THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WAS just reading your article about the newly crowned Miss Jamaica and I am about to burst a blood vessel if I do not express my total disgust with seeing these near-white girls always representing us under the banner of 'Miss Jamaica'.
Are there no beautiful black-skin Jamaican girls entering this so-called beauty contest? I live in a white man's country so when I read about my country I want to see my people being represented. Tell me, when was the last time you saw a beautiful black-skin girl being crowned 'Miss UK', 'Miss Australia', or 'Miss Sweden'? Even America does better than us if only for political reasons or just for showcasing! The last time a black skin girl was crowned Miss Jamaica was way back in the 70's. Almost 30 years ago! Then it was politically correct for Joan McDonald to receive the crown because black was in and the contest had lost favour with what then seemed to have been a society which was growing up to respect and love itself.
And to think that an entire ballroom could erupt in support of her with her 'classic old Hollywood beauty and grace'! Whoever wrote that article obviously watches too much Turner Classic Movies and needs to be brought into the 21st century, and I dare not write what else I would suggest needs to be done with this writer. Who is this writer? It certainly could not be another black skin Jamaican.
Can't someone establish a real Miss Jamaica beauty contest and allow our black skin girls to show off their beauty and brains? But then again, maybe no one there would go out and support them because we are still colonised in our minds to believe that the closer to white we look, the more we fit the profile of being beautiful. We will forever be holding up other races and putting down our own. How can we expect our young black children to grow with the confidence that they are also beautiful and that we celebrate their beauty?
I am etc.,
AKILI MALAWEE
boldnbright@yahoo.co.uk
Via Go-Jamaica
