Beverly Johnson

About

Beverly Ann Johnson (born October 13, 1952) is an American model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Johnson rose to fame when she became the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in August 1974, after Donyale Luna was the first Black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue in 1966. In 2012, Johnson was the star of the reality series Beverly’s Full House that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In 2008, The New York Times named Johnson one of the 20th century’s most influential people in fashion.

Born the first of two children to Gloria Johnson, a surgical technician, Johnson was raised in a middle-class family in Buffalo, New York. During her youth, Johnson was a champion swimmer and aspired to be a lawyer. She was close to qualifying for the 1968 Olympics in the 100-yard freestyle event.
Johnson attended Bennett High School, graduating in 1969. After high school, Johnson studied criminal justice at Northeastern University on a full academic scholarship.

While in college, Johnson tried modeling while on summer break in 1971. She quickly landed an assignment with Glamour and began working steadily…