Abena Akuaba Appiah of the United States of America was crowned Miss Grand International and she’s the first Black woman to hold the title. 

 

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The pageant, hosted in Thailand on March 27, 2021, featured 63 contestants from multiple countries. 

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Appiah succeeds Valentina Figuera of Venezuela, who won the contest in 2019. 

 

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Not only is she the first Black woman to win the international pageant. She is also the first African-American woman to participate while representing the United States of America, the Philippine Star reported. 

During the costume portion of the pageant, she paid homage to victims of police brutality and the faces of Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and George Floyd were featured on her dress. 

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— Abena Akuaba (@AbenaAkuaba) March 25, 2021

Before she participated in this pageant, she represented Ghana in the 2014 Miss Universe, 2016 Queen Beauty Universe and 2019 Miss Earth competitions. 

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Appiah is also a musician with five singles released and she’s participated in music videos for Gucci Mane’s Wake Up in the Sky and Jennifer Lopez’s El Anillo. 

 

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The Miss Grand International Pageant was started in 2013. 

Appiah will remain in Thailand as the organization’s spokesperson in its campaign against all forms of conflict, Phil Star Global reported.