Joan Smalls opens up about discrimination in the fashion industry as ‘token black girl’

Smalls also revealed she will be donating 50 per cent of her salary for the year to organisations that support the Black Lives Matter movement. “I don’t need validation from an industry that cast me as a token black girl while ignoring my whole cultural identity,” she said before explaining how she was frequently told that her hair was an ”an issue” while on modelling jobs. “Many of you who claim to be all about diversity and inclusivity jumped on the bandwagon because social media held you accountable for your lack of acknowledgement of us.” Smalls concluded her video by calling on industry players to “speak up” and show solidarity with the black community.