Black Beauty Reigns Over Us All

2019 has been been a historic year in the pageant world, and one we won't forget for a long time.

In 2019 all six of the major pageants, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, Miss America, Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International Queen all crowned Black women as their pageant royalty

The Miss International Queen one based in Thailand is a pageant for transgender women.  Harvey was its first ever African descended winner in their 15 year history.

So congrats to Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa,  Miss World 2019 Toni- Ann Singh of Jamaica, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaleigh Garris and Miss International Queen 2019 Jazell Harvey

And two of the women won with natural hair styles in Miss Universe and Miss Tenn USA.

Congrats to all these Black women who have made this a historic year in pageantry and one that has been a long time in coming.

It also drives home the point that Black women are indeed beautiful in all their marvelous shades.

Correction: Four Black Women Have Won Major Beauty Pageants In 2019

Been seeing the memes out there that have proudly pointed out that with only the Miss Universe pageant left to be conducted,  Black women in the US have won in succession the Miss Teen USA, Miss America and the Miss USA Universe pageants for the first time ever in the same calendar year.

Major props to 2019 Miss Teen USA winner Kaleigh Garris, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst for doing so.   They are all accomplished women and I'm exceedingly proud of all of them snatching crowns in the same calendar year.

Even more impressive, Miss Teen USA Kaleigh Garris did so while rocking a natural hair style.

But people are forgetting the fourth Black woman who also made history by winning a major beauty pageant title this year, and she did so back in March.

Jazell Barbie Royale became the first Black women to ever win the Miss International Queen trans pageant in Thailand.  Her accomplishment was just as historic as the pother women being celebrated, but once again when it comes to Black Trans excellence, the Black community sadly is ignoring it.

Let me repeat for y'all that Black trans women ARE Black women.   When we rise and excel at doing whatever we accomplish, so does the entire Black community.

So what if the Miss International Queen is a pageant for trans women?   No Black woman from the African Diaspora had ever won that pageant in its fifteen year history until this year, and it had been 2005 since the last American woman had won it.

So yes, I would like to see it acknowledged that FOUR Black women have won major pageant titles in the same year.   If no one else will acknowledge that fact, I damned sure will. 

Miss America 2019 Says Trans Women Should Be Allowed To Compete

Today was the day 35 years ago that Vanessa Williams, who repped New York state, was crowned as the first ever Black Miss America back in 1983.

The 92nd annual competition took place in Atlantic City, NJ on September 9.  This year's newly crowned Miss America, like the trailblazing Williams, is also a Black woman repping New York state in 25 year old Nia Imani Franklin.

Franklin is the ninth Black woman to wear the Miss America crown, and she was recently asked her thoughts during a The Clay Cane Show interview concerning whether trans feminine contestants should be allowed to compete for the Miss America title.

Y'all know what my thoughts are concerning that question.   Here's what Ms. Franklin had to say about it:

"That’s something I haven’t given a lot of thought to. I could see the organization may be going into a different direction in the future, but at this time our goal is just to focus on women who want to further their education.” 

She continued, “If trans women want to compete I think they should be able to — that’s not something I think we are really putting too much emphasis on as far as, ‘Are you trans? Check this box’ when you compete. When I competed, in my application, there was nothing that asked me if I was a trans woman or not, so we’re definitely not discriminating.”

Yes, you are when the pageant has a rule that states only 'natural born women', whatever in the hell that means, can compete in the Miss America system.  

The Miss Universe system has had since 2012 allowed trans women to compete, and later this year in Bangkok we will finally witness a trans woman competing for the Miss Universe crown in Spain's Angela Ponce. 

But the 98 year old Miss America system, despite moves to modernize the pageant and make it more relevant to 21st century life, like ditching the swimsuit competition for a current events Q&A, still bans trans women from competing.

But glad to hear the current Miss America titleholder thinks trans women who fit the pageant's eligibility requirements should be allowed to compete for this prestigious crown.

And I hope that change happens sooner rather than later.

Miss America 2010 Is A Sistah

I was flipping through my 800 plus cable channels last night and happened to tune in just in time for the semifinalists to be whittled down to the young woman who will wear the Miss America crown for 2010.

For the first time since 2004, it will be an African American woman that will do so. It's deliciously ironic it happened on the night that America's Bigot, Rush Limbaugh was one of the judges this year.

One of the other judges for this year's Miss America pageant was Vivica A. Fox, who probably canceled out Rush's foolishness.

22 year old VCU communications major Caressa Cameron. representing Virginia, won the 88 year old pageant last night which is now contested in Las Vegas. Unlike Miss USA, there's a talent portion, and she sang 'Listen' from the movie Dreamgirls..

In case you're wondering, there have been seven African-American women who have become Miss America in the 88 year history of the pageant. African-American women didn't start entering the pageant until 1970, and Vanessa Williams broke through to become the first African descended Miss America winner in 1984. Suzette Charles, the first runner up that year finished out Williams' reign after she resigned due to fallout from a nude photo scandal.

The other African American winners were Dr. Debbye Turner 1990, Marjorie Vincent 1991, Kimberly Aiken 1994, Erika Harold 2003 and Ericka Dunlap in 2004.

Congratulations to Caressa and may she have a quiet and drama free reign as Miss America 2010.