The Royal Spotlight is an interview series where I highlight queens from a variety of pageant systems. This month I had the pleasure of interviewing 2017 Miss Black and Natural New York Alicia Davis.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Queens, New York, where I currently reside. I studied International Health at Georgetown University and currently work at the intersection of both of my career passions, healthcare and technology. In my personal life, I’m a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion of women and men of color in technology, and I also blog about natural hair and career advice through my blog, Cubicles & Curls. Authenticity is important to me so being able to encourage women to show up how they feel comfortable, which can include wearing your hair in it’s natural state, is a great source of pride for me.
When did you start competing in pageants?
My first pageant was the Miss Black & Gold Pageant during my sophomore year in college. I saw students from my school compete the year before and thought it would be a great experience. Even though I didn’t win, I really enjoyed that experience and sought to do more pageants after graduation.
Why do you compete in pageants?
I like to compete in pageants that have a mission and theme that I strongly identify with. For example, Miss Black & Natural resonated with me as a woman who is a strong proponent of black beauty and womanhood and a naturalista myself. I have always found the pageant experience to be a great way to form bonds with other women and get involved with new communities. The sisterhood formed between the other contestants is irreplaceable.
How many titles have you won?
One but hopefully there will more to come in the near future.
Tell us about the Black and Natural Pageant.
Miss Black & Natural was started in Houston, Texas, in 2016 and has since expanded to New York, Atlanta, Mississippi, and Florida. The pageant seeks to celebrate black women’s curls, beauty, and womanhood. Often, black women feel compelled to adhere to European beauty standards to compete in major competitions by straightening their hair. While that’s ok, there should also be spaces where natural hair on the pageant stage is the rule rather than the exception. Black & Natural combats that by requiring all participates to compete with a natural hair style and all appearances the queens make must be done with natural curly or kinky textured hair. As a result, you end up with a celebration of graceful women with locs, afros, curls, braids and more.
How do you prepare for competition?
I always bring my best to anything that I do. When competing, I make sure that I am practicing for all portions of the competition that I’ll be judged for. This includes refining my talent, taking care of my body and well being, and staying abreast on current affairs. Whether I win or not, I know that I represented myself to the best of my abilities and that matters most.
What are your future plans for your pageant career?
Through my work as Miss Black and Natural, I’m hoping to grow the pageants presence in New York State and establish the brand in the natural hair community here. Beyond that, I hope to continue to participate in niche pageants that cater to various aspects of my identities. I’d also like to work with younger future queens to help them develop and grow as young women while pursuing pageantry.
What words of advice do you live by?
“Your dreams don’t work unless you do.” I have a lot of interests and goals and I have learned time and time again that the work I put into achieving my goals always pays off. We sometimes get so caught up in the romance of dreams that we’re too scared to begin moving towards materializing them. I always try to push myself and others to do the work to turn dreams into reality.
Please provide your contact information so that others can reach out to you.
Personal Blog: cubiclesandcurls.com
Instagram: @cubiclesandcurls
Twitter: @alicington
If you are a queen and want to be featured in the Royal Spotlight series, please email krystle@krystlebell.com.
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