WASHINGTON — The coronation ceremony for the newly crowned Miss Black D.C. USA 2020 is one week away and the public's invited.
The pageant’s new titleholder, Amini Bonane, is a Harvard graduate student. She said one of the reasons she competed for the crown was to expand her platform on mentoring and efforts to find missing women of color. She has a campaign called "Find My Sister" that's dedicated to raising awareness.
Her coronation ceremony will be coupled with a charity fundraiser for the cause.
"First, I want to raise awareness so that people know the signs because there’s so much misinformation out there," Bonane said. "I’m trying to raise funds directly for the girls who are still missing."
According to Black and Missing in America, Inc., nearly 40% of missing people are persons of color while African-Americans make up only 13% of the population.
Bonane is also passionate about encouraging others to be themselves. She said she's not what many would call a "typical beauty queen."
"Usually when you think of a pageant queen, you have a stereotypical idea, but I like to bring my own flavor into the mix," she said. "Another thing that I think is really important is not to compromise yourself trying to fit into other people’s mold of who you should be."
Bonane’s coronation ceremony and charity fundraiser is Feb. 1 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The location in Fairfax County will be disclosed upon RSVP.
D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser is expect to attend among other D.C. government officials and professionals. The event will be an evening of networking, performances and philanthropy.
For more information on tickets, visit here.