Q&A With SI Swimsuit Legend Roshumba Williams

The brand icon returns to the fold in the 60th anniversary issue, out now.

Roshumba Williams was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Retrofête. Shoes by Aquazurra. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Turning 60 has never looked so good. To celebrate the big milestone in style, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit called upon 27 “Legends”—women of all ages, sizes, tribes and backgrounds—who epitomize trailblazing influence and game-changing impact. 

From supermodel OGs who made their first splash on the magazine’s glossy pages in the 1970s and ’80s to stars newer to the SI Swimsuit sisterhood—the Legends symbolize diversity, inclusivity, empowerment and self-love.  

“The Legends hold the power to represent the collective us,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day says. “Each one has played a significant role in the brand’s last 10 years, holding important conversations that have helped shift societal perceptions and led to incredible change for women.” 

The Legends had plenty to say in their one-on-one interviews, held during a three-day SI Swimsuit event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where photo shoots for the 60th anniversary issue were underway amidst a flurry of glam teams, wardrobe stylists and veteran fashion lensmen. The Legends were unfiltered, funny, wise, compassionate, profound, and at times, searingly honest—proving that a woman’s inner beauty is her most important superpower of all.   

See more from the Legends photo shoot here.

Roshumba Williams first posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue in 1990, when she became the brand’s first African American model. She returned to the fold each year through ’94 and once again in 2004, and becomes a brand legend with the publication of the 60th anniversary issue.

What does being an SI Swimsuit Legend mean to you?

“Being an SI Swimsuit Legend means everything in the world to me. It brings a smile to my heart and tears to my eyes knowing that more than 30 years later, I’mm still considered part of the SI family. It signifies that my beauty is still valued, accepted and relevant among various types of beauty. It’s mind-blowing, breathtaking and humbling, and I’m beyond grateful.”

Describe yourself in three words.

“Aspire to inspire, optimistic, tenacious.”

Roshumba Williams was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Retrofête. Shoes by Aquazurra. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

View Roshumba Williams’s 2024 Legends photo gallery here.

What do you love most about being a woman? 

“Everything! What don’t I love about being a woman? There’s nothing not to love. I love fashion, I love the fact that we can give birth, we can nurture, we can encourage, we’re game changers, we’re glass ceiling breakers. And we live longer!”

What do you love most about being yourself? 

“Probably my optimism, which I get directly from my mom. I’m an extremely optimistic person. If someone had said to me 30 years ago, ‘You need to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, looking the way you look,’ no one would believe it.

“I have an inbred optimism when it comes to myself and my life, but also the world in general. I always search for the higher road—I’m the glass-almost-full kind of girl. I’m willing to dig in and do the work to accomplish it. I’m aspirational and optimistic, but I’m tenacious. I’ll hang on and I’ll do the work. You know, it’s funny, I found out about being invited to be a Legend three hours before I got on the plane.”

What can women do to better empower each other?

“Well, the good thing is that I’m surrounded by an amazing group of women who are very powerful in many different careers—CEOs, people who work in the medical field. Gail [Parenteau, Roshumba’s publicist] is my sister, we’ve been together for as long as I’ve been in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. If we know that there’s a place for all of us, and we support each other’s lane, I believe that we can continue to rise and make wonderful changes in the world. Support and encouragement.”

Roshumba Williams was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Retrofête. Shoes by Aquazurra. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

What excites you most about your life right now? 

“I’m extremely excited about the Legends because this group of women represents glass ceiling-breakers. We represent people who weren’t supposed to make it, who did. We represent the status quo of beauty—and breaking that status quo. We represent so much strength, positivity and power. 

“We come from so many different walks of life. We’ve all evolved beyond what we even thought we could; we surprised ourselves and surpassed our own wildest imaginations. 

“I’m excited about being represented with this group of Legends for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 60th anniversary. It’s coming at a very pivotal time in the world, with there being so much upheaval, and so many things that have people on edge and fearful. 

“This group of women will represent generations of strength, power, optimism and mind-changing power brokers. That’s what I call this group, and I’m excited to see what will come from this—what things will spin from this… what TV shows, books, advertising campaigns or impact we will make in the world, be it political, financial or spiritual. This group of women, I think, is going to be the standard for women going forward. 

“Of course, the projects I work on for ABC with the brand ‘On the Red Carpet,’ a gold standard when it comes to entertainment journalism—I’m happy to continue being a part of, as well as to be a part of the Disney/ABC family.”