African American Beauty Pageant Analysis

The importance of a beauty contest for an African American woman during the 1950s and 1960 goes beyond anesthetics. For African American women during the 1950s the presentation of her combated racist depiction of blacks. For an African American women to win a beauty contest on a college campus would be a major victory for African American women everywhere. In the 1956 spring semester at the Southern University of Iowa Dora Lee Martin won the school beauty pageant, she was the only African American woman in the competition, out of twenty-nine. In the news paper article, named “Queen of the Campus, dated February 4, 1956 it gives a description on the crowds reaction when Dora Lee Martin won the pageant. The article and picture was taken by …show more content…
The importance for African American women wining an beauty pageant in a dominantaly white college had a huge impact all over the country. Her story became a national story in the predominantly black and white magazines. Dora Lee Martin, a 17 year old freshman from Houston, Texas sung The Yellow Rose of Texas for her talent competition. After finishing the entire auditorium gave her standing ovation. On that day, December 9th, 1955, the male students casted 1924 ballots. The next day December 10th, 1955 at the gala winter dance, Dora Lee Martin won by more than fifty votes. She was the only African American women in the …show more content…
Although, it was a major victory for African American women, their were still racial discrimination towards them in college. More specifically, Dora Lee Martin got discriminated against, she found a cross with “KKK” on their dormitory doors . Discrimination against women, especially African American women still occurs to this day. Finally, the discrimination of women is a systemic issue that has undermined the United States for over three hundred years. Change needs to occur for the future of success of the United States of