Before Chanel Iman appeared on the covers of American Vogue and Italian Elle, and before Jourdan Dunn became the first black model to walk Prada’s runway in over a decade, women like Donyale Luna, Naomi Sims and Beverly Johnson strutted and posed confidently in the face of adversity.

In honor of Black History Month, we take a look back at 25 African-American models who have helped to reshape the standard of beauty.

Meanwhile, flip through every American Vogue issue that has featured a black cover model.