Miss Juneteenth crowns Minnesota's young Black queens
Miss Juneteenth exists to 'create a platform that will provide its Black contestants with educational, networking, and career opportunities,' according to the nonprofit. The pageant also aims to highlight the younger generation, their gifts and talents.
The theme for the pageant, held at North Central University in Minneapolis, was 'Rediscovering Our Culture and Redefining Our Freedom.' The contestants competed in opening number, essay, evening gown, onstage Q&A and personal interview categories, according to a press release. They competed for scholarships and awards and were judged on poise, confidence, clarity, originality and more.
'The Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant was more than an event — it created special memories that all the contestants will remember for the rest of their lives,' Angel T. Jones, chief executive officer and founder of the pageant, said in the release. 'They bonded at pre-pageant workshops, learned about the historical significance of Juneteenth and life skills from facilitators. They are well on their way to rediscovering our culture and redefining their freedom.'
This year, a new division, Madam Juneteenth, was created to highlight the talent and intelligence of contestants ages 31 to 39.
The event was also a family affair as two queens from the pageant, Little Miss Juneteenth Brielle Salifu and Junior Miss Juneteenth Nyelle Salifu of Apple Valley, are sisters.
The 2025 Miss Juneteenth queens are:
Little Miss Juneteenth Brielle Salifu of Apple Valley (Division 1, ages six to nine)
Junior Miss Juneteenth Nyelle Salifu of Apple Valley (Division 2, ages 10 to 13)
Teen Miss Juneteenth Khamani Washington of St. Louis Park (Division 3, ages 14 to 18)
Miss Juneteenth Jailynn Brown of Brooklyn Center (Division 4, ages 19 to 24)
Ms. Juneteenth Jailyn Newton of Eden Prairie (Division 5, ages 25 to 30)
Madam Juneteenth Sannia Elzia of Mendota Heights (Division 6, ages 31 to 39)
'These six queens — and all the contestants — are outstanding role models for other young people in the community,' pageant advisor Rev. William Pierce said in the announcement. 'Their intelligence, poise and character were evident to everyone attending the pageant. 'The pageant's board of advisors are honored to have witnessed the transformation over these past months as the contestants learned to embrace their diversity and understand their self-worth.'
For more information, visit missjuneteenthmn.org.
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As Beyoncé's use of Buffalo Soldiers imagery implies, Black Americans also use their story to claim agency over their role in the creation of the country, said Alaina E. Roberts, a historian, author and professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies the intersection of Black and Native American life from the Civil War to present day. 'That's the category in which she thought maybe she was coming into this conversation, but the Buffalo Soldiers are even a step above that because they were literally involved in not just the settlement of the West but of genocide in a sense,' she said. Online backlash builds ahead of Houston shows Several Native influencers, performers, and academics took to social media this week to criticize Beyoncé or decry the shirt's language as anti-Indigenous. 'Do you think Beyoncé will apologize (or acknowledge) the shirt?' an Indigenous news and culture Instagram account with more than 130,000 followers, asked in a post Thursday. 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