28 Days Of Black History: Who Was The First Black Model To Appear On National Advertisements?

Sara Lou Harris was the first black model to appear in national advertisements. She was featured in a national poster campaign for Lucky Strike cigarettes during the 1940s.

Sara Lou Harris

Breaking barriers, Harris helped change the way black models were viewed in the fashion industry. She was the first black model in the New York buyers fashion show.

“We launched black girls into the modeling field and I was the first to become a national poster girl for cigarette advertising”

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