Smith, B. (Barbara Elaine)
1949-2020 · Contribution: 1976-2014
Restaurateur & Lifestyle Entrepreneur
Pioneering Black supermodel turned restaurateur and lifestyle entrepreneur; her Style Collection became the first home goods line by a Black woman sold in a nationwide retail chain; publicly disclosed her early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis to help destigmatize the disease within Black communities
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1949
- Active since
- 1976
- Category
- Agriculture & Food
- Best known for
- Pioneering supermodel-restaurateurFirst Black woman's nationwide home lineAlzheimer's awareness
Impact on the world
Smith built a lifestyle empire that put a Black woman's taste and hospitality into homes across America. In her final years she turned her own diagnosis into a public act of awareness.
An alternative history
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Sources
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