59:“It was revolutionary. During that time – the 1950s and 60s – it was unacceptable to wear your hair in any natural hairstyle. The point that was being made was that you can be your natural self and be proud of who you are, and not accept another person’s standard of beauty as your own.” - Kwame Jr., Kwame Brathwaite's son and Director of Archives for the Kwame Brathwaite Archive
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In
January 1962, the African Jazz-Art Society & Studio and Grandassa Models gave a fashion show was in the basement of Harlem night club, Purple Manor, on East 125th street. The show was called "Naturally 62" and one of the first to feature amateur models. In the early sixties, African Americans
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Further, AJASS was “invested in a body positive movement that celebrated the thick, curvaceous bodies of Black women at a time when ultra-thin models Twiggy and Jane
Shrimpton were the body type du jour in the high fashion industry,” says Dr. Tanisha Ford, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and
55:, Priscilla Bardonille, Mari Toussaint, Esther Davenport, Wanda Sims, and Beatrice Cramston, and Jean Gumbs. Members wore their hair naturally, which was considered taboo in the 1950s, and represented a range of body sizes and skin colors.
87:, Robert Gumbs, Afrank Adu, Chris Acemandese Hall, David K. Ward, Ernest Baxter, and Jimmy Abu Williams producing jazz concerts, art exhibitions, and cultural events. The concerts featured many artists that later become renowned, such as
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The
Naturally shows were created to develop racial pride, African culture, poetry, art, and standards of beauty. AJASS shows traveled to colleges and universities in the United States of America and produced with
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Show and WBLS/WLIB Radio, is quoted as saying "they were forerunners of the natural hair movement... We tried to make black people feel proud of who they were, no matter what complexion or hair type."
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On
September 22, 2018 in Harlem, the Elombe Brath Foundation and the Harlem Arts Alliance presented a tribute to the Grandassa Models, as the pioneers of the "Black is Beautiful" movement.
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In 1963 AJASS created The Black
Standard Publishing Company. They published two booklets; "Naturally '63 Portfolio, and later in 1963 "Color Us Cullud", the AJASS theater company.
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The
African Jazz-Art Society & Studio (AJASS) was formed in 1956 by a group of young African American artists, designers, musicians, hairdressers, writers, and
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History at the
University of Delaware. “These women were saying no, we want to embrace our curves. We want to embrace our full noses, our full of lips.”
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enthusiasts. It was initially called the Jazz-Art
Society and was later remained the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios. Organizers included
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281:"WE STARTED THE TREND: The Grandassa Models Were Making Sure We Knew 'Black Is Beautiful' Long Before Rihanna Brought Them To The Mainstream"
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AJASS continued to hold "Naturally" beautiful shows regularly thru and 1980s, and then ten year anniversaries until 2002.
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movement from 1962 to 1979. The
Grandassa Models were a part of the "Miss Natural Standard of Beauty Contests" based in
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Models designed and made their own clothes and worked exclusively with Black beauty businesses.
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females who represented their standards of "Black is
Beautiful" and were part of the
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437:"Kwame Brathwaite's "Black Is Beautiful" Photos Captured the Look of a Movement"
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462:"How One Photographer Captured the Soul of the "Black Is Beautiful" Movement"
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408:"The Grandassa Models, Naturally | PDN Photo of the Day"
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whereas the models' hair was natural and they had dark skin.
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The original Grandassa Models were Clara Lewis, Black Rose,
218:"ArchiveGrid : Grandassa Models collection, 1963–1968"
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were a part of a Black is Beautiful movement started by
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which centered on natural Black beauty. They attracted
246:. Johnson Publishing Company. December 1993. p.
511:"Kwame Brathwaite, Black is Beautiful Exhibition"
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156:wore their hair pressed to straighten by a
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592:African Americans in New York City
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602:African-American cultural history
335:"Harlem Models Stress Unity Idea"
187:Ann Tripp, News Director for the
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487:"kwamebrathwaite | About"
359:"User Data and Cookie Consent"
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612:African-American hair
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491:kwamebrathwaite.com
174:Black Arts Movement
105:Cannonball Adderley
559:"Patch.com – GDPR"
535:"Patch.com – GDPR"
412:potd.pdnonline.com
339:The New York Times
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33:Black is Beautiful
468:. 3 February 2018
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129:Leon Thomas
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617:Kinky hair
586:Categories
568:2018-10-04
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520:2018-10-04
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447:2018-10-04
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204:References
178:Ed Bullins
117:Art Taylor
97:Gigi Gryce
563:patch.com
539:patch.com
466:yahoo.com
256:0012-9011
170:Max Roach
158:hot comb
47:History
607:Harlem
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441:Vogue
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