What do Miss America, USA, Teen USA, and Tennessee have in common? They're all beautiful black royalty.
It's hard to believe the southern state has celebrated pageantry for eight decades without crowning a winner of color. Well, it took Brianna Mason to break that barrier during Saturday (June 29) night's 2019 Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition. The Nashville native is officially the first African-American woman to represent the prestigious title and take home a $15,000 scholarship.
Beauty isn't the only asset to this brainy queen. Besides making a change in the world as a pioneer for black girls, she also plays a great role molding the minds of our future as a first grade teacher. Brianna spoke during a brief conference on her crowning achievement.
She'll now have to ramp up her note-worthy piano skills as she'll be representing Tennessee in the next Miss America pageant. In the meantime, she's taking a moment to absorb her new status and thank fans for their support.
Congrats, Queen Brianna!
Photo: TN19
Video: Knoxville News Sentinel