National Miss Juneteenth reflects on reign; local title-holder looks ahead

Aceia "Ace" Spade and Demia Taylor are not your average teenagers getting ready to take on their freshman year of college and junior year of high school, respectively.

Though Spade currently resides in Oregon, she and Taylor were each born and raised in Gadsden and continue to visit family in the area.

"It has taught me many life lessons that have helped me along the way," Taylor said, "Without them, I would not have the knowledge that I have now to be where I am."

"I was born and raised here. I was Miss Emma Sansom in the eighth grade, playing sports all throughout my time here," added Spade. "This place is who I am no matter where I go, because they always know I'm from the South and this place and state is my entire motivation."

But the young women's connection goes much deeper than sharing a birthplace: Spade reigns as the current national Miss Juneteenth, and Taylor holds that title for Gadsden.

"Being Miss Juneteenth has been a dream of mine since I was 3 years old," Spade said at a meet and greet event held by the Gadsden Public Library. "I wanted to hold this title in honor of my grandmothers who weren't able to have this opportunity when they were my age."

"I had done some research on Miss Juneteenth and I entered so that I could represent what I stand for and my unapologetic love for my melanin," added Taylor.

Spade hopes that her reign can be inspirational, especially to the rest of her family members.

"I hope it pushes my little brother, who will have to grow up as a Black man in America, to realize that he can do anything he puts his mind to," she said. "And it's another way to be an activist in the community."

To be the National Miss Juneteenth, Spade had to undergo a lengthy process that involved applications, interviews and essays beginning at the local level and leading up to the national competition.

"There's a 500-word essay, but I would say the biggest part of the application process is the interview," she said. "That is when you get to show how true you are to yourself, which is something that is needed when you compete anywhere, because people can tell when you're acting and not being authentic."

She added that Miss Juneteenth is not just a stereotypical beauty pageant; the focus is on what the applicants can do to bring more awareness to Juneteenth and what it means for them.

"In this role, I serve as a face and a voice not only for my community, but for everywhere I go," Spade said, "So, when they look at the applications that get sent in, they have to consider who can represent their city, state, country and Juneteenth the best. It's a matter of who can bring the most to the table based on those applications."

Taylor is also responsible for the mentorship of a "little" titleholder. Currently, this role is being filled by another Gadsden native, Diamond Carlisle.

"I get to be her coach, and she's become my little mini-me throughout all of this," Taylor said. "They don't really have to compete like we do, so everything is a whole different cup of tea, but she's still really important."

Taylor said the local complication involved an application process much like Spade's, but not as extensive.

"It was very similar to hers (referring to Spade)," she said, "My essay didn't have to be as long, as I wrote a 250-word essay on what Juneteenth meant to me and what I would do when it came to bringing awareness to it."

While Spade will be passing on her crown and title in Washington D.C. on Sunday, she is thankful for the year she has had as Miss Juneteenth, as it has given her the opportunity to represent a holiday she believes everyone should be able to celebrate.

"Juneteenth should be for everyone to celebrate, regardless of any aspect of life," she said, "Words are powerful and I think people should be more understanding of other people's world views, which would make the planet a whole better place to live."

Taylor has only just begun her reign in Gadsden and plans to advocate for Juneteenth in the same way.

"I want to make a change and reach out to those who want to be next and be their confidence," she said. "I want people to know that they can be themselves and be in this role."

Taylor and Carlisle plan to make appearances throughout the year to not only represent Juneteenth and what it means to them, but also to help with other justice initiatives such as the Stop the Violence Peace Walk that was held on Saturday as a way to advocate against gun violence in Gadsden, and the Unity Parade held on Juneteenth.

Spade doesn't plan to stop her activism once her reign ends, and even has plans to focus her entire career on advocating for others.

"I'm going to the University of Oregon in the fall, and I plan to study law," she said. "I want to be in criminal justice lawyer and advocate for those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes and placed on death row."

However, that does not necessarily mean Spade will stop competing for other titles moving forward.

"I plan on competing for Miss USA, but I have to wait until after I graduate from college to compete," she said. "In the meantime, I've done my time as Miss Juneteenth and I'm glad to be passing my crown down and taking a breath to find myself again."

Overall, Spade hopes that she serves as an inspiration for those around her to see that "anything is possible."

"I've had this dream since I was 3 before it was even an official thing, and now I'm 18 and serving in this role," she said, "I want to serve as a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to."

For more information on the Miss Juneteenth program, visit https://www.juneteenthftw.com/missjuneteenthdfw.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: National Miss Juneteenth reflects on year as titleholder