‘Representation matters.’ Here’s the story behind Tacoma’s first Miss Juneteenth pageant

The path Amanda Scott-Thomas is on started with tragedy — and a very personal loss.

In May 2022, Scott-Thomas’ close friend, Stephanie Stevens, suffered a heart attack and died suddenly at the age of 43. Stevens had a young daughter, Adaiah, who was finishing first grade and had recently gotten involved in local pageantry events. According to Scott-Thomas, Adaiah was thriving, coming into her own as a young Black girl in a historically and still predominantly white world of pageantry, thanks to the support and affirmation it provided. Scott-Thomas decided to take it upon herself, as Adaiah’s “auntie,” to ensure the death of the girl’s mother wouldn’t stop her from pursuing her new passion.

In short order, Community Aunties was born. Launched by Scott-Thomas last year, the program is designed as a vehicle to help young Black girls like Adaiah get involved with pageantry. Today, Community Aunties is working with a small but growing cohort of Black girls across Pierce and Kitsap counties, successfully reaching young people who would otherwise be excluded or face significant barriers to participation, including the financial burden involved, which can sometimes be thousands of dollars.

On Monday, June 19, Scott-Thomas’ fledgling organization — which hopes to soon register as an official nonprofit — will take the next step, producing Tacoma’s debut Miss Juneteenth pageant as part of the Juneteenth: A Road to Economic Freedom event scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stewart Heights Park on Tacoma’s Eastside.

“It was a shock to the community and a shock to our family,” Scott-Thomas said of Stevens’ death in 2022. “One of the ways that I wanted to continue to support Adaiah — and do something that I knew was important to her and her mother — was to keep her involved.”

“As I continued to support Adaiah, I created Community Aunties to support other girls of color and under-resourced girls, because one of the things I noticed pretty quickly is that there will often only be one Black or brown girl in a room full of white people,” Scott-Thomas continued. “There’s just not a lot of affirmation for Black girls, and so pageantry, for me, is a way to affirm our girls and celebrate them. Representation matters.”

Admittedly, I know next to nothing about pageantry and have often struggled to understand the appeal. While I’m passively aware of big events like Miss America and grew up with the annual Daffodil Princess coronation, hearing Scott-Thomas describe her vision — and her motivations — was eye-opening.

First and foremost, Scott-Thomas says she’s driven by a desire to see Black representation and the dismantling of historically restrictive beauty standards. But this isn’t simply about opening doors for young girls of color, she told me. It’s also about building on a rich but under-appreciated history of African American pageantry in the South Sound.

To put it another way: Scott-Thomas views this year’s Miss Juneteenth Pageant — which will feature seven contestants from across the region — as just the start. Eventually, she wants to reestablish a yearly pageant open to Black girls and boys, similar to what was once known as the annual Afro Pageant and Show.

For years, starting in the early 1970s, Pierce County’s Afro Pageant and Show was open to Black high school students from across the area.

Danielle Martin is a 45-year-old makeup artist and lash technician who represented Clover Park High School in the event nearly 30 years ago. Martin said the event offered participants a chance to showcase their poise, grace and talents, and also served as a valuable networking opportunity for Black youth.

Most importantly, thousands of dollars in scholarships were awarded, said Martin, who is serving as an advisor and volunteer mentor for participants in this year’s Miss Juneteenth pageant.

Scott-Thomas said Monday’s pageant will be similar. Through community support, roughly $5,000 has been raised, which will be broken into scholarships, with all seven participants set to receive something. Preparation for the event has included financial literacy classes, as well as skill-building opportunities like professional interview training. The event itself will feature talent performances, a parade of dresses and an on-stage question-and-answer session. It will feature participants in grades 9 through 12.

“I was about 15 when I saw the princesses for that year on TV,” Martin recalled of her initial interest in participating in the Afro Pageant and Show. “For me to be able to represent my school was a small dream for a teenager, but at the same time, it was a goal fulfilled. Personally, it gave me a lot of confidence. And when it comes to the larger scale, I just really want our girls to know that they belong just as much as anyone else, and it shouldn’t be things like money that keep people out of being able to compete.”

Atiya Canley, the former director of Miss Pierce County’s Outstanding Teen Program, is another volunteer helping to produce this year’s Miss Juneteenth Pageant. Canley participated in her first pageant when she was a student at Washington State University in the early 2000s. Eventually, she competed in two Miss Washington events.

In addition to providing scholarship money for college, Canley said, pageantry can help instill leadership skills, persistence, time management and “grit.”

Like Scott-Thomas, Canley said the benefits of this year’s debut Miss Juneteenth pageant will go far beyond what happens on the stage.

“I had mostly seen white women with crowns, and I didn’t see myself reflected in that,” said Canley. “It was a priceless experience, because whether you walk away with a crown or not, the level of confidence and perseverance it provides can really be important for you throughout your life.”

According to Scott-Thomas, that’s the overarching goal — and it’s one that transcends how we often think about beauty.

She’s excited to see her hard work come to fruition on Monday — and excited to be part of the city’s Juneteenth celebration — but mostly she’s eager to see the positive impact it has on pageant participants, and the lasting impression it leaves on the next generation of Black children.

“It’s not really about beauty because every girl is beautiful,” Scott-Thomas said.

“It’s about being affirmed and celebrated, and Black girls knowing they belong.”