Former Miss Black Tennessee Lorean Mays reads to young girls in the story room at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library. To celebrate Black History Month, Mays is educating young black girls that their dreams can become reality.APPLY NOW TO PAGEANTS• Applications to the following pageants are being accepted. Visit www.missblacktennesseeusa.org for more information.• Miss Black Athens USA/Miss Black Athens Talented Teen USA• Miss Black Chattanooga USA/Miss Black Chattanooga Talented Teen USA• Miss Black Cleveland USA/Miss Black Cleveland Talented Teen USA• Miss Black Knoxville USA/Miss Black Knoxville Talented Teen USA
Young girls may dream of being Miss America, but a former Miss Black Tennessee USA says that dream is outside the realm of possibility to many black girls. She’s hoping to change that.
To celebrate Black History Month, Lorean Mays, 28, is educating young black girls that their dreams can become reality. The lessons begin with teaching the girls to value their heritage, despite what they may see on TV, she said.
“As a young girl, I loved to watch the Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, but I noticed there was not a lot of African-American representation,” she said.
“The pageant systems then just didn’t seem to appeal to the African-American community, and when you don’t see yourself being represented on the big national and international stages, it becomes intimidating and disheartening.”