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I love looking at houses. One of my favorite activities is riding through neighborhoods looking at the colors, the exterior design and the flow of houses. I love design and floor plans. I remember when one of my coworkers was having her house built and she came to work with a book full of floor plans. I fell in love 😍. I started buying floor plan books like crazy and circling the features I liked in the houses, the features I wanted included in my home one day. My wants and needs have changed over the years. I now have the floor plan of my dream home drawn out on paper. A very crude drawing pictured above, but I mean well 😆. I am also designing my tiny house floor plan. I have watched countless videos on YouTube and the series Tiny House Nation on Netflix.

I probably would have gone into architecture if I liked mathematics. It happens to be my least favorite subject. I’ll stick to my crude designs and have someone more capable make it a reality. There is a small percentage of black women, who either liked mathematics or didn’t let it stand in their way, that decided to take their love for architecture and design seriously. I would like to bring light to a fraction of these women in this post.

Beverly Loraine Greene is the first black woman architect to be licensed in the United States. She was licensed back in 1942. Of course, back then Beverly was not welcomed into the industry. She struggled to find work in architecture. She persevered and was hired to assist with the creation of housing projects, hospitals, theaters and universities. Beverly collaborated on UNESCO United Nations Headquarters in Paris, France. Her funeral was held at Unity Funeral Home, a building she helped to design. How amazing is that! You can read more of Beverly Loraine Greene’s amazing story here,

Another groundbreaking black female architect is Norma Merrick Sklarek. Norma was the first black woman to be licensed in two states, California and New York. She was the first black woman to become a member of the American Institute of Architects. Also, Norma was the first black woman to co-own a woman lead architectural firm. Damn, Norma was the shit! Unfortunately, Norma left the firm due the women’s inability to secure big projects. I guess people didn’t realize Norma was the shit. Norma went on to join Jerde Partnership and helped to design the Mall of America. Norma had many more accomplishments in her career, which you can read about here,

I was inspired to write this post from an article I came across on my Google feed of 10 black woman architects and designers. Featured in the article was a young black woman by the name of Tiara Hughes. Tiara, unable to find black women mentors in the architectural field, decided to create a company that filled her need. The First500 is a global platform that connects and highlights black women architects and their contributions through the years.

Then, there is Neffi Walker, owner of The Black Home store. She mentors high school students, allowing them to follow her on projects to learn what the business involves. The article features 8 other black woman making a name for themselves in architecture and design. You can read about them all and their advice for women of color looking to join them as architects and designers here,

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/black-women-architects-and-designers

I must say, I’m feeling a little inspired after reading these articles. I may try to make my crude drawing look a little better. Nothing on the scale of an architect, but more visually appealing and detailed. I hope you enjoyed this post because I enjoyed sharing this information with you. If you know of anyone who will benefit from this post or any others, please share it with them. Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

To kick off Women’s History Month, I would like to highlight one of my namesakes, Ebony Fashion Fair along with Fashion Fair cosmetics created and previously owned by John H. Johnson and Eunice W. Johnson. The Johnsons were a husband and wife team who owned Johnson Publishing and started Ebony and Jet magazines for people of color. I remembering seeing the pictures for Ebony Fashion Fair in Jet Magazine growing up. And the pink containers of Fashion Fair make-up in my mom’s bathroom. Most of the information I will be sharing in this post comes from The Beauty of Blackness documentary streaming now on HBO Max as well as the articles, whose links I have included in this post. The documentary covers the past history of Fashion Fair cosmetics, its acquisition, and its relaunch.

Ebony Fashion Fair was a fashion show started in 1958 by Mrs. Johnson. The fashion show was the first to feature black models wearing clothes from designers such as Givechy, Ungaro, and Coco Chanel. Ebony Fashion Fair traveled around the country via charter bus for 3 month stretches at a time. The fashion show would visit cities and states where black people continued to face overt racism and discrimination. Yet, the models and organizers persevered and brought black elegance, grace, and fashion throughout the country. For more information on Ebony Fashion Fair, you can visit this website.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/reliving-ebony-fashion-fair-runway-one-couture-dress-time-180962987/

Mrs. Johnson observed the models having to mix and match make-up to create a shade of foundation that suited their complexions. This discovery inspired the creation of Fashion Fair cosmetics in 1973, a line of make-up that catered to women of color. The cosmetic line was carried in Bloomingdale’s thanks to Audrey Smaltz, the first commentator for Ebony Fashion Fair shows, who had a connection from previously being employed at the department store. From that point, Fashion Fair cosmetics expanded to other leading department stores.

Unfortunately, Johnson Publishing, which housed Ebony Fashion Fair and Fashion Fair cosmetics, filed bankruptcy in 2019 shutting down Fashion Fair cosmetics. Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack swooped in, purchased and revived the cosmetic line. The co-founders partnered with Sephora and relaunched Fashion Fair cosmetics in September 2021. The packaging has a new look and the products have been reformulated and are now vegan. You can find the sleek white and gold make-up tubes and palettes at Sephora, Sephora.com, and FashionFair.com. Tap this link to read what inspired Rogers and Mayberry McKissack to aquire Fashion Fair cosmetics.

https://www.instyle.com/beauty/makeup/fashion-fair-relaunch-interview

I just happened upon the documentary, The Beauty of Blackness, today and I throughly enjoyed it. Seeing the behind the scenes development of the relaunch and the history of such an iconic brand was inspiring. I am and will probably always be a plain Jane who doesn’t bother much with make-up. Yet, I still wish much success for Fashion Fair cosmetics. If this blog post, or any other previous posts, has resonates with you, please share it with someone else. Someone who you feel may benefit or enjoy this content. It would be greatly appreciated. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚