A new Miss USA (who will represent the Stars & Stripes in the Miss Universe pageant) will be crowed tomorrow night. Fellas, don't say that I don't ever do nothing for y'all. Here are the contestants of African ancestry, courtesy of the Miss USA website. In case you're wondering, the last black Miss USA was Crystle Stewart (competing as Miss Texas) back in 2008. Ms. Stewart went to a Top 10 placement at the Miss Universe pageant....
Miss District Of Columbia: Monique Thompkins, 23
Monique LaShone Thompkins was born in Washington, D.C. A dancer by training, the 5'6" beauty is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown. She was awarded a partial scholarship to the University of the Arts. In college, she majored in dance with a concentration in jazz dance performance. Monique also founded a community service organization at the University of the Arts called Ladies of Service. She currently works in federal law enforcement as an investigative research specialist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, Ms. Thompkins is a Washington Redskins cheerleader. She has a fear of balloons, claims that she can beat anyone in a crab-eating contest, and once had 10 piercings.
Miss Illinois: Ashley Hooks, 25
Ashley Hooks is a native of Flossmoor, Illinois, an upper-middle class suburb south of Chicago. The 5'8" beauty works full-time as the special legal projects manager for the State of Illinois’ Department of Central Management Services. In 2008, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. degree in urban planning. Ashley eventually plans to attend graduate school to study public policy and business administration. She is a former community organizer with Citizen Action of New York, and later helped run her father William H. Hooks' successful election campaign for Cook County Circuit Court Judge. If selected as Miss USA, her platform will be to increase public awareness about ovarian cancer (her mother has the disease).
Miss Georgia: Jasmyn Wilkins, 22
Jasmyn "Jazz" Alexandria Wilkins was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but is a resident of Johns Creek, Georgia (a wealthy suburb north of Atlanta). The 5'10" beauty comes from a family of professional basketball players: her father, Gerald Wilkins, once played for the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Vancouver Grizzlies, and the Orlando Magic in the NBA. Her uncle is Dominique Wilkins, an NBA Hall of Famer. Her older brother Damien Wilkins plays for the Detroit Pistons. Jasmyn attends Georgia State University, where she is majoring in nursing. She loves videogames and is a self-proclaimed expert at Rockband. Her nickname "Jazz" is because she plays the saxophone. Ms. Wilkins also used to babysit for Kim Zolciak, one of the stars of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reality television show. Is selected as Miss USA, her platform will be to raise public awareness about organ donation (two organ transplants saved her mother's life).
Miss Maryland: Nana Meriwether, 27
Nana Meriwether was born in South Africa and raised in Potomac, Maryland (which is the fourth wealthiest town in America). The 6'1 beauty is a graduate of the elite Sidwell Friends prep school. Her father is Delano Meriwether, a physician and former U.S. champion in the 100-yard dash, and her mother is a South African-born businesswoman. Nana has a B.A. degree in political science, with a focus on international relations, from UCLA. She later studied there as a post-baccalaureate pre-medical student. Upon graduation from UCLA, she was a two-time NCAA All-American, a Collegiate Volleyball Update Player of the Year and a holder of three national NCAA women’s volleyball records. She led her college team to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2006. Nana also played professional volleyball in Puerto Rico. She is currently applying to medical school. In addition, Nana has a global nonprofit organization called The Meriwether Foundation. The organization operates in five Southern African countries to support and sustain AIDS/HIV orphanages, schools, rural clinics, and community and agricultural projects.
Booker Rising response: Boy, they sure did pull the upper-class black ladies for this year's pageant. I should be rooting for Miss Illinois on account of it being my home state, but I prefer Miss Georgia. I think Miss Georgia is the prettiest of the black contestants, and has the best chance among these ladies of doing well at the Miss Universe pageant. I can also see Miss Illinois doing well at the Miss Universe pageant, although Miss Maryland is my second fave and then Miss Illinois. On paper at least, Miss D.C. doesn't stand out compared to the other three ladies.
Miss USA Pageant: The (Half) Black Contestants
