You know about the Rose Parade Queen, but in Pasadena, there's a new Queen in town.
Eryn Pollard was recently named the 2019 Miss Black Pasadena.
- Eryn Pollard recently crowned Miss Black Pasadena
- Program was started in 2018 to empower young black women
- Royal court includes two princesses who join Queen in participating in service activities
The Miss Black Pasadena Mentor and Scholarship Program started in 2018 as an opportunity to empower young Black woman and encourage their participation in the community.
“As we started our program we found out there was another Miss Black Pasadena/Altadena that was around in 1992. Our program is a little bit different. It’s more of a mentor and scholarship opportunity for the girls,” said Tamieko Foster, Founder of Miss Black Pasadena. "The pageant portion it’s just the cherry on top.”
Pollard is a classically-trained singer who was selected out of 25 applicants for her public speaking talent and grade point average. The high school junior will receive a $1,000 college scholarship donated from community members and organizations.
Pollard says representing young black women is important to her.
“In the media now we have a lot more representation, but still in every day society, I don’t think that a lot of black girls think that their black is beautiful,” Pollard said. "They need to know their black, everything about them, is important and makes them pretty and makes them beautiful.”
The Miss Black Pasadena royal court is complete with two princesses. All of them will be mentors and participate in service activities throughout the year.