ABOVE: Danville’s first Miss Juneteenth Serenity Reed (R) poses with her younger sister Presence (L) Saturday afternoon in Ellsworth Park.
Friday evening(June 19th) in Danville’s first ever “Miss Juneteenth” pageant, recent Danville High School grad and Bradley University bound Serenity Reed took the title. Catching up with her the next day during Juneteenth activities at Ellsworth Park, Reed told CIMG she’s hoping to set the table for future pageant contestants who have big dreams.
AUDIO: I hope that I can be a voice, and an inspiration and a motivation to other Black girls who show with confidence and security. This is for them. It will help them. And I just really hope I can really hold that to them.
A display of historical work done by students at Ellsworth Park’s Juneteenth celebration over the weekend.
Reed will be a Biomedical major at Bradley University, and says she has specific goals.
AUDIO: I plan to pursue a career as an OBGYN. So in women’s health; I am a huge advocate for all women’s health, but especially especially Black women; as the main cause of their death is maternal. So, as a future OBGYN, I hope I will get the opportunity to change that.
Reed said the pageant included a “decades” segment, where candidates had to name key figures for a specific decade, and what important things they did. There were also “talent,” “evening gown,” and “Q and A” segments.
