On Sunday night Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned Miss Universe in front of billions of viewers around the world. She joins the ranks of Janelle Commisiong (Trinidan and Tobago, 1977), Wendy Fitzwilliam (Trinidad and Tobago, 1998), Mpule Kwelagobe (Botswana, 1999), and Leila Lopes (Angola, 2011), other Black women who have been bestowed that title.
“Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it,” she said in an Instagram post. “May every little girl who witnessed this moment forever believe in the power of her dreams and may they see their faces reflected in mine. I proudly state my name Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019!”
As we enter into the final year to round off this decade, we currently have Black women holding crowns for Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and now Miss Universe. It’s a historical moment no doubt. And equally inspiring is the fact that most of these women, including Tunzi, took their walk donning their natural God-given crowns. It’s a message that you can be exactly you, and present how you choose, and still be seen as the queen you are.
With her beautiful melanin rich skin and close cropped 4C coils, Tunzi beat out thousands of other women in the worldwide pageant. And she’s deserving. After losing the Miss South Africa pageant in 2017, she wasn’t dismayed, and jumped back in this year to take the crown. She’s also a women’s rights advocate and supporter of the LGBT community.
At 5’10” she’s blessed with legs that never end, easily making her a runway favorite. She’s already walked in shows during Joburg Fashion Week in South Africa and in New York Fashion Week. And the beauty can also appreciate a good pilates class, as evidenced by her stunning bathing suit photos.
We see ourselves in Zozibini Tunzi, and we take this win as a collective win for us, and for our girls. And these photos below are more evidence that our new Miss Universe is an unapologetically beautiful, natural, Black woman. We see you sis!
