Before rough diamonds can become the sparklers seen on jewelry around the world, they make a stop at a sorting company like The Diamond Trading Company of Botswana (DTC), a joint venture between the government of Botswana and Debeers. With over 12,000 different classifications used, it takes both machine and human to sort through each […]
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Austria
We are introduced to Austria and her family in the Dominican Republic. Cato, Madeline and Austria are introduced to New York Fashion Week and tons of castings. New York Fshion Week is here. Shows, press, runways, photo shoots, parties. All in a day’s work. They’ve walked New York and London. Now Madeline, Cato and Austria […]
Read MoreMiss Universe 1977 Crowning
Janelle Commissiong: The First Black Miss Universe Janelle Commissiong (born 1953) was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Commissiong migrated to the United States at the age of 13, and returned to Trinidad and Tobago ten years later. After winning the Miss Trinidad and Tobago title, she went on to be crowned Miss Universe 1977 in […]
Read Morealek wek
Alek Wek is a Sudanese-British model who first appeared on the catwalks at the age of 18 in 1995, sparking a career lasting to date. She is from the Dinka ethnic group in Southern Sudan, but in 1991 she and some family members fled to Britain to escape the civil war in Sudan. She […]
Read MoreKeisha Sharp
Nationality: American Place of birth: Brooklyn, N.Y. Keesha Sharp is best known for her role as ‘Monica Charles Brooks’ on the hit CW series “Girlfriends.” Her role garnered her a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Attended The Boston Conservatory. She has a passion for healthy organic living […]
Read MoreRoshumba Williams
Nationality: American 6-foot-tall Roshumba Williams, a Chicago native, was discovered as a teenager in Paris by Yves Saint Laurent and taken under his wing. The late designer was very supportive of black models like Roshumba and Iman. During the 80s when many black models had long hair, Roshumba stood out with her signature short-cropped […]
Read MoreMiss Universe Tanzania: flaviana matata
Amazing beauty from Tanzania Flaviana was the first bald woman to compete in a beauty pageant, defying the notion of beauty. Her star started shining when she rose to international fame in 2007 after she won the Miss Universe Tanzania title and became the first woman to represent her country in Miss Universe. Her […]
Read MoreFrom Soviet Red, two black Ukrainians were born
Born to Angolan fathers and Ukrainian mothers on the tail end of the USSR’s collapse, these two young ladies epitomize the inadvertent consequences of Soviet Cold War foreign policy. Continue: http://www.kyivpost.com/blog/terrell-j-starr/from-soviet-red-two-black-ukrainians-were-born-305677.html
Read MoreWho is Latino?
Dash asks people on the street to identify Latinos based on physical appearance. Do stereotypes guide people’s perception of a certain “look” of Latino ethnicity? http://youtu.be/-ztOVRSKxqw
Read MoreThe International Hair Business
http://youtu.be/2653J_aaE_I A jaw-dropping documentary (Part 1 of 3) by Aron Ranen, detailing how Koreans now dominate the black hair care market and have been covertly and strategically displacing black owned companies out of the market for decades even though black peoples are 90% of the consumer base. A truly puzzling, thought provoking as well as troubling piece. […]
Read MorePop singer Jamelia goes in search of the truth
http://youtu.be/A9rXFskeFRM
Pop singer Jamelia goes in search of the truth behind the multi-million pound human hair extensions industry. Jamelia grew up experimenting with hair extensions and nowadays they have become an essential part of her stage persona. From celebs to schoolgirls, women will spend anything from £20 to £2,000 to clip, glue or sew another girl’s hair on to their heads. This film accompanies Jamelia as she follows a trail of hair back to its roots. The international road trip takes her from the exclusive London salons to a dingy Moscow apartment where men trade human ponytails for cash, and to the hair sacrificing temples of Southern India. The journey brings her face to face with some of her worst fears when she witnesses hair being shaved from toddlers’ heads and a 13 year old who’s flogging her hair in exchange for pocket money. But she’s also humbled by her experience when she connects with women who still choose to sacrifice it for financial or religious purposes.
Read Moremulti-billion dollar industry
http://youtu.be/TGigLa23vuA
How does a deeply spiritual offering from Indias poor become a must-have accessory in the salons of Europe? As fashion and faith collide, religious sacrifice is fuelling a multi-billion dollar industry.
Every year millions of Hindus shave their heads in offering to the gods. Its called tonsuring, and its big business. On average we are getting in excess of five tonnes, says hair dealer Mayoor Balsara as he finalises his latest purchase from the temples. Its a classic globalisation story: the sacrificial hair is cheaply sourced in the developing world, and is lining the pockets of those in the west. David Gold is one of them. Each year his company turns over $150 million selling hair extensions sourced from Indias temples. He deflects questions of ethics, arguing that the temples pour profits back into local welfare projects. Its a dubious claim, and yet many Hindus seem happy for their hair to be spun into gold: We gave it to God, and its come back like this. Its beautiful.
80’s Supermodel Waris Dirie
80’s supermodel Waris Dirie was born into a nomadic tribe in Somalia. Ms. Dirie ran away at age thirteen to avoid marriage a much older man. After working odd jobs in London, she was discovered by photographer Terence Donovan, who shot her for her the cover of the 1987 Pirelli calendar. From […]
Read MoreStacey Dash
Nationality: American Place of birth: Bronx, New York, US Ethnicity: Mexican and Afro-Bajan descent. Stacey Dash was born in the Bronx, New York. Stacy knew that she wanted to act, and from an early age began to act professionally. She made regular appearances on “The Cosby Show” (1984), “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990), and also “St. Elsewhere”(1982). At 22 she […]
Read MoreModel & Beauty Queen: Leila Arcieri
Nationality: American Ethnicity:Her father is Italian and mother is African American. She was crowned Miss San Francisco in 1997. Her mother worked for Lucasfilm. Her father is Italian and her mother is black. Parents divorced when she was 2; she was raised by her mother. Became a cheerleader in Junior High School to […]
Read MoreApplachia’s Melungeon
“There were a whole lot of people upset by this study,” lead researcher Roberta Estes said. “They just knew they were Portuguese, or Native American.” In recent decades, interest in the origin of the Melungeons has risen dramatically with advances both in DNA research and in the advent of Internet resources that allow individuals to […]
Read MoreChrishell Stubbs
Nationality: British Place of birth: Turks and Caicos Islands Ethnicity: Caribbean / British
Read MorePrincess Esther Kamatari of Burundi
Princess Esther Kamatari, 60 is a writer, model, and exiled Burundian princess. Esther Kamatari grew up in Burundi as a member of the royal family. Following independence in 1962, the king was overthrown in a military coup d’etat, and the monarchy abolished in 1966. Kamatari fled the country in 1970 after her father’s […]
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