Black Beauties

Download or read book Black Beauties written by Kimberly Brown Pellum PhD and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2020-02-03 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. Black beauty pageants created a distinctive and celebrated cultural tradition during some of the most dismal times in the country's racial history. With the rise of the civil rights and Black Pride movements, pageantry also represented a component of social activism. Professor Kimberly Pellum explores this glamourous and profound history with contributions by dozens of former contestants who share their personal experiences.