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When Barbara Summers informed her modeling agency that she intended to chronicle the history of Black models, she was met with skepticism, told the subject could fill only “a short book.” Undeterred, she proved otherwise. Through her remarkable scholarship, Summers shattered the myth that Black women’s presence in fashion was peripheral. She revealed instead that they had reshaped the modeling industry itself, linking artistry and activism in ways that echoed the broader civil rights struggle. Remembered as a pioneering and multidisciplinary artist, Summers left an indelible legacy as a model, writer, and educator whose work transformed how Black beauty and creativity are remembered.

Born on September 6, 1944, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Summers was the second of five children of Donald A. Summers, an educator, and Lucy Cooper Summers, a poet and civic leader. The family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, when Barbara was five. There, she grew up in a home literally built by her parents’ hands, a lasting metaphor for her own craftsmanship and determination. Inspired by her father’s commitment to education and her mother’s community activism, Summers developed an abiding belief in the power of collective uplift, a principle that would guide her career.

After graduating from Hartford’s Weaver High School in 1963, Summers earned a B.A. in French Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, later pursuing graduate studies at Yale University and the Sorbonne in Paris. Her years abroad deepened her passion for French culture and sparked a lifelong love of travel, leading her to live for extended periods in France, Puerto Rico, and Haiti.

Summers’ academic pursuits eventually converged with a new calling, modeling. While teaching journalism and French in New York City, she joined the Ford Modeling Agency, beginning a successful 15-year career under the guidance of legendary agent Eileen Ford. Fashion opened not just professional doors but also an insider’s perspective on beauty, power, and representation that would animate her later writing.

Her literary journey began in 1989 as editor of I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, a landmark volume celebrating the resilience and achievements of African American women. In 1992, she published Nouvelle Soul, a collection of short stories that marked the debut fiction release from Amistad Books. Over the next decade, Summers turned her pen toward the industry she knew intimately, culminating in her masterwork, Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models (1998). Drawing from nearly a decade of research and interviews with trailblazers like Iman, Dorothea Towles, and Beverly Johnson, the book illuminated both the beauty and the burden of breaking racial barriers in fashion.

Summers continued to expand upon this legacy through works such as Black and Beautiful: How Women of Color Changed the Fashion Industry (2001) and Open the Unusual Door: True-Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans (2005). Through these volumes, she mapped a vibrant mosaic of Black excellence across modeling, design, and cultural production.

In the later years of her life, Summers returned to teaching, sharing her love of language and storytelling with students at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. She remained devoted to mentoring others until her death in November 2014. Barbara Summers’ life exemplified brilliance across disciplines, uniting scholarship, style, and spirit to elevate the stories of Black women everywhere.

1966-Present Day: Struggle for Justice

Related Links:

African American Literature Book Club (Overview of Skin Deep)

African American Literature Book Club (Profile on Summers)

The New York Public Library Fashion Resource Guide