This black history month, let’s remember the important African-American achievers and their contributions to our society. In solidarity to fight against racism, brutality and inequality towards our black brothers and sisters.
Here’s a timeline of black beauty queens through the years at major pageants –
Janelle Commissiong – Miss Universe 1977
Janelle Commissiong is a Trinidadian politician, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1977.
Vanessa Williams – Miss America 1984
Vanessa Williams is a singer, actress, and fashion designer from the United States. When she was elected Miss America 1984, she made history as the first African-American woman to win the Miss America title.
Halle Berry – 6th Place at the 1986 Miss World pageant
Halle Berry is a popular actor who started her career as a model and competed in various beauty pageants, placing first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and sixth in the Miss World pageant in 1986. She made her film debut alongside Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Boomerang (1992), which led to appearances in The Flintstones (1994) and Bulworth (1998), as well as the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she earned a Prime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Debbye Turner – Miss America 1990
Debbye Turner is an American television anchor, veterinarian, talk show host, former beauty queen, and Miss America winner from 1990.
Carole Anne-Marie Gist – Miss USA 1990
Carole Anne-Marie Gist is an African-American television host, model, and the first African-American woman to win Miss USA title.
Janel Bishop – Miss Teen USA 1991
Janel Bishop is an American beauty queen who won the 1991 Miss Teen USA title. She is the first African-American winner of this pageant.
Kenya Moore – Miss USA 1993
Kenya Moore is an actor, model, television personality who rose to prominence in 1993 after winning the Miss USA contest. She also placed among the top six at Miss Universe 1993 competition.
Kimberly Clarice Aiken – Miss America 1994
Kimberly Clarice Aiken is an image consultant who won Miss America 1994. She became the first African American woman to be crowned Miss South Carolina 1993.
Chelsi Smith – Miss Universe 1995
Chelsi Smith was an American actress, singer, television host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995.
Wendy Fitzwilliam – Miss Universe 1998
Wendy Fitzwilliam is a Trinidadian lawyer, actress, model, singer, TV Host and beauty queen who won Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 1998 became the second Miss Universe in history from Trinidad and Tobago and was the third woman of African heritage to capture the Miss Universe crown.
Mpule Kwelagobe – Miss Universe 1999
Mpule Kwelagobe is an investor, businesswoman, model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1999. She was the first black African woman to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, the first woman from Botswana to win.
Marissa Whitley – Miss Teen USA 2001
Marissa Whitley is a former Miss Teen USA, having won the 2001 title representing the state of Missouri. Born on January 11, 1983 in Los Angeles, California to an African American father and Caucasian mother.
Shauntay Hinton – Miss USA 2002
Shauntay Hinton is an American actress and beauty queen who won the Miss USA 2002. She studied broadcast communications at Howard University.
Erika Harold – Miss America 2003
Erika Harold is an American attorney, politician, and former Miss America. Harold was crowned Miss Illinois 2002 and Miss America 2003.
Rachel Smith – Miss USA 2007
Rachel Smith is an American actress, TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss USA 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. She represented the United States at Miss Universe 2007 and placed 4th runner-up.
Crystle Stewart – Miss USA 2008
Crystle Stewart is an American actress, host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She has been serving as the national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA since 2020.
Kamie Crawford – Miss Teen USA 2010
Kamie Crawford is a television host, and beauty pageant winner who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2010 on 24th July, 2010 at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas.
Caressa Cameron – Miss America 2010
Caressa Cameron is an American beauty pageant titleholder and singer who won the titles of Miss Virginia 2009 and Miss America 2010.
Leila Lopes – Miss Universe 2011
Leila Lopes is an Angolan actress, TV host, model and beauty queen who won the titles of Miss Angola UK 2010, Miss Angola 2010 and Miss Universe 2011.
Logan West – Miss Teen USA 2012
Logan West is an American beauty queen who competed and won Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2012, and was later crowned Miss Teen USA 2012. West was the first contestant from the state of Connecticut to win the title.
Deshauna Barber – Miss USA 2016
Deshauna Barber is a motivational speaker, and captain in the United States Army Reserve. She was crowned Miss USA 2016 by outgoing titleholder Olivia Jordan of Oklahoma. She represented the United States at Miss Universe 2016 where she placed among the top nine finalists.
Kára McCullough – Miss USA 2017
Kára McCullough was crowned Miss USA 2017. As Miss USA, McCullough represented the United States at Miss Universe 2017, where she placed in the top ten.
Hailey Colborn – Miss Teen USA 2018
Hailey Colborn was crowned Miss Teen USA 2018. She is the second entrant from Kansas to win the title after Keylee Sue Sanders won Miss Teen USA 1995.
Nia Franklin – Miss America 2019
Nia Franklin is an American composer who was crowned Miss New York 2018. She won the title of Miss America 2019 in September, 2018.
Kaliegh Garris – Miss Teen USA 2019
Kaliegh Garris is a professional model who won the title of Miss Teen USA 2019. She is the second entrant from Connecticut to have been crowned Miss Teen USA, following Logan West who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2012.
Zozibini Tunzi – Miss Universe 2019
Zozibini Tunzi is a South African model who was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Tunzi had previously been crowned Miss South Africa 2019. She is the third woman from South Africa to win the title, and the first black woman since Angolan Leila Lopes was crowned Miss Universe 2011.
Cheslie Kryst – Miss USA 2019
Cheslie Kryst was an American television correspondent, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2019. As Miss USA, she represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2019 competition and finished in the top ten.
Toni-Ann Singh – Miss World 2019
Toni-Ann Singh is a Jamaican singer and beauty queen who won Miss World 2019. She was previously crowned Miss Jamaica World 2019 and is the fourth woman from Jamaica to win Miss World. She is also the longest reigning Miss World in the history of the pageant.
From being excluded from participating in beauty competition to winning all major crowns including Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Universe and Miss World, black women have fought through years of discrimination and stereotyping and came out winning.
