The One Sentence That Disarms People's Defenses On Race

Entertainment
Published on Sep 15, 2025
At the 2025 Forbes Power Women's Summit, Yara Shahidi, Actress, Producer & Host of The Optimism Project joins Bethann Hardison, Fashion Activist & Model to speak on rewriting the rules of fashion.

In 1980, Hardison joined the startup modeling agency Click as a booking agent, where she expanded her role to producing fashion shows, handling public relations for design houses, and contributing as an editor to several magazines. By 1981, driven by her concern for the politics of the fashion industry, Hardison shifted her focus from modeling to activism.

In 1984, she founded the Bethann Management Agency, dedicated to increasing diversity within the fashion industry. Partnering with her friend and fellow model Iman, Hardison co-founded the Black Girls Coalition in 1988, advocating for and supporting African American models. By 1996, her interests extended to television, where she co-executive produced the sitcoms Between Brothers and Livin’ Large. In 2010, Hardison took on the role of editor-at-large for Vogue Italia.

Throughout her career, Hardison’s contributions to modeling and advocacy have been widely recognized. In April 1999, she received the First Annual Vibe Style Lifetime Achievement Award, followed by a Distinguished Service Award from the Magic Johnson Foundation later that year. The Black Alumni of the Pratt Institute honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. In 2012, she was recognized with a Woman of Power Legacy Award from Black Enterprise, and in 2013, she was awarded the Frederick Douglass Award for her efforts in promoting diversity within the fashion industry.

Yara Shahidi is an American actress and producer. She began her career as a child, appearing in the films Imagine That (2009), Butter (2011), and Alex Cross (2012).

Shahidi played a starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson in the ABC sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022) and its spin-off series Grown-ish (2018–2024).[3] She received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Black-ish and three NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for Grown-ish. Time included her on "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list.[4] She did voice over work in the films Smallfoot (2018), Fearless (2020), PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021), and My Father's Dragon (2022).

Shahidi played her first adult lead role in the 2019 drama film, The Sun Is Also a Star. In 2023, she played Tinker Bell in the fantasy adventure film Peter Pan & Wendy, and executive produced and starred in the romantic comedy-drama film, Sitting in Bars with Cake.

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