Nobody knows how to make history like a Black woman, and this year's national pageant queen winners are no exception.
For the first time ever, Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA are all black women and these three ladies just linked up for ESSENCE's most recent digital cover to give us our entire lives. In a shoot shedding light on the beauty of our cultural crowns, Nia Franklin, Chelsie Kryst, and Kaleigh Garris rocked durags, church hats, and head scarves with the kind of style and grace that Biggie rapped about.
If you haven't taken the time to read up on these history-making queens yet, it's time to get familiar. Here's everything you need to know:
Miss America: Nia Franklin
Age: 26
What You Need To Know: Nia was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and composed her first song at only six years old, and has written over 100 songs since. Nia is now a professionally trained opera singer with a degree in Music Composition from East Carolina University and has dreams of one day winning a Grammy. Last year, Nia became the first woman to ever win the pageant without having to compete in the swimsuit competition.
"I think it was important to showcase that as a young woman, as an African-American woman, you can sing opera. [I have found that there is a] stereotype that black people don't sing opera. I wanted to break down those stereotypes on national television." - The Hollywood Reporter
Miss USA: Cheslie Kryst
Age: 28
What You Need To Know: Also a native of the Carolinas, Cheslie was born in Charlotte and later graduated high school in Fort Mill, South Carolina. One of five children, she earned an undergrad degree in marketing and later enrolled in the Wake Forest School of Law for her Juris Doctor and Masters in business administration. While she's not helping other women adjust their crowns, this queen spends her time challenging the justice system on behalf of prison inmates pro bono. Cheslie has decided to take a one-year leave of absence from her law career to be the best damn Miss USA that this country has ever seen.
"I remember I went to an appearance when I was Miss North Carolina and someone came up to me and said it must be so hard to show up and be pretty. And I thought to myself, you don't understand, like, the other things that I do. I'm a full time attorney, I volunteer in my community, and I speak at events. Like, that's not my job to show up and be pretty but my job is to show up and make an impact on my community. And that really is the norm for women you see nowadays." - WFAE
Miss Teen USA: Kaliegh Garris
Age: 19
What You Need To Know: Before claiming her Miss USA Crown, Kaliegh was enrolled in both high school and an educational school for the arts with a concentration in theatre and also has an interest in competitive dance. The biracial queen says that although she spent most of her life trying to straighten her kinks, she's now learned to embrace her crown and all its beauty. Earlier this year, Kaliegh became the first contestant in 20 years to win the title while sporting naturally curly hair.
"I had to stop worrying about where I fit in and have enough strong will within myself to be comfortable with who I am and embrace my natural hair. And that's one of the reasons why I'll always compete with my natural hair." - ELLE
To see ESSENCE's full digital cover spread, click here!
Featured image by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images
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Those myths that you keep telling yourself, and believe to be true may be what's holding you back, boo. Most of the time you're thinking these things on a subconscious level and may not even realize the damage that's being done. But once you gain clarity and call out your limiting beliefs for what they are, you'll finally be able to break free and reach new levels financially.
Let's dig into a few myths that have a direct impact on your money and are keeping you BROKE.
1. “Money is the root of all evil.”
Nah, this right here is a straight-up LIE! The truth is this: the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil. When you think that money is the root of all evil, you're limiting yourself from keeping money, as well as receiving more of it. Without even knowing it, you might be scared of going after opportunities that will get you to the money.
Think about it. How can money be evil? Money is simply a resource that we control. Instead of believing and saying that money is the root of all evil, replace it with this supporting belief instead:
"Money is a resource and a means to do good and live well."
2. "I'm broke."
Broke is a mindset, boo. Your financial situation is shaped by how you think about money, which influences how you manage your money. Guess what? If you keep crying that you're broke, you're going to remain that way. All you are doing is reinforcing that limiting belief into the universe and your actions aren't gonna line up with what you need to do in order to get ahead.
It's imperative that you get a grip on this way of thinking and behaving, or else you'll never be able to break the cycle. I challenge you to think more in terms of abundance and believing that you can be wealthy. Are you up for the challenge?
3. "I can afford it."
You say that you can afford that pair of shoes and then turn around and realize that you don't even have enough money for gas the morning after. You can't just look at your checking account balance in the moment and think that everything is all good. Trust me, I've been there. This is where having a clear-cut, written budget comes in handy.
A budget is really just a spending/savings plan. It's a strategic system that lets you know how much money is coming in and going out every month. In reality, a budget can:
- Help you understand your financial situation and whether you can really afford something or not.
- Help you save for the things you want and do more of what you enjoy.
- Help you avoid getting caught short by bills you can't pay.
- Help you escape the paycheck-to-paycheck life.
4. "I deserve to treat myself."
GiphyHow many "treats" do you need, sis? If you really sit down and keep it 100 with yourself, do you really deserve those so-called treats? Are you taking care of your responsibilities like you should be? Instead of buying things that you don't need (with money you don't have) and labeling them as a "treat," you should be treating yourself by investing in your future and saving some coins.
If you spend all of the money that you earn instead of saving and investing it, you will never create the financial abundance that you do desire to have.
Here's a tip: Try putting both your short-term and long-term savings on auto-pilot so you don't even notice the money that you could be missing. When you don't have to look at it, you aren't tempted by any "excess" that you might have.
5. "I need to make more money and then I'll be better with my finances."
If you can't manage the little that you have now, what makes you think that you're gonna be able to manage more money? The more money you make, the more you're gonna spend if you don't get those habits in check early on. You're going to go right back to complaining about your finances and crying that you're still broke and in need of even more money. You'll never be satisfied. There will never be enough money. Remember, there are former millionaires who are struggling out here in these streets because they wanted to live a "fake fancy" lifestyle and ball out of control.
Start by being content with the income that you currently have and handling it with better care. Learn the ins and outs of sound financial management now, so that when you're finally blessed with more, you'll be able to manage it with ease.
I challenge you to start thinking better, which will ultimately lead to you doing better. It's time to prioritize your finances in a way that you haven't done before if you want to level up this year. It's time to activate your discipline. It's time to finally do something different.
Make the commitment to yourself and decide that absolutely nothing's gonna stand in your way of breaking that broke mentality.
What’s better than being in love? Building an empire while doing it. Watch Making Cents to see how real couples turn their money dreams into money moves.
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Featured image by Shutterstock
Originally published on January 5, 2018