Jacci Gresham was the first Black woman to open her own tattoo shop in the United States, writes Jason Nark for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Now 77, Gresham took the entrepreneurial leap in the 1970s, decades before female tattoo artists became commonplace.

From Flint, Michigan, Gresham said she always enjoyed art and drawing and had goals of becoming a fashion designer. 

In high school, she took drafting classes as the only girl in the class, which helped spark her interest in architecture and engineering. 

During the 1970s, while working for General Motors, Gresham met someone familiar to tattooing, and together they moved to New Orleans and opened Aart Accent Tattoos & Piercing.

“I know I’ve been tattooing longer than any Black person in this building,” Gresham said. 

The shop closed in 2022, but her influence remains. 

Gresham was recently in Philadelphia during the Tattoo Arts Festival, where many newer faces in the tattooing industry spoke about how inspirational she was to their entry into the field. 

“She set the path,” said Trap Wright, of Black Ink Orlando. “There would probably not be that many women tattooers today, if not for her. For her to be a woman, and to be Black, back then, that’s for real.”

Read more about Jacci Gresham and her influence on the ever-popular tattoo industry at The Philadelpha Inquirer. 

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