Black History Monday: Beverly Johnson

With all the recent buzz about Jennifer Hudson gracing the cover of American Vogue next month, now is the perfect time to remember the first black woman ever to do so. Beverly Johnson appeared on the cover of the August 1974 issue.

Born in Buffalo, New York in 1952, Beverly first strived to be an Olympic swimmer. She missed qualifying for the 1968 Mexico games by a tenth of a second. With dreams of becoming a lawyer, she studied political science at Northeastern University and worked summers as a swimming instructor at the YWCA. When budget cuts eliminated her job at the Y a few of her friends suggested she try modeling.

She began her career doing freelance stints for Glamour. Eventually she decided she needed an agent. After hearing that Eileen Ford was the best, she went to see her. Ford was not very encouraging, telling Beverly she was too big to be model. After she'd made the rounds at other agencies, Eileen Ford called her back with a change of heart. The rest, as they say, is history.

By 1975 Beverly was having the time of her life and enjoying every minute of it. She was beautiful, she was making money, and she was full of self-confidence. "I'm the biggest model, period," she told a radio show host that year. "I've been in the business four years. There's not a model, black or white, who's done what I've done, what I've done in such a short time. It's so, and I think I should say it." These comments later ended up in a profile by Ted Morgan in The New York Times Magazine. The fashion industry was furious and shunned her. While it hurt her she didn't lose work over it. She was soon making $100 an hour for photo shoots.

Never afraid to try anything, she also became an actress and an author, and in 1978 she became a mother at a time when few models dared to get pregnant. After divorcing her husband she was linked to numerous handsome men, including Chris Noth. Now well into her 50s, she continues to be a stunning beauty, admired not only by the likes of Iman, Liya, and Alek, but by all of us who grew up in the 1970s learning that Black Is Beautiful.

Buzzing off for now...