GREENSBORO, N.C. — Rhinestones and sequins shine bright, but not as bright at Tatyana Faulk-Frink’s passion for equity, off and on the stage.
What You Need To Know
- Women of color were not allowed to compete in the Miss America pageant until the 1970s
- The Miss Black USA pageant system is the first and largest pageant organization for women of color
- Tatyana Faulk-Frink, Ms. Black North Carolina 2023, is making it her mission to bring equity on and off the stage
Faulk-Frink is Ms. Black North Carolina 2023 and gets to represent the Tar Heel state. But women of color were not always allowed to participate in pageantry.
One of the most well-known pageant systems in the United States, Miss America, was founded in 1921. For nearly half a century, however, only women who could prove they came from white lineage could compete.
The first women of color were not able to compete until the 1970s, after a rule change allowing multi-cultural contestants was issued. Since then, many multi-cultural pageants have been founded, such as the Miss Black USA organization. The nonprofit has given out over $700,000 in scholarships and is the largest and oldest organization scholarship pageant for women of color.
“It's just a huge thing to have pageants that do celebrate diversity. That's one thing I love about this organization is, because they really celebrate the idea that Black women, diversity and all different hair types, hair shades, hues, it doesn't matter,” Faulk-Frink said.
Faulk-Frink has been competing for the crown for years, and even though she may not get the tiara every time, she is winning more than the title.
“My reason to do this is just to show that Black women and girls can compete on a national level and achieve, we can win. And if nothing else, we can represent and show the amazing things we're doing in our communities and in our states,” Faulk-Frink said.
The beauty queen may have attentive fans now, but she knows what it’s like to be alone.
“So where I'm from, I was often the only Black girl in my musical cohorts training in classical music. So it was important for me to be able to display that, you know, Black women, we, you know, we can play... John Legend. We can also play Mozart and Beethoven, and that we train in classical too. Black girls play classical too,” Faulk-Frink said.
Now that she has a platform, she not only wants to be a role model for other Black girls, she also wants to give them the resources to change their life.
“Where I'm from, sometimes in rural areas, it's hard to have the same resources and opportunities as other areas who are more resourced,” Faulk-Frink said.
In 2015, she started her nonprofit, Her Highness Inc., which provides networking, business and self-esteem skills to girls and young women in her community.
Faulk-Frink often trades in her crown for scrubs as she is working toward her nursing and doctorate degrees, which ties into her pageant platform of health advocacy.
“So one of the things I'm super passionate about is making sure that everyone has equal and fair access to health care and about empowering the younger generation who might not have the same opportunity as everyone else,” Faulk-Frink said.
She represented North Carolina at the Miss Black USA pageant in D.C. in early August.
Faulk-Frink may not have taken home the big crown, but that’s not the little thing that matters to her. It's the legacy she can leave behind, which shines just a little brighter.
“Because ultimately, it's not about the crown for me, it's about a covenant to my patients, my family members, my community, and it's just about showing that I am making that impact and influence. And that's what queendom is about to me,” Faulk-Frink said.
