Featured Ministry of the Month

Miss Black Tennessee USA 2010 LaDonna Yvette Boyd Nashville, TN -- (October 27, 2009) -- The Miss Black Tennessee Scholarship Organization is proud to announce the crowing of LaDonna Yvette Boyd as the new Miss Black Tennessee USA 2009 on October 25 in Nashville. This marks her first step into a journey that will take her across the state of Tennessee and beyond as she advances to the Miss Black USA national competition in 2010.

Boyd, a native of Nashville, is an alumna of Spelman College and is currently pursuing her MBA from Belmont University Massey Graduate School of Business. For her talent, she performed a classical flute composition. She is the daughter of Dr. T.B. and Yvette Boyd.

Boyd now shares the prestigious title with the first crowned Miss Black Tennessee, Oprah Winfrey, for which a special award was presented and accepted on her behalf by her father Vernon Winfrey and his wife Dr. Barbara Winfrey at this year's pageant at Hotel Preston.

Elaine Cato, board chair of the Miss Black Tennessee Scholarship Organization, believes Boyd will have much success with the organization behind her. "I'm very excited about the upcoming reign for our new queen. Our organization leads the pack as a supporting source of college funding by providing scholarships for African American women and offering an avenue for educational advancement and creative expression through community involvement. With our collaborative efforts we produce a wonderful pageant and offer a great experience for our contestants to reflect on for the rest of their lives," she said.

The Miss Black Tennessee Scholarship Pageant, sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company, was hosted by international television personality, April Woodard. “This was truly a competition of three dynamic ladies whom all possess beauty, talent, and brains,” Woodard said.

Along with the title, Boyd received a $2000 scholarship from the Miss Black Tennessee Scholarship Organization among numerous other gifts and prizes. LaShan Matthews passed the crown to Boyd shortly after an emotional farewell performance as Miss Black Tennessee 2009. To request Miss Black Tennessee for speaking engagements and community appearances, contact Lynet Payne, Executive Director, at [email protected]

ABOUTThe Miss Black Tennessee Scholarship Pageant is an auxiliary of The Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant. Founded in 1984 to advance educational and professional opportunities for women of African- American descent, it is recognized as one of the premiere pageants of this nation.