WILMINGTON, DE – Thirteen from all over the U.S. are preparing to compete for the Miss Juneteenth USA Scholarship Pageant (MJUSA) crown on October 14, 2023, as part of an effort to educate the public and inspire young Black women to become leaders.
The NMJSPP, now rebranded as the Miss Juneteenth USA Scholarship Pageant Program, is an educational and scholarship-driven program that emphasizes community service, education, and cultural awareness. Many states, including Colorado, Oregon, Delaware, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas, have held Juneteenth pageants for decades.
The MJUSA Scholarship Pageant is not a beauty pageant. It is a cultural pageant rooted in African-American culture. It aims to inspire and empower young African-American women to embrace their culture and diversity while pursuing higher education goals. This is accompanied by lessons from African-American historical heritage. The pageant also showcases African Americans’ poise, beauty, and rich culture.
The New York Times, NBC News, Yahoo News, the Insider, and MSNBC recognized the National Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant in 2020. MJUSA Director Sylvia Lewis-Harris says, “These pageants have inspired young women to compete not only for the honor of being “Miss Juneteenth USA,” but for the privilege of representing one’s best self with confidence, humility, and pride.”
As part of the MJUSA Scholarship Pageant, the community is also educated about the newly recognized federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the date when enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Word did not reach slaves in Texas until the Union army took control of the Port of Galveston on June 19, 1865, after the war’s official end.
Last year, the pageant raised over ten thousand dollars in scholarships. The pageant is designed to help contestants with college costs, with the queen and the court receiving scholarship money.
The 2022 Queen, Madison Corzine, will pass on her crown this year. During her time as queen, Corzine states, “This year has been one of the greatest of my life, from my hometown of Dallas-Fort Worth to the White House; God has opened doors and prepared a table specifically for me! My reign has been nothing short of phenomenal! From the moment I won the title, I would have never guessed the opportunities I would have been afforded! From inspiring little brown girls like me to meeting the President and Vice President of the United States, I am incredibly grateful for every moment. I am currently a student at Spelman College. As a living representation of the freedoms gained from Juneteenth, speaking with and for my community has been an honor. While books are being banned and history being rewritten to reflect ‘slavery as a means to gain skills,’ with my crown and sash, I have been allowed to engage in conversations about factual history. Thank you for trusting me with the responsibility to uphold our legacy of black excellence.”
Participants prepare for the crown by attending cultural workshops, answering impromptu questions, presenting interviews, and demonstrating their talent. The new queen will be announced at the Doubletree Hotel by Hilton in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 14. The event begins at 6 p.m. at Philadelphia Airport, 4509 Island Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19153. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the MJUSA Scholarship Pageant at www.missjuneteenthusa.org.
MJUSA Director Lewis-Harris says there is still time for individuals and organizations to get involved as sponsors, partners, or volunteers. “With your help, we can empower future generations to discover and cultivate young women’s shared destinies.”
For more information, call 302-275-8612 or email info@MissJuneteenthUSA.org
