Sara Lou Harris Carter
Sara Lou Harris Carter | |
|---|---|
 Sara Lou Harris Carter, from a 1968 publication of the US Department of State | |
| Born | July 4, 1923 Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
| Died | December 16, 2016 |
| Spouse(s) | John Carter |
Sara Lou Harris Carter (July 4, 1923 – December 16, 2016) was a pioneering African-American model also known as an entertainer, educator and humanitarian.
Early life and career[]
She was born in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on July 4, 1923, to a house painter and a cotton mill worker. She died on December 16, 2016.[1]
She was the first African American model to be featured in a national poster campaign in the 1940s for Lucky Strike cigarettes. She also broke barriers by becoming the first African-American model in the New York buyers' fashion show, thus changing the face of the black woman model from servant to glamour girl.[2]
Education[]
Carter graduated from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1943 with a BA in education. After graduation, she taught third grade in North Carolina. She continued her studies for a master's degree at Columbia University in New York. While at Columbia, she supported herself by working as a model, actress, dancer and doing radio and television work.[2]
Works[]
Famously known for her elegance and charm, Carter became the first African American châtelaine of the embassy when her husband John Carter of Guyana became ambassador to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.[2] Her husband was knighted in 1966, which entitled her to use the title Lady Sara Carter.[3]
She suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died on Friday, December 16, 2016, following the death of a granddaughter from cancer earlier that year.
References[]
- ^ "Wilkes native broke barriers". Wilkes Journal-Patriot. January 18, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c Carney Smith, Jessie (1992). Notable Black American Women. VNR AG. p. 85. ISBN 9780810391772. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Wilkes County NC Hall of Fame - Lady Sara Lou Harris Carter". Wilkes County Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- 1923 births
- 2016 deaths
- African-American female models
- American female models
- African-American models
- Columbia University alumni
- Bennett College alumni
- 20th-century African-American people
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American women
- 21st-century African-American women
- American humanitarians
- Women humanitarians