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Breakthrough beautiesFebruary is Black History Month. It's also the shortest month of the year. It's not because black people have a shorter history than anyone else, it's just that their history has too often been artificially abbreviated, or even ignored altogether. When it comes to the pageant world, consider these facts: There was no black Miss Universe until 1977, no black Miss USA until 1990. There was no black Miss America until 1983-84, and there was not even a black contestant at Miss America until 1970. Did women of color suddenly start to become attractive in the late 20th century? No. But for generations, they were discouraged from pursuing their full potential in pageants. Sometimes there was blatant discrimination. More often the exclusion was subtle, with black women marginalized by narrow definitions of beauty. Today, those old ideas have been discarded, and women of every color compete at the highest levels of pageantry. We don't need to tell you the stories of Vanessa Williams, Carole Gist, Halle Berry, Kenya Moore, Debbye Turner and so many others. They are household names among pageant fans. But we do want to remind you that their stories matter. We asked three women who are active in the pageant world of today to tell us about the women they admire. They didn't give syrupy testimonials, just simple expressions of what some extraordinary women have done to inspire others. |
| Courtney Walker is a teenager who recently started competing in pageants: "When I look at African-Americans in pageants, there are many people I admire. But the one I truly idolize is Halle Berry. She is just an amazing woman, even apart from her major successes. She shows me that that I can do anything, regardless of what color I am. She also shows me that I can do more than one thing. Check her out! She's a beauty queen, a cover model and and an actress. Maybe I can be the next Halle Berry." | 
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| Kenya King has competed in the Miss America, Miss USA and Hawaiian Tropic systems, and is currently working with Hawaiian Tropic events for young people: "Vanessa Williams has overcome a lot. She's the most successful former Miss America, and that says a lot about her character. Though the 'scandal' hurt her reputation, she is a woman with deep family values. She's a devoted mother." | 
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| Sallie Toussaint is Miss Connecticut USA and formerly competed at the Miss World Pageant: "Kenya Moore should be more famous than she is. Maybe she's finally starting to get the recognition she deserves. I had the opportunity to meet her, and she's a truly refined and very nice person. I hope to be seeing her in the spotlight for a long time to come. And what can I say about Halle Berry? She has persevered and achieved stardom, but she's not afraid to show vulnerability. She's not ashamed to cry in public, or to talk about the pain she's suffered in her personal life. Pageants were a great steppingstone for her." | 
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