To get to 20 South High Street in the village of Tuckahoe, NY, you’ll have to drive up a very steep hill. And who resides at the top? Lovely. Lovely Hill. The matriarch of the Billups-Pearce family.

Hills allow a person to see another perspective. Hills provide shade and block distractions from afar. Matriarchy in the Black family is a hill like no other. It influences what rolls down into the generations coming after it. It has the power to cause harmful generational cycles to snowball or it can provide the canvas for a lush garden. In Black households, the grandmother often keeps the family together through immense sacrifice, love, and encouragement. That lovely hill is where Lovely Hill lives. That lovely hill is where Lovely Hill grows, loves ,and protects.

Born in 1933, Lovely Hill (Yes, that is her real name) grew up in Harlem as an only child, but several parts of the world contributed to her youth. She was one of the first Black models for Clairol, Pepsi-cola, Mum deodorant, Chesterfield cigarettes, and more. In 1961, the Millinery Association of America, a non-profit for business owners that design and produce headwear, wanted to feature Black Models for the first time in its history and partner with EBONY Magazine. By then, Hill (now technically Mrs. Billups) was married with a daughter and working as a teacher. She’d effectively retired from the modeling industry.

But that casting call for the EBONY May 1961 cover shoot altered her life and many others. Hill was scheduled for surgery to remove her ovaries after her doctor told her they were infected. Two days before the procedure, Mollie Moon from the National Urban League called EBONY and said, “someone find Lovely Hill” for the project. Hill booked the shoot, scheduled on the day of her surgery.

Hill skipped the procedure and never rescheduled, going on to model hats for spring and summer in the EBONY spread. A few months later, she was pregnant with her second daughter, Jina — who eventually birthed her grandson, Maxwell Pearce — the artist of the collection.

Pearce struggled as a shy kid, who was unmotivated by school kid. Hill, who had then worked in education for decades, took the time to help with Pearce’s homework every single day. Thus, allowing Pearce to blossom as a diligent student. He also watched her get involved in village politics, firing up residents about the issues that matter to them. It was those events that led to Pearce to discovering his self-worth and voice. Pearce credits his accomplishments as a Harlem Globetrotter, artist, and activist to Hill’s love and dedication. Her fiery personality allowed him to see he could use his voice for good and become a change maker. Their relationship is a prime example of how a grandmother’s love and encouragement pays dividends in the Black family.

EBONY MAGAZINE SAVED THE LIVES OF HER DAUGHTER AND HER THREE GRANDCHILDREN.

Pearce created this collection to honor his grandmother, who’s as sassy as ever and gracefully entering her mid-90s. This collection features 20 pieces of Lovely. Each piece is a recreation of a photo from her days as a model, history maker, and matriarch.