Why Miss Black USA?

I’ve been asked over and over again, why is there a need for a national Black Pageant. My response is always the same, “what planet do you live on?” I grew up during J. Morris Anderson's “Miss Black America” era. As a teenager, I competed in local teen pageants. My best friends today are some of the phenomenal women that I competed against. I was the only girl in my family with three male sibblings. My pageant sisters became my "familial sisters." We were sisters in every sense of the word. We spent family vacations together. We were in each other's weddings. We planned and hosted each other's baby showers and celebrated the birth of our children. We have a very special bond that still exists to this day.

One of my "older" sisters is an anesthesiologist. This past weekend, we celebrated her 50th Birthday at Oxon Hill Manor, a beautiful and historic mansion in Oxon Hill, Maryland. We had a great time! The reigning Miss Black USA 2007, Kalilah Allen-Harris was in the house. I introduced her to another one of my sisters in attendance who is an attorney and administrative court Judge, and still exudes charm and charisma like nobody’s business. She looked FABULOUS!

All eyes were on Miss Black USA 2007, the 23 year old stunning beauty and 2nd year medical student at Meharry Medical College. Yes; that's right, she is beautiful and smart. Kalilah is studying to become an orthopedic surgeon and just became a national spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery (AAOS) Cultural Competency Campaign. Kalilah is such a joy to be around. She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Don't I sound like a proud Momma?

Beauty Pageant queens symbolize the “ideal” woman. Little girls grow up dreaming of one day becoming Miss America. The reality is that for the majority of African Americans girls, these dreams will be deferred or never come to fruition. There is a standard of beauty in this country that does not represent the quintessential beauty of African American women. As a result, when we enter the Miss America and Miss USA Pageant systems, the schemas do not convey "Black is Beautiful." We are often judged on a Eurocentric stereotype of beauty. While African American women are highly qualified to enter, compete and win these titles, our chances of winning are slim to none. Not much has changed since 1986 when the Miss Black USA Paeant was created. View the statistics.

The Miss Black USA Pageant affords outstanding young African American woman the opportunity to WIN the national title, celebrate her beauty, which is not based on an archetypical notion of beauty, skin hue, hair texture and body shape. Every young woman that competes in the Miss Black USA pageant system is valued, not devalued for her Afriocentric features, and rewarded for her achievements through scholarship awards and career opportunities. Every Miss Black USA delegate is that little Black girl with dreams.

Today, little African American girls can grow up dreaming of becoming "Miss Black USA," and celebrate their Afrocentric beauty with pride and self-portrait. By the way, have you read the bios on the 2007 Miss Black USA Delegates? Over half of the women are in graduate school. One is working on her doctorate in dance, two are in medical school, and the achievements go on…. These girls are BADDDDDDD… Miss Black USA represents a dream realized.

I can’t wait for you to meet the 2008 Miss Black USA delegates. They are… well, let me just say worth the wait. Their photos and bios will be posted in January 08. If I were BET, TV One, MTV, or the other networks, I'd be breaking down the doors to secure the broadcast rights for this phenomenal showcase of Who's Who of young African American women across the nation. You didn't hear that from me... Media inquiries should be addressed to nwilliams@blitzassociates.com. It's time for me to sign off write now.

Karen Arrington
Dream It Girl Inc.