FashionAFRICANA, best known for fabulous fashion events, presented their first FashionAFRICANA Speaker Series on Nov. 15, at The Frick Pittsburgh featuring a conversation with Bethann Hardison. The evening included introductory remarks from Karen Legato, co-founder of Emphatics, and Jim Rooney who spoke about “The Rooney Rule,” a National Football League policy that requires league teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs.
FashionAFRICANA founder, Demeatria Boccella interviewed Hardison. Many know Hardison as a fashion model, think the Battle of Versailles 1973, fashion agency owner and the mother of actor Kadeem Hardison. However, during the conversation the audience found out so much more about Hardison and her activism. She is the founder of the Diversity Coalition, an initiative to increase diversity in the fashion industry and expose racial prejudice. During the conversation many in the audience compared her initiative to the Rooney Rule. When she was asked questions about how to succeed in modeling she replied that most would have better success in other fields of work. Hardison currently represents Tyson Beckford.
The evening concluded with a reception and an opportunity to view UNDRESSED—A History of Fashion in Underwear, available through Jan. 7, 2018.
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