*When Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned Miss Universe 2019 on Sunday (Dec. 8), she joined a group of Black women who have made history by dominating the three major pageants simultaneously: 2019 Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, 2019 Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris and 2019 Miss America Nia Franklin.
We previously reported… Kryst is an attorney and North Carolina-native who practices civil litigation and does pro bono work to help get reduced sentences for inmates, the Post report states
At the time of our report on Garris, she was a student at two high schools: the Joseph A. Foran High School in Milford and the Educational Center for the Arts, per MSN.com.
She’s also a competitive dancer and volunteer at Yale New Haven Hospital. Earlier this year, Garris launched an organization called We Are People 1st to assist individuals with disabilities. The initiative also honors her older sister who has “multiple disabilities.”
Both Kryst and Garris were praised for wearing their natural hair during their pageants.
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The new #MissUniverse2019 is… SOUTH AFRICA!!!! ?? pic.twitter.com/gRW8vcuT3A
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 9, 2019
According to wtvr.com, Franklin works with the nonprofit group Sing for Hope to help others, including children and artists, through the power of music.
“I grew up at a predominately Caucasian school, and there was only 5% minority, and I felt out of place so much because of the color of my skin,” the 23-year-old said. “But growing up, I found my love of arts, and through music that helped me to feel positive about myself and about who I was.”
The outlet also notes that Janelle Commissiong was the first black Miss Universe in 1977, Vanessa Williams was the first black Miss America in 1983, and Carole Anne-Marie Gist, the first black Miss USA contestant, was crowned in 1990. The following year Janel Bishop became the first black Miss Teen USA.
Tunzi beat out 89 contestants in total on Sunday, and was emotional as she received her crown.
“I think the most important thing we should be teaching young girls today is leadership,” Tunzi said before winners were announced.
“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,” she continued.
And this matters WHY?
Black women are the POOREST women on the planet but we’re supposed to geek out over SYMBOLIC “awards” for being the “prettiest” person in the POORHOUSE?
Forget your pageants. Where are the TANGIBLES?
https://t.co/2DTOpPquLz via @glamourmag— Black Authority (@TheBlackChannel) December 10, 2019
Tunzi hails from the town of Tsolo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, wtvr.com reports. Along with English, the 26-year-old speaks Xhosa and has launched a social media campaign against gender-based violence.
At the Miss Universe pageant, she encouraged women who don’t fit into society’s beauty standards to love who they are.
“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful,” she said. “I think it is time that that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine.”
Final Word: SOUTH AFRICA#MissUniverse2019 LIVE on @FOXtv. Airing in Spanish on @Telemundo. pic.twitter.com/kk1ySPXxXU
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 9, 2019
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