Miss Black America

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The Miss Black America pageant is a competition for young African American women in areas such as speech, talent, style, and poise — essentially the black version of the popular Miss America pageant.

Contents 1 History 2 The winners 3 Trivia 4 See also 5 References

[edit] History

J. Morris Anderson first created and produced the Miss Black America Pageant on August 17, 1968, it was a local Philadelphia area pageant to protest the lack of black women in the Miss America pageant. With strong assistance from Phillip H. Savage, Tri-State Director of the NAACP, the Pageant received nationwide press coverage as a protest against the Miss America Pageant, an event that Mr. Savage and other NAACP leaders loudly condemned, over many years, for exclusion of black women contestants.

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[edit] The winners

Year	Miss Black America	From
1968	Saundra Williams	Pennsylvania
1969	Gloria O. Smith	New York
1970	Unknown	Mississippi
1971	Joyce Warner	Florida
1972	Linda Barney	New Jersey
1973	Arniece Russell	New York
1974	Von Gretchen Shepard	Los Angeles, California
1975	Helen Jean Ford	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
1976	Twanna Kilgore	Washington, D.C.
1977	Claire Ford	Memphis, Tennessee
1978	Lydia Jackson	Willingboro, New Jersey
1979	Varetta Shankle	Mississippi
1980	Sharon Wright	Chicago, Illinois
1981	Yvette Cason	District of Columbia
1982	Susan Wells	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1984	Lydia S.Garrett	Columbia, South Carolina
1985	Amina Fakir	Detroit, Michigan
1986	Rachel Oliver	Burlington, North Carolina
1987	Leila McBride	Denver, Colorado
1988	Unknown	Unknown
1989	Paula Gywnn	Unknown
1990	Rosie Jones	Unknown
1991	Sharmell Sullivan	Gary, Indiana
1992	Unknown	Unknown
1993	Ebony Warren	Unknown
1994	Pilar G. Fort	Detroit, Michigan
1995	Karen D. Wallace (Douglas)	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1996	Basheerah Ahmad	Choctaw, Oklahoma
1997	Karen Brimley-Massey	West Helena, Arkansas
1998	Unknown	Unknown
1999	Unknown	Unknown
2000	Unknown	Unknown
2001	Unknown	Unknown
2002	Unknown	Unknown
2003	Unknown	Unknown
2004	Unknown	Unknown
2005	Unknown	Unknown

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2008)

• The Jackson 5 made their first television debut performing during the 1969 pageant, won by Gloria O. Smith, Miss New York.
• Kathleen Bradley won the "Miss Black California" award in 1971.
• In 1971, Oprah Winfrey competed as Miss Black Tennessee.
• Joyce Warner of Florida was Miss Black America 1972.
• Twanna Kilgore of Washington, D.C. was Miss Black America 1976
• Claire Ford of Memphis, TN was Miss Black America 1977.
• 1977 winner Claire Ford also guest starred on the T.V. show Fantasy Island.
• Lydia Garrett of North Carolina was Miss Black America 1984.
• In 1991, boxer Mike Tyson was a judge in the pageant, and the following year was convicted of raping Miss Black Rhode Island, Desiree Washington. The winner of that pageant was future WCW Nitro Girl, WWE Diva, and TNA Knockout Sharmell Sullivan.

• Two Jackson State University co-eds, Helen Jean Ford and Varetta Shankle, have held the title of Miss Black America. Both were also members of the University's marching band, "The Sonic Boom of the South."
• There is a Curtis Mayfield song entitled "Miss Black America."
• T'Keyah Crystal Keymah won the "Miss Black Illinois" pageant in 1985 and was First Runner Up in the Miss Black America Pageant that year.

[edit] See also

• Official Website

[edit] References