Above: Beverly Johnson,
Vogue
1980
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THE NATION'S LARGEST AFRICAN AMERICAN ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE
August 3, 2018 - Vol. 1, Issue 44
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The Rise of Black Consumer Culture in Fashion and Beauty
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Last week, it was announced that Beyoncé would be given control over the cover design for this September’s highly anticipated fashion issue of Vogue, naming up-and-comer Tyler Mitchell as the cover’s photographer. For the first time in Vogue’s 126 year history, Mitchell will be the first African American to shoot a Vogue cover. This marks a monumental shift in the relationship between the media and their subjects, and in the power dynamic between Black creators and the traditional gatekeepers.
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However, it should be noted that the struggle for representation and exposure in the fashion and beauty industry is deeply rooted in the twentieth century rise in power of Black consumer culture.
Historically, African Americans have been excluded from mainstream advertising, both as consumers and as models. The lack of representation has led many African Americans to create their own spaces and opportunities. In the early twentieth century, Madam C.J. Walker revolutionized the cosmetic industry, manufacturing and marketing products specifically for Black women. She became the first female millionaire, owning her own company and employing hundreds of workers.
3
Personal care entrepreneur
Lisa Price
spoke of the impact of Walker’s legacy, “
I feel the most kinship to Madam C.J. Walker just because of how she started. Because in a way she was still like a small home based business, even though she was very successful. So, I feel like I'm standing on her shoulders. That because she did what she did, I can do what I do
.”
4
[
L
isa Price, THMDA 1.6.3
]
.
In effect, Walker’s efforts created an opportunity for individuals like Price to market and develop their own products.
In a similar fashion, founder of Johnson Publishing Company and Fashion Fair Cosmetics,
John H. Johnson
developed a cosmetics line based on the demand and necessity for beauty products specifically for African Americans. His daughter, chief publishing executive
Linda Johnson Rice
, spoke of the origins of the venture, “
My mother observed the Ebony Fashion Fair models mixing and matching cosmetics and foundations to try to get the right blend for their skin tones. And she kept saying to my dad, ‘I don't know why we can't do that. Can't we come up with a cosmetic line that's for black women that goes across the color spectrum because we come in all shades?
’”
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[Linda Johnson Rice, THMDA 1.3.4].
Through his business acumen,
Johnson
was able to show mainstream cosmetics retailers and advertisers the power of Black consumers,
Johnson Rice
continued, “
He said, ‘Well you know I can advertise that this cosmetic is in Marshall Fields in my magazine and this is how many subscribers we have. And I can get those women into your store and I can get them to come to your store and buy the product. And while they're in your store they may just want to look around.’ So it was all about selling Marshall Fields on what we could do for them, not what they could do for us and that's how we got in the store.
”
6
[Linda Johnson Rice, THMDA 1.3.4]
. Fashion Fair’s early success positioned itself as a formidable competitor among Black cosmetics lines and helped define a new category within the industry. Their tremendous success started to attract general market interest, which by the late 1970s convinced beauty giants like Revlon, Avon and Mary Kay to turn towards the Black consumer.
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Even in the fashion industry, African Americans were breaking unprecedented barriers. Fashion consultant
Bethann Hardison
remembered the impact of Beverly Johnson becoming the first African American woman featured on the cover of Vogue in 1974, “
She was someone who not only was considered the most beautiful girl, that it was quotes from non-women of color saying that's what they want to look like. If they could only look like her because that's how beautiful she came across. She was a brown girl with all the right things in place.
”
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[Bethann Hardison, THMDA 1.6.6]
.
With adequate representation came exposure for African Americans in fashion and beauty. And it is through the rise in power of Black consumer culture that created the demand and opportunity for iconic individuals like Beverly Johnson to emerge.
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In Remembrance of
The Honorable Ronald Dellums
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Above:
The Honorable Ronald Dellums
poses for a portrait.
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We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of HistoryMaker
The Honorable Ronald Dellums
, who passed away on Monday, July 30th at the age of 82. A native of West Oakland, California, Dellums served in the U.S. Marine Corps and left to complete his bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University. Later he obtained his master’s degree in social work at the University of California, Berkeley. Following his studies, Dellums became involved with the city government of Berkeley and was elected to the City Council in 1967. Three years later, Dellums became the first African American in Northern California to represent the state in Congress. As a 28 year congressman, Dellums was vehemently against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He also led Anti-Apartheid reform and South African divestment movements, and resisted increased military spending under President Ronald Reagan. In 2007, Dellums was elected mayor of Oakland, and served until 2011. Dellums was a principled individual, and in his interview with The HistoryMakers he spoke about his legacy, “
What I would like to be known for is that I wasn't about partisanship, that I tried to maintain the integrity of my politics. I don't remember ever giving a partisan speech on the floor of Congress, I spoke for or against. I stood for this or against that, but I never gave a Democrat, Republican speech on the floor of Congress. I was against the MX missile, I was for justice, I was against B-2 bomber. I was for bringing disinvestment to South Africa. So if there's anything that I'd like to be known for was that I went out there and fought the fight on the merit and on the substance of the issue. And that I'd like to think that I maintained the integrity of who I was
.”
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In every part of Dellums’ personal and political career he stayed true to his convictions and affected change both nationally and abroad.
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The HistoryMakers in the Archives at:
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
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Last week, Head of Archives and Special Collections James R. Stewart, Jr. gave The HistoryMakers President Julieanna Richardson a tour of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s library and archives. Their extensive collection included papers and materials from notable A&T alumni including HistoryMaker Reverend Jesse L. Jackson as well as past chancellors and presidents. We look forward to continuing our discussion on potential partnerships and collaborations.
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THE HISTORYMAKERS' FAVORITE QUOTES:
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"Nothing beats a failure but a try."
-
The Honorable Ronald Dellums
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Please share with us your stories of how you incorporate The HistoryMakers Digital Archive into your curriculum and research. We'd love to hear from you!
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STAY TUNED FOR NEW CONTENT IN
THE HISTORYMAKERS DIGITAL ARCHIVE
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1.
BANNER PHOTO: Francesco Scavullo, Vogue, September 1980.
2.
Spencer Kornhaber, “Beyoncé’s Vogue Takeover Is a Show of Power,” The Atlantic, July 31, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/07/beyonce-vogue/566408/.
3.
Ethlie Ann Vare, Greg Ptacek, Women Inventors & Their Discoveries (Minneapolis: Profiles, 1993), 50-65, EbscoHost.
4.
Lisa Price (The HistoryMakers A2006.134), interviewed by Shawn Wilson, November 8, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 6, story 3, Lisa Price reflects upon Carol's Daughter's African American brand identity.
5.
Linda Johnson Rice (The HistoryMakers A2004.232), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, November 11, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Linda Johnson Rice recounts her work with Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
6. Linda Johnson Rice (The HistoryMakers A2004.232), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, November 11, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Linda Johnson Rice recounts her work with Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
7.
Elaine Welteroth, “The Business of Black Beauty,” Ebony, September, 2009, EbscoHost.
8.
Bethann Hardison (The HistoryMakers A2013.190), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 15, 2013, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 6, story 6, Bethann Hardison remembers Beverly Johnson.
9.
Photo of The Honorable Ronald Dellums: Eric Risenberg, Associated Press, 2009.
10.The Honorable Ronald Dellums (The HistoryMakers A2003.042), interviewed by Larry Crowe, June 17, 2013, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 3, tape 15, story 8, The Honorable Ronald Dellums reflects upon his legislative legacy.
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Spot an error in
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
? We want to fix it! Send a brief description of the error to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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We're here to help! Please direct questions about
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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