March 30, 1948 - August 1, 2009
It is with deep sadness that I write that Naomi Sims has died after a battle with breast cancer. Alex Erwiah, her brother-in-law, reported that Sims died Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
For those of us who are old enough to remember when we didn't see people in the fashion magazines, or any magazines for that matter, who looked like us, this really is cause for pause, prayer and reflection.
A teenager from Oxford, Mississippi, Ms. Sims broke the color barrier on the New York runways in 1967.
We can take comfort in knowing that she lived to see the first African American President and women of all shapes, sizes and colors being represented in print, on television and on the internet.
However, we can only imagine what she went through and saw in her lifetime to achieve the status she enjoyed.
May God Bless Her Soul and Love and Prayers to her family and friends throughout the world.
Peace and Blessings,
Mocha Dot
1 comment:
Not only was gorgeous Naomi Sims a legend in her own time on the runway. She was also quite a businesswoman with an extraordinary vision. She retired from modeling at a very early age and started her own beauty enhancement line, that not only included wigs, but an entire spectrum of beauty products for African American women before "mainstream cosmetic moguls" recognized the economic advantage in producing or marketing products to accentuate our natural beauty.
I do hope we will take a moment to reflect and pay homage to a little Black girl from Mississippi who went for and captured the hearts of the fashion world and paved the way for the global community of Black women to proudly announce "Black Is Beautiful".
Rest In Peace, Ms. Sims. You Done Good!
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