In 1984, Vanessa Williams broke the race barrier to become Miss America, but she was not the first Black woman to wear a Pageant crown.
Professor Kimberly Pellum explores this glamourous and profound history with contributions by.
With the rise of the civil rights and Black Pride movements, pageantry also represented a component of social activism.
Black beauty pageants created a distinctive and celebrated cultural tradition during some of the most dismal times in the country\'s racial history.
In 1984, Vanessa Williams broke the race barrier to become Miss America, but she was not the first Black woman to wear a Pageant crown