July 14, 1959, New York, New York – The United States State
Department was paying for a big propaganda blitz against Communism right in the
heart of Communism, the USSR. They had worked out an event in Moscow to be
called the American National Exhibition. The idea was to show the average
Russian how much better life was every day in the U.S. compared to their dull
lives.
The American National Exhibition was planned to run from
July 25th to September 4th of 1959. It would give a
glimpse into fashion, food, men, women, and teenagers, but it was decided on
this day that it wouldn’t really include Black Americans.
At a preview of the fashion show, the State Department and
the artists designing the show displayed what they thought would be a vision of
America that showed just a tiny bit of equality. The thinking behind this was
that since the models were also going to be guides for the Russian people who
came to the Exhibition. This included four young African Americans who had been
vetted by President Eisenhower and promised not to go off script and talk about
civil rights and inequality. The U.S. heard. “And You Are Lynching Negros,”
frequently from the Soviets whenever human rights were discussed. The American
National Exhibition was supposed to be a bit of cinema showing that equality
was as American as apple pie.
Except that it was about to be revealed again, America was unequal.
After the live dioramas were done, more than 40 fashion editors immediately took
pen to paper in a petition demanding that the scenes with Negro models be cut.
These scenes included a mixed wedding party and an integrated backyard barbeque.
“We, the American Fashion Press, protest the presentation of
the American Fashions to Moscow as not being representative of typical American
life.” Read the petition.
To avoid controversy with the fashion show, Leonard J. Hankin,
vice president of high fashion department store Bergdorf-Goodman, was the
executive director of the fashion show the exhibition promised immediate
changes. The changes ended up being the removal of Black Americans from the integrated
scenes.
The four Black models were allowed to go to
Moscow and act as guides since they had been studying Russian, but they did not
model. The prejudice of high fashion was not even remarked upon by the New York
Times or other major outlets; only smaller papers or the Black press called it
out honestly.
Sources:
.newyorkalmanack.com/2024/07/american-national-exhibition/#:~:text=“Immediately%20after%20the%20previews%2C%20over,History%2C%20United%20States%20Information%20Agency
https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/calendar/black-model-remembers-time-russia-during-cold-war/Bn7LICWvhdl5jjBOWwHjXI/
Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, New York, Tue, Jul 14, 1959 · Page 18
The Asheville Times, Asheville, North Carolina,Tue, Jul 14, 1959 · Page 17
