First Black Woman Crowned Miss Ireland in History-Making Win

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Pamela Uba made history on Sept. 5 as the first black woman to be crowned Miss Ireland.

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Uba was working as a model and a medical scientist during the pandemic before becoming a beauty queen. She traveled from Johannesburg, South Africa, at age 7, then an asylum seeker looking to start a new life in Ireland.

Uba told the Irish Times she thought it was “strange” that, upon her arrival to the country, she “couldn’t hear gunshots.” {snip}

{snip} “I am so grateful I can show girls that [color] is not something that holds you back and it doesn’t matter where you come from, the world is your oyster.”

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Uba plans to use her title and position to present a more diverse picture of Ireland to the world. “I’ve experienced racism, and it’s horrible to hear people telling me to go back to my country when I’ve worked so hard to make Ireland my home,” she said.

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