“Miss America!” they said, without missing a beat. Anderson, a black Philadelphia entrepreneur with ties to the NAACP and activist communities, knew that this would be impossible given the ...

Miss Black America’s presence at Frederick Douglass Academy was more than just a ceremonial appearance. It represented a partnership with Mentoring in Medicine, a non-profit organization ...

Explore three career paths and meet the winner of Miss Black America 1984. This episode introduces three career paths: becoming an FBI agent, starting a small business, and working as a claims ...

According to PBS, the Miss America rule book stated in the 1930s that “contestants must be of good health and of the white race.” Following the advances of the civil rights movement ...

On July 23, 1984, Vanessa Williams resigned as Miss America, the first Black woman to win the crown and the first, and only, winner forced to give it up. Williams’ treatment, or rather ...

When Vanessa Williams made history becoming the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America at the 1984 competition, the then-20-year-old became the talk of the nation. Unfortunately, all of what ...

The actress says she felt that Carson was implying "there had to be one Black judge in order for me to win.” Vanessa Williams is reflecting on the early days of her career in a new interview ...

NEW YORK – Vanessa Williams continues to conquer new frontiers. Williams became the first Black Miss America at the pageant in 1984. She then navigated a media controversy surrounding ...