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First Miss Black America pageant held in 1968 to protest its racist counterpart, college student won title

At nearly three in the morning, Saundra Williams, a 19-year-old Philadelphia college student, became the very first recipient of the Miss Black America crown

Fifty-two years ago, a father asked his two daughters about their aspirations and the girls, without missing a beat, said they wanted to be "Miss America!" when they grew up. Philadelphia entrepreneur, J Morris Anderson, a doting father, wanted to ensure that his daughters' dreams were secured. While he wanted to help them achieve that goal, he also recognized that it might as well be impossible with the racist standards around the Miss America pageant. Until the 1940s, the country, notorious for its ill-treatment of Black individuals, banned women of color from participating in the pageant that laid out, all contestants must be of "the white race". Anderson however, was determined and decided to create a pageant with his daughter and millions of other Black women in mind, who at the time did not fit the discriminatory definition of beauty. 

Anderson, with ties to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and activist communities, established the Black Miss America pageant in 1968, but his efforts hadn't been smooth-sailing. It also came at a time that marked the end of the civil rights movement. The year 1968 was seeing great unrest and activism and comprised of historical events, including the assassinations of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy, as well as the anti-Vietnam War protest at the Democratic National Convention. Anderson instituted the pageant as a goal not only to provide his young hopeful daughters with a platform but also to challenge the extensive negative stereotypes and social stigma associated with African-Americans in the United States. It was a form of protest against the racist Miss America pageant that had failed in terms of inclusivity, since its inception in 1921.

The first Miss Black America pageant was a successful event that took place on September 8, 1968, at the Ritz Carlton in Atlantic City, only a few blocks away from the annual Miss America pageant at Boardwalk Hall. The time and place of the pageant were deliberately chosen to point a finger at the latter's legacy of exclusion. Simultaneously, hundreds of feminist activists protested outside Boardwalk Hall against the restrictive beauty standards in the pageant and in society at large, which was later deemed 'Miss America protest'. The Black community was plagued by the reinforcing sentiments that being Black and the color of their skin was undesirable. Miss Black America thus became a diversifying pageant stage that celebrated Black women in all their glory, regardless of skin color, body type, or hair texture. The competition was one effort to enable Black women the opportunity to travel around the world and develop meaningful relationships, furthering themselves in their careers. 

At nearly three in the morning, Saundra Williams, a 19-year-old Philadelphia college student, became the very first recipient of the Miss Black America crown. With a cream rhinestone cape draped across her shoulder, a sash across her waist and a scepter in hand she made her message loud and clear, Black is beautiful too. She wooed the judges with her performance of the traditional African dance "Fiji" and her unbridled opinion that husbands should take on more household responsibility while also discussing the need for a more inclusive pageant. She received widespread media coverage for her win, and her photograph was published alongside the winner of the Miss America pageant. “Miss America does not represent us because there has never been a black girl in the pageant,” Williams famously told The New York Times that night. “With my title, I can show black women that they too are beautiful.”

The following year, in 1969, the pageant moved from a small room in a star-studded hotel to the Madison Square Garden. Stevie Wonder performed at the show, and the Jackson 5 made their TV debut on the pageant stage. That same year Curtis Mayfield wrote 'Miss Black America', which became the pageant's theme song. The Miss Black America stage has kickstarted the successful careers of various entertainers including singer Toni Braxton, WWE wrestler Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman, Bern Nadette Stanis of Good Times fame, Price Is Right model Kathleen Bradley and prominently, Oprah Winfrey. In 1970, Cheryl Browne represented Iowa and became the first Black woman to participate in the Miss America pageant. Since then there have been 15 other Black women who have been named either Miss America or Miss USA, including actress Vanessa L Williams (won the Miss America 1983), news anchor Debbye Turner and reality TV star Kenya Moore.