Whenever pageants first began, the winners have typically been white and blonde. Societal beauty standards have only recently begun to change slightly favoring women of different body sizes and skin colors. That is why it’s so incredibly powerful and refreshing (not to mention historic) to see the top pageant crowns bestowed upon Black women. However, not everyone is accepting of this new, more inclusive pageant world. 

On Saturday, Toni-Ann Singh, Miss Jamaica, won the Miss World pageant. The week before that Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, won the title of Miss Universe meaning that the five top pageant titles belong to Black women.

This historic trend began to take shape earlier this year when Miss USA Chelsie Kryst, Miss Teen USA Kaleigh Garris, and Miss America Nia Franklin won their respective pageants, putting a much-needed cultural shift on the center stage. 

After her win, Singh tweeted, “To that little girl in St. Thomas, Jamaica and all the girls around the world – please believe in yourself. Please know that you are worthy and capable of achieving your dreams. This crown is not mine, but yours. You have a PURPOSE.”

However, last week when Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, won the title of Miss Universe against the runner up, Miss Puerto Rico, some Latinos showed their true racist colors.

Some Latinos on social media were clearly cheering on Miss Puerto Rico, Madison Anderson, and expressed some racist and mean comments after she lost. 

The firestorm began when the women were asked the final question by host Steve Harvey. 

They were asked, “What is the most important thing we should teach young girls today?” Anderson gave a pretty mediocre response, saying, “In a world where many people wear masks, it’s such a beautiful thing to see an authentic soul.” 

Tunzi’s response, in comparison, was beautiful and eloquently stated. 

“I think one of the most important things we should be teaching young girls today is leadership,” she said. “It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time – not because we don’t want to, but because of what society has labeled women to be. I think we are the most powerful beings in the world, and that we should be given every opportunity. And that is what we should be teaching these young girls – to take up space. Nothing as important as taking up space in society.” 

That response ended up winning her the crown. 

One of those that didn’t like that Tunzi won over Anderson was journalist Maria Celeste.

Celeste said on her show “Al Rojo Vivo,” according to Noticel, that when it comes down to it, these pageants should remain beauty pageants and not based on a contestant’s IQ level. Celeste tried to back peddle on her Instagram page by saying, “Great job Miss Puerto Rico – you were my candidate, but the jury’s composition always plays an important role in the final result, and without a doubt, the new Miss Universe is very pretty too.”

Yamilet González, a House of Representatives candidate for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico, also said negative things about Tunzi.

In a video post on social media, González was speaking to a man about the pageant and said, among other disrespectful things, Tunzi shouldn’t have been a part of the show because of her looks. 

Jose Pastrana, a Supervisor de Zona de Educación Especial in Puerto Rico is also coming under fire for his racist comments against Tunzi that he posted on Facebook.

The Department of Education in Puerto Rico is investigating Pastrana’s comments. They released the statement saying, “The expressions made through personal social networks and after hours of work of the employee José Pastrana do not represent at all the values and principles that we instill through the Department of Education.” 

A feminist organization that fights against anti-Black violence said the type of racism we’re seeing in the aftermath of Miss Puerto Rico losing to a Black woman is a racism that exists every day on the island and everywhere.

“There is nothing like a Miss Universe pageant to uncover the disgusting racism that is lived in Puerto Rico on a daily basis. We are just returning home and we encounter racial hatred and anti-black violence. From this we will continue to express ourselves later but, for now, we want to show our repudiation, anger, and outrage at the barbarities, insults and extreme violence that have been expressed by social networks. That violence IS THE SAME as Trump’s.”

READ: The Miss Universe Pageant Featured Its First Openly Lesbian Contestant And Crowned Miss South Africa The Winner

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2019 has been a momentous year for many reasons, one of which came about just last week when Miss Jamaica, Toni-Ann Singh, won this year’s Miss World Pageant. Singh’s win signifies a striking moment in history: for the first time ever, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Universe and Miss World are all black women. Of course, this is definitely something worth celebrating, but no one is cheering as hard as Singh’s competitor, Nyekachi Douglas (aka Miss Nigeria).

Toni-Ann Singh from Jamaica is the 69th #Missworld pic.twitter.com/tgyTFFiuKU

— Miss World (@MissWorldLtd) December 14, 2019

Twitter is absolutely buzzing with praise for both Miss Jamaica AND Miss Nigeria, whose response has shown us how we should always show up for each other—even our competition.

LISTEN!!!! MISS NIGERIA’s reaction to Miss Jaimaca winning #MissWorld2019 pic.twitter.com/AgtImvsuLF

— Adeola Ariyo (@AdeolaAriyo) December 14, 2019

As people all over the world continue to savor this moment in history, these two queens are continuing to shine and share their messages of positivity. After winning the crown, Singh addressed her legion of fans on Twitter, saying: “To that little girl in St. Thomas, Jamaica and all the girls around the world – please believe in yourself. Please know that you are worthy and capable of achieving your dreams. This crown is not mine but yours. You have a PURPOSE.”

Singh was born in Morant, St. Thomas, Jamaica. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in psychology and women’s studies. She was president of the Caribbean students association on campus, and at the time of the pageant, she had taken a year off before enrolling in medical school.

“I think I represent something special, a generation of women that are pushing forward to change the world,” she said.

And she’s absolutely right—many of Singh’s Miss World Pageant peers are on track to achieve some major goals in the near future. For example, First Runner-Up Ophély Mézino (Miss France) is a model and beauty pageant title holder who is currently studying chemical engineering. Suman Rao (Miss India) was named Second Runner-Up—she studies accounting at the University of Mumbai and is an established model with a major Instagram following.Elís Miele Coelho completed her education at St. Francis Xavier Technical College in São Paulo, where she later founded Projeto Doe Fios, an organization that provides women suffering from terminal illness with hair. And, finally, Nyekachi Douglas (Miss Nigeria) is a public health student who aims to give a voice to her community and one day establish her own fashion line (not to mention her ability to school us all on how to be our best selves!).

Absolutely amazing in all my years of watching never seen another queen this excited about someone else's win. #MissNigeria you are simply the best. https://t.co/KwqstlFCGf

— Tє̲̣̣̣̥mptє̲̣̣̣̥d (@millibrown1) December 15, 2019

What about the other four black women who have been crowned as 2019 beauty pageant royalty?

Miss World plans to be a doctor
Miss USA works on behalf of prisoners
Miss Universe fights gender-based violence
Miss America is an advocate for the arts
Miss Teen USA launched a non-profit to help people with disabilities

And they are all Black women.https://t.co/4o8JarLYqT

— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) December 15, 2019

Yup, they’re killing it, too. Take Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa. She was named Miss Universe just last week, after beginning her pageantry career at age 7. She holds a Bachelor of Technology graduate degree in public relations management from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and worked as a graduate intern in the public relations department of Ovilvy cape Town prior to winning Miss South Africa. She is passionate about climate change, women’s empowerment and diversity, and she wants to use her title as a way to transform the way young girls think about how they look.

“I want them to live in a different world where everyone matters, where everyone is smart, where everyone is beautiful, where everyone is capable,” Tunzi said.

Kaliegh Garris, who won Miss Teen USA in April, is a communications student at Southern Connecticut State University. She founded the organization We Are People 1st, which assists people with disabilities, as a result of her relationship with her elder sister, who struggles with multiple disabilities. She also volunteers at Yale New Haven Hospital and has been recognized by the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services for her impact.

Cheslie Kryst won Miss USA in May. In addition to this title, Kryst holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration and is licensed to practice law in both North and South Carolina. Not only is she a badass attorney—Kryst is also the founder of the fashion blog White Collar Glam, a site dedicated to helping women dress for white-collar careers.

And Nia Franklin, who was named the 2019 Miss America, is an emerging composer with a Master of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. As a student at UNCSA, Franklin was a member of ArtistCorps, an AmeriCorps program that brings well-known artists to public schools and community centers to work with students who lack access to arts programming. She also worked closely with Success Academy Charter Schools, founding a music club for students and serving as a cultural partner with the nonprofit Sing For Hope.

Let’s give it up for all of these intelligent, beautiful, and compassionate women!

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