Along with being among the original supermodels of the 1970s, Beverly Johnson has the distinction of being the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue.
Now, some five decades later, the longtime covergirl showed off her fashion sense when she lent her support to the 2024 Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Dinner on Saturday night.
It appears the Buffalo, New York native did not come with her new husband Brian Maillian, whom she secretly married in Las Vegas last October, but she did spend a lot of time chatting and laughing with Aaron Walton, CEO and co-founder of Walton Isaacson (WI), a full-service advertising agency, with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, had the honor of having U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden give the keynote address during its annual event held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
Dr. Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden, whom she shares with the President Of The United States Joe Biden, was also on hand to show support for the non-profit.
Supermodel Beverly Johnson, 71, was among the star-studded guests to lend their support for the 2024 Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Dinner on Saturday night
Upon arriving, Johnson strutted her stuff in front of the cameras along the red carpet in a black minidress with a wrap-around front.
The sleeveless number help showcase her still amazing 5ft8in figure, while also wearing a pair of matching black pumps.
Rounding out her overall look, the True Beauty: Secrets of Radiant Beauty for Women of Every Age and Color author had her raven locks styled long and flowing down over her chest and close to her waistline in the back.
While mingling with some of the other VIP guests, Johnson was photographed chatting it up with Walton, who was decked out in a cool red suit with a black design and a white shirt and tie and designer Ike Isenhour in a black suit with a white shirt.
Along with Dr. Biden and her daughter some of the other guests included Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, as well as Luke Lowrey, Damian Terriquez, Dana Goldberg, Ashlyn Harris, John Hartman, Aura Mayar, Nolan McNamee, Jaime Cunningham, Nicole Maines, Aura Mayar, Nolan McNamee, Madison Werner, Justin Mikita and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Some others to attend were Hannah Einbinder, Antonio Villaraigosa, Ashlee Marie Preston, Colton Underwood, Jordan C. Brown, Rebecca Wisocky, Mark Indelicato and Jessie Paege.
The groundbreaking supermodel, actress and author secretly tied the knot with longtime love Brian Maillian in an October ceremony in Las Vegas, she announced during a radio interview with Sirius XM’s ‘Sway in the Morning, as reported by USA Today.
During the conversation she explained how Maillian asked her what she wanted for her birthday, so she sat up in bed and asked him to maker her his wife.
‘I said, ‘I know what I want for my birthday.’ He said, ‘what?’ I said, I want to get married. He went, ‘OK.’ And I went, ‘did he say OK?” Johnson recalled of how wedding proposal went down.
She stepped out in a black wrap-around minidress, matching pumps, and her hair flowing long down to her waistline
Johnson spent time chatting with Aaron Walton, CEO and co-founder of Walton Isaacson (WI), a full-service advertising agency, with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York
It turns out some of her best friends helped orchestrate all the details of their wedding, including finding the chapel.
‘Just finding the love of my life at this point in my life has been amazing,’ she told People. ‘This is the first time I’ve dated someone so close to my age! We know the same songs, and we’ve lived through a lot of the same things.’
Johnson had previously been married twice before to real estate agent Billy Potter in 1971, whom she divorced in 1974, and businessman and music producer Danny Sims in 1977. They would divorce in 1979 but not before they welcomed their daughter Anansa Sims, 45.
During her career as a model Johnson appeared on more than 500 magazine covers, including the August 1974 issue of American Vogue, when she became the magazine’s first African-American cover model for the US edition.
Her appearance on the cover changed the beauty ideal in US fashion, and by 1975, every major American fashion designer had begun using African-American models.
Designer Ike Isenhour joined Johnson and Walton at the HRC event, which helps fund the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization
U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden gave the keynote address
The Buffalo, New York native revealed she secretly tied the knot with longtime love Brian Maillian in an October ceremony in Las Vegas during a radio interview with Sirius XM’s ‘Sway in the Morning; the couple are seen in January 2024
By way of empowering and mobilizing people at the grassroots level, HRC Los Angeles ‘aims to create impactful change, providing advocacy for HRC’s mission and work on the ground,’ according to its website.
The organization is a dedicated team of volunteers who use their experience and talents to develop a more affirming, inclusive, and equitable community.
In addition to educating the public about the issues that affect LGBTQ+ people and their families, HRC Los Angeles works to engage LGBTQ+ people and allies in the fight for equality, raise money to fund HRC’s work, build strong relationships with local businesses and like-minded organizations, and turn out voters to elect pro-Equality candidates into office.
When Kelley Robinson was announced the new president of the Human Rights Campaign in September 2022 she became the first Black queer woman to lead the organization.