Bernice Calvin

Beauty and trade show founder Bernice Calvin was born on June 27, 1924 in New York, New York to Willa Lee Johnson Calvin and Floyd Joseph Calvin. She graduated from Eagle Junior High School and Walton High School in Bronx, New York. Calvin also attended Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York. As a student, Calvin performed in 1938 as a pianist with her sister, Delores, in Harlem’s Elk’s Auditorium.

In 1954, Calvin and her mother, Willa Lee Johnson Calvin, co-founded Beauty Trade magazine, a monthly African American publication focused on trends in the beauty, cosmetics, fashion, and hair industries. Calvin served as editor and publisher of the magazine for thirty-five years. In 1960, Calvin also founded The Big Show Expo, where she served as president and chief executive officer. The Big Show Expo became the largest African American health and beauty exposition held in the United States. After its debut in Washington, D.C., the Big Show Expo traveled to other cities in the United States like Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee attracting more than 50,000 attendees and sponsors like Coors Brewing Company. Calvin also established a beauty school in Senegal. She also founded the National Black Beauty Heritage Association, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of African American contributions to the beauty industry.

During her career, Calvin received numerous honors. In 1976, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley designated Black Beauty Week in recognition of Calvin’s Beauty Trade magazine. In 2021, Calbin was featured on BeautySuperStars.com’s I Am Black Hair History list. That same year, Calvin and her mother were featured in the Hair Style exhibition at San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal One.

Calvin resides in New York, New York. She had one son, the late Jon Carlton, and two granddaughters.

Bernice Calvin was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on September 12, 2023.