ABOUT
In 1975, Diana Ross lit up the screen in Mahogany as Tracy Chambers, a young Black fashion designer from Chicago whose dreams carried her from the South Side to the runways of Rome. Now, 50 years later, three Black women are bringing that story full circle with Mahogany at 50, a citywide celebration rooted in the place where it all began.
Set between Chicago and Rome, Mahogany used both cities to tell a story of reinvention. For this team, placing the celebration in Chicago is about more than nostalgia. It’s about grounding the legacy in a city they see as central to Black cultural innovation. From Soul Train and the Johnson Publishing Company to The Oprah Winfrey Show and Virgil Abloh, the city’s influence on global style and storytelling is undeniable.
The event series reimagines the film’s cultural impact through a year of screenings, conversations, and community-driven programming, inviting audiences to revisit Mahogany anew: not just as an iconic fashion film, but as a blueprint for Black aspiration, artistry, and resistance.
Visit our events page to explore upcoming programs.
The Team
Spearheaded by Dr. Rikki Byrd, Jessica Clark, and Ci Phillips, Mahogany at 50 reimagines the film’s legacy and cultural impact through a year of programming celebrating Black design, innovation, and impact. All three women are alumni of Parsons School of Design and have spent their careers exploring the intersections of style, memory, and identity. With Mahogany at 50, they’ve built a space for truth-telling and dreaming in a moment when the fashion world is questioning where it’s been—and where it’s headed.
Dr. Rikki Byrd is a writer, educator, and curator whose research focuses on Black aesthetic practices across fashion, performance, and contemporary art.
Jessica Clark is a versatile creative professional, scholar, and strategist with a vision to faithfully honor creativity, culture, and community across disciplines.
Ci Phillips is a multidisciplinary researcher, writer, and creative director whose work bridges fashion, art, and urban studies to produce transformative programming and cultural productions.
Photograph by Lawrence Agyei.