Miss New York Nia Imani Franklin beat out 50 other contestants to be named Miss America 2019 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City last night.
She won a $50,000 scholarship and will use her new platform to advocate for arts education, as well as serve as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This was the first Miss America pageant to be held without a swimsuit competition. The organizers have dubbed the new event “Miss America 2.0.”
“These changes, I think, will be great for our organization,” Franklin told a crowd of reporters after the event. “I’ve already seen so many young women reaching out to me personally as Miss New York asking how they can get involved because I think they feel more empowered that they don’t have to do things such as walk in a swimsuit for a scholarship.
“And I’m happy that I didn’t have to do so to win this title tonight because I’m more than just that. And all these women onstage are more than just that,” she added.
