In pictures: Five top beauty pageants in the world won by black women this year

With Toni-Ann Singh from Jamaica taking the Miss World 2019 crown, the year marks the success of five black women reigning world's top beauty pageants.

Who is Toni Ann Singh? She is a young 23-year-old graduate from Florida State University to win the coveted Miss World beauty pageant this year. Singh was born in Morant, St Thomas, Jamaica, in 1996. She migrated to the US with her parents Jahrine and Bradshaw when she was nine and has since lived in Florinda since. Her father, Bradshaw Singh, is an Indo-Caribbean, which explains her family name. Music has always been a big part of her life, she says, and her rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘I have nothing’ during the competition won her the segment and lot of fans. She has considered singing professionally, but chose to study medicine instead. She aspires to be a doctor but has not closed the door on music.

Toni-Ann Singh (left). For the record, Singh is all about women’s empowerment. Singh is a psychology and women studies graduate of the Florida State University. “I think I represent something special, a generation of women that are pushing forward to change the world,” she told Morgan during the pageant. Even during the Miss Jamaica pageant, she vowed to be an ambassador for women everywhere. “With or without the Miss Jamaica World Crown, I would continue to advocate for women. I believe women are the lifeblood of our community,” she said then, according to heavy.com. “I will continue inspiring them and working with them so they understand just how great their potential is. I will also use my compassion to be an excellent ambassador.”

Zozibini Tunzi won the Miss Universe 2019 on December 9. Zozibini Tunzi, the first black South African to win the beauty pageant wore her hair natural. She is an advocate of natural beauty.

Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, of South Africa, appears at a press conference following the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant. She has been winning the hearts of people for taking part in the pageant and winning the title with her natural afro-textured hair. She refused to wear a wig and this shows her confidence and how comfortable she is under her skin

Zozibini Tunzi said in a media interview that beauty has been stereotyped to look a certain way. "When you open a magazine, that's what you see. When you open television, that's what you see. And it becomes embedded within society and ourselves." But Tunzi has challenged this stereotyping and worn her hair natural for sometime now.

Cheslie Corrinne Kryst crowned Miss USA 2019 earlier this year. She is an American television presenter. As Miss USA, she represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2019 competition and finished 10th. Previously, she had been crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2019, becoming the third woman from North Carolina to win Miss USA.

Outside of pageantry, Kryst is a licensed attorney and has served as a correspondent for Extra since October 2019. Kryst was born on April 28, 1991, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to a Polish American father and an African American mother. She has four brothers, Asa, Chandler, Jet and Brooklyn, and a sister, Page. Her mother, April Simpkins, competed in pageantry and was crowned Mrs. North Carolina US when Kryst was a child. Kryst grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina and attended Northwestern High School.

Who is Kaliegh-Garris? Kaliegh Garris is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2019. Garris had previously been crowned Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2019; she is the second entrant from Connecticut to have been crowned Miss Teen USA, following Logan West who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2012.

As the number of black winners of beauty pageants rose throughout the year, peaking with five total after Saturday’s Miss World event, other powerful black women took notice. Oprah Winfrey tweeted about Tunzi’s speech, and Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) praised Kryst, Garris and Franklin, who won Miss America. “You are trailblazers,” Harris said.

Who is Nia Franklin? Nia Imani Franklin (born July 27, 1993) is an American composer and beauty pageant titleholder. In June 2018, she was crowned Miss New York 2018.[1] On September 9, 2018, she was crowned Miss America 2019 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, by the outgoing Miss America 2018, Cara Mund.[2] With her win, 2019 became the first year that all four major United States-based pageants were won by black women; other titleholders were Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa (as Miss Universe 2019), Kaliegh Garris (as Miss Teen USA 2019) and Cheslie Kryst (as Miss USA 2019)

Nia Franklin in picture. All five title-holding women represent a range of professional backgrounds and experiences. Kryst is an attorney with a law degree and an MBA from Wake Forest University who is working to reshape the criminal justice system. Tunzi has raised awareness of climate change and gender-based violence. Garris started the We Are People 1st organization, which aims to educate others about people, like her sister, who live with disabilities. Franklin has advocated for the preservation of arts education in school. And Singh, the most recent winner, wants to be a doctor.