Essence features first black woman with hijab on cover

For the first time, a black woman wearing a hijab will appear on the cover of Essence.

Model Halima Aden will be featured on the cover of the magazine’s January/February issue, which will be available early next month.

“A huge thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly on this historic 50th anniversary cover, I’m so thankful to be the first black hijab wearing woman to be featured on Essence!” Aden tweeted Monday.

Ahhh!! My first cover of 2020 and it’s for @essence !! A huge thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly on this historic 50th anniversary cover, I’m so thankful to be the first black hijab wearing woman to be featured on Essence! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/JkqDxQciKr

— Halima Aden (@Kinglimaa) December 23, 2019

“It’s important for me to be visible and to do whatever I can to let girls know that they don’t have to change who they are,” Aden told the magazine. “I want them to know the world will meet them exactly where they stand.”

The Somali American model this year became the first woman to wear a full-body burkini bathing suit in Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue. She has also been on the cover of fashion magazines such as Allure and British Vogue.