Wisdom Wednesday's: Tyra Banks

In honor of Black History Month I've decided to give you a brief write-up on some African Americans who are NOT recognized for their contributions to society. I am not taking away from the Sojourner Truths', Ralph Bunches' or Dr. Kings' but we have done some pretty decent things since then. This week I'd like to introduce you to the multi-talented Tyra Banks.



Born on December 4, 1973, Ms. Banks began her modeling career while a junior in high school. Breaking runway booking records was only the first thing to do on her "breaking barriers" list. Here are some firsts she helped African-Americans attain:

• booked for an unprecedented twenty-five shows as a newbie model in Paris


• first African-American on the cover of Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine aka GQ


• first African-American on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine


• first African-American on the cover of Victoria's Secrets catalog (I still cancelled my card/subscription and refuse to shop there because of the obvious discrimination -sn)
  

I am sure you remember her from John Singleton's "Higher Learning" or maybe it was the recurring role on Will Smith's "The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire" (a fav of mine growing up) either way this was just the beginning of her love affair with the television industry. Here are some of her credits, in no particular order:

• "Love and Basketball"
• "Coyote Ugly"- a cult classic
• "Hannah Montana: The Movie" - you know you saw this
• "Felicity"
• "Just Shoot Me"
• "Gossip Girl"

And how can we forget about her empowerment of women of all races, ethnicities and sizes via her "America's Next Top Model" series, which, is viewed in over 170 markets and in 17 countries! Hmmpphhh...who would've guessed.

We will skip past the failed singing career and move on to her appearances on Oprah that some say led to her own talk show "The Tyra Banks Show". I am not a fan of the show but it won an Emmy in 2008. Ms. Banks turned these ventures into lucrative deals by ensuring they were and are produced via her production company "Bankable Productions"...catchy. After catching (no pun intended) flack for gaining weight, Tyra came back fiercer and slimmer than ever and is re-signed with IMG models.

Oh...and let's not forget about her philanthropic efforts via her "TZONE Foundation". This foundation empowers girls to take control of their lives by engaging in several productive activities such as filmmaking, community activism, dance, sports, leadership, writing, and even entrepreneurship at an early age. It encourages girls to resist social pressures through a self-esteem building adventure and makes grants to grassroot organizations, and those that serve women and girls ages 13-35. (Need a grant anyone!!!)

Ms. Banks is not only an inspiration to African-Americans but to women everywhere! And she can take that to the bank...