Madison native TeKema Balentine wins Miss Black USA

Stephen Cohn by Stephen Cohn

Romulo Ueda

Madison native TeKema Balentine, Miss Black Wisconsin 2019, took the national crown Sunday afternoon. Balentine will now serve as Miss Black USA 2019.

Balentine, 25, is pursuing a nursing degree at Madison Area Technical College. She’s a Madison East High School graduate.

She competed against 32 other contestants in multiple categories, including personal interview, personal fitness, talent, evening gown and on-stage question.

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Your Miss Black USA 2019, Tekema Balentine, is pursing a nursing degree at Madison College. She works as an agency model, care giver, and coach for Madison East Track and Field. She currently sits on the committee for P.A.T.C.H.(Providers and Teens Communication for Health), a program organized by Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health. �: @vwellstudios

A post shared by Miss Black USA (@missblackusa) on Aug 11, 2019 at 4:42pm PDT

The Miss Black USA Organization is the first and oldest scholarship pageant for women of color, awarding more than $500,000 in scholarships, according to the pageant’s website.

You can learn more about the pageant at MissBlackUSA.org

Boys and Girls Club of Dane County director Michael Johnson wrote in a Facebook post how proud he is of Balentine.

“A week ago she was prepared to sleep in her car and did not have enough money to attend (the pageant).” said Johnson. “Because of her perseverance she now holds the national title because many of you believed in her!!”

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