Helen Williams, an iconic black American model that fought against segregation in the 1950s and 1960s has reportedly died at the age of 87. Williams was the highest-paid black model of her time, charting a path for millions of Black Americans to fight against censorship and racism. Videos by RareThe New York Times reports on her death…Swan-necked and with an arched-eyebrow hauteur, Helen Williams was the aspirational face of the Black middle class in the 1950s and 60s — the most photographed, and highest paid, Black model of her era. When she spent a month in Paris in 1960, working as a house model for Christian Dior and Jean Dessès, Ebony covered the trip of “America’s most successful Negro model” in breathless prose. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/fashion/helen-williams-dead.htmlIn a world where false racism is constantly conjured up for purposes of self-promotion and self-interest, Helen Williams combated legitimate racism and hatred.

Source: New York Times November 04, 2023 17:44 UTC