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LOS ANGELES: In a historic feat, black women have won America’s all three biggest beauty pageants in 2019.
As per details, the women who simultaneously clinch three pageants included Nia Franklin (25), became Miss America in September, followed last week by Kaliegh Garris (18) as Miss Teen USA and Cheslie Kryst (28) as Miss USA.
The experts considering the wins as historic and a blow to end the competitions’ decades-long history of ‘racism and bias’.
“Mine is the first generation to have that forward-looking mindset that has inclusivity, diversity, strength and empowered women,” Ms Kryst was reported to have said in her acceptance speech on the day.
Ms Kryst is a civil litigation lawyer from North Carolina who also works pro-bono to reduce unfair sentences for prisoners. She will now represent the US in the Miss Universe pageant.
The reigning Miss America, Ms Franklin, is an opera singer who also works with the Sing for Hope charity to promote accessibility of the arts and social change.
Teen winner Ms Garris and Ms Kryst have both also been praised for opting to wear their natural hair in the pageants.
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2020 presidential hopeful Senator Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican, shared her support on Instagram, saying: “What a tremendous moment for these young, successful women making their own path, on their own terms.”