Black Women Hold Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America Titles For First Time Ever

In a historic feat, three black women simultaneously reign as Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America.

Miss North Carolina’s Cheslie Kryst completed the beauty pageant trifecta on Thursday when she was crowned the 2019 Miss USA, joining Miss Teen USA winner Kaliegh Garris and Miss America Nia Franklin. Kryst, 28, will now advance to the Miss Universe competition.

The oldest of the three pageants is Miss America, which dates back to the early 1920s but only began accepting women of color in the 1940s. Cheryl Browne became the first black women to participate in 1970 and Vanessa Williams was crowned the first black Miss America in 1983. She was later forced to resign her post after nude photos emerged toward the end of her reign.

Miss USA and Miss Teen USA have been held annually since 1952 and 1983 respectively. The former named its first black winner, Carike Anne-Marie Gist, in 1990 and Janel Bishop became the first black Miss Teen USA the following year.

Amid changing gender norms and increased scrutiny over female objectification, the three beauty pageants have implemented significant changes in recent years. The Miss Universe Organization, which oversees Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, began allowing transgender women to participate in 2012, and the Miss America organization scrapped the swimsuit segment of the competition last year.

“Mine is the first generation to have that forward-looking mindset that has inclusivity, diversity, strength and empowered women,” Kryst said during her crowning speech. “I’m looking forward to continued progress in my generation.”

The new Miss USA topped an ethnically diverse field of finalists, highlighting a growing shift away from longstanding Eurocentric standards of beauty. New Mexico’s Alejandra Gonzalez, the first runner-up, is of Mexican descent, and Oklahoma’s Triana Browne, the second runner-up, has Native American heritage and an African American mother.

A former Division I track star turned civil litigation attorney, Kryst was hailed for addressing the #MeToo movement during the pageant, stating that the outcry over sexual harassment has not gone too far. “#MeToo and #TimesUp are about making sure that we foster safe and inclusive workplaces in our country,” said Kryst, who holds an M.B.A. and a law degree from Wake Forest University and provides free legal work to prisoners who have been unjustly sentenced.