Miss Universe 2019: Black is Beautiful or Blackout?

It has been eight excruciating years since Leila Lopes of Angola was crowned Miss Universe in Brazil. She’s the fifth beauty of black descent to be crowned Miss Universe in the pageant’s 67 editions. The others are Trinidad & Tobago’s Janelle Commissiong who won in 1977 and Wendy Fitzwilliam in 1998,  Chelsi Smith of USA in 1995 and Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana in 1999. 

L-R: Janelle, Chelsi, Wendy, Mpule & Leila

Miss Universe 2011: Leila Lopes of Angola

HISTORICAL FIRSTS. Evelyn Miot of Haiti made history in 1962 when she became the first black to reach the top fifteen. In 1968,  Anne Marie Braafheid of Curacao came close to becoming the first black to win Miss Universe. She was 1^st runner up to Miss Brazil. 

Historic firsts in Miss Universe

FIRST BLACK MISS UNIVERSE. It was in 1977 when Janelle "Penny" Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago became the first black Miss Universe. She was also the third Miss Universe winner to be chosen as Miss Photogenic by the international press covering the event.  During her reign, she raised awareness for black rights in countries where people of African ancestry faced racial discrimination long before advocacy became popular in pageantry. 

Janelle is Miss Photogenic & Miss Universe 1977

Historic win for a black beauty

 A BLACK MISS UNIVERSE FOR 2019?  The announcement that Atlanta, Georgia has been selected as the venue for this year’s Miss Universe pageant has people start talking of a black winner this year. I guess there have been tell- tale signs that the stage has been set for an ebony Miss Universe.  The city is populated mainly by African- Americans. Even the venue, Tyler Perry Studios, is an American film studio that churns out mostly black films. The venue owner and the pageant host are symbols of successful black Americans.  And this year, we have an all African- American set of winners for Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. 

Cheslie Kryst is the first lawyer to win Miss USA

The signs point to a black Miss Universe winner because this year’s edition is a celebration of African- American culture with Atlanta, Georgia as host city. If a black wins, then it would be a historic first for Miss Universe Org to have an all- black trio of winners.

It would be symbolic of African- American black empowerment if a black winner will be crowned as Miss Universe 2019 in the slave capital of the Old South, that is, Atlanta, Georgia.

So who would be deemed the most worthy among the gorgeous black beauties this year if Miss Universe Org and the US mainstream media would push their agendum of black empowerment as their vision of diversity?  

The logical choice would have to be Miss USA Cheslie Kryst who would be unbeatable if she enters the top six after the competitive swimsuit and evening gown rounds for the top twenty. The current Miss USA is a natural speaker who has to put on hold her lawyer job to fulfil her winner responsibilities. Prior to competing in Miss Universe, Kryst had been doing live anchor reporting for the show "Extra". The highly accomplished Cheslie graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration in 2017.   

Black beauties from Kenya, Barbados & Dominican Rep

The other black beauties in the running are the girls from Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Haiti, Panama, Dominican Republic and Barbados.

So will it be a black beauty or will there be a blackout? Watch the Miss Universe 2019 finals on December 9, 8 am over ABS CBN or Star World at 8 am.