000′s to the Teens the top black models are/were Liya Kebede, Yasmine Warsame, Omahyra Mota, Noémie Lenoir, Selita Ebanks, Chanel Iman, Ajuma Nasenyana, Jourdan Dunn, Jessica White, Ubah Hassan, Rosa Cordero, Sessilee Lopez, and Arlenis Sosa Pena.
The sad thing is that those models are the only ones with a name attached to them but unfortunately there are many others who have slipped under the radar. It is only when someone specifically remembers those models that their careers are given some kind of meaning. I’m sure there were/are still alot of black models who are working but until attitudes change, they will slip away into obscurity being remembered by those who kept a closer eye on their work. The ignorance applies to me as well, there have been black models past and present that I should be aware of, since I am an admirer of fashion models. This just demonstrates how black, latina, asian, and everyone else in between need to have equal presentation in the fashion industry. So sad and yet so beautiful…..
Wonderful comment. I also posted it in the blog so more people would be able to see it. Thank you.