Miss Black America

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For the British musical band, see Miss Black America (band)

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.

1 History
2 The winners
3 Trivia
4 See also

[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.

[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	Tyrisha Blacky	Unknown
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	Pamela Jenks	Unknown
1981	Yvette Cason	District of Columbia
1982	Unknown	Unknown
1983	Sonya Robinson	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1984	LydiaS.Garrett	Columbia, S.C.
1985	Amina Fakir	Detroit, Michigan
1986	Rachel Oliver
1987	Leila McBride	Denver, Colorado
1988	Unknown	Unknown
1989	Paula Gywnn	Unknown
1990	Rosie Jones	Unknown
1991	Sharmell Sullivan	Gary, Indiana
1992	Ebony Warren	Miami, FL
1993		Unknown
1994	Pilar G. Fort	Detroit , MI
1995	Karen D. Wallace	Oklahoma City, OK
1996	Basheerah Ahmad	Choctaw, OK
1997	Karen Brimley-Massey	West Helena, AR
1998	Unknown	Unknown
1999	Unknown	Unknown
2000	Unknown	Unknown
2001	Unknown	Unknown
2002	Unknown	Unknown
2003	Unknown	Unknown
2004	Unknown	Unknown
2005	Unknown	Unknown
2006	Unknown	Unknown
2007	Unknown	Unknown

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

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.
Marshaline Letcher, using her stage name, was First Runner Up in the Miss Black New York State Pageant.
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.