Miss Juneteenth Jackson: Mendy Pettigrew
BY JULIA EWOLDT
PHOTOS BY DARREN LYKES
“When I got crowned, I stood there for the longest,” Mendy Pettigrew said, “I didn't believe it, to be honest. I thought I was still dreaming. The whole night was a dream. It was amazing.”
Mendy Pettigrew is Miss Juneteenth Jackson 2023. She wears her crown proudly. Her smile shines brightly. And her words are well beyond her 16 years.
“And when I realized I had won, honestly, I just thanked the Lord. Because he was beside me that whole entire way. I was thinking about quitting. I was terrified. And all I could do was thank the Lord, and I just cried. That's all I could do,” she said.
She was thinking about quitting. And terrified. Two words you don’t expect to hear from a pageant queen. However, Mendy isn’t like other pageant queens you might imagine. And this pageant isn’t like other pageants you’ve been to.
The Miss Juneteenth Jackson pageant is described more as a “sisterhood” than a competition. For months, ten young women worked together to learn about their Black history and culture. The contestants participate in community service, interact with Black business and community leaders, and work on leadership skills.
“This is more than just a beauty pageant. It's about intelligence. It's about knowing your history. It's about the talent that suits you, that embodies who you are. And so that's your personality. Are you quickly on your feet and answering questions? And it's about sisterhood. Can you be the sister that someone leans on when they need a helping hand?” Tisa Day, founder and director of the pageant, said.
“This is more than just a beauty pageant. It's about intelligence. It's about knowing your history. It's about the talent that suits you, that embodies who you are. And so that's your personality. Are you quickly on your feet and answering questions? And it's about sisterhood. Can you be the sister that someone leans on when they need a helping hand?
“We are very proud of Mendy because she just stuck in there and she just went above and beyond to try to love on the other girls,” Day said, “We're looking not only for a girl who will represent us well in the community, and in the nation, but also one who exudes sisterhood.”
And that’s where Mendy comes in. While she had competed in pageants when she was younger, she quit at around eight years old. Before this pageant, she had only done one other recently. But now, she believes in this pageant and what it stands for. She is also excited to fulfill its mission to teach young Black people about the history of Juneteenth, and to especially inspire young women like herself, young women who are breaking stereotypes and making names for themselves. She is addressing stereotypes she has fought her whole life, about her curly hair, her weight, and her abilities.
“One of the questions they asked me during my interview was, ‘What would you tell someone that says pageants are not made for girls your size?’ and I told them pageants represent beauty, not just outer beauty, they represent inner beauty. That interview really helped me because it shows just who I truly was. I am beautiful.”
The pageant experience also gave her greater confidence in herself and wearing her natural hair.
“This pageant has helped me relate and connect to my culture, and my hair. It's helped me realize that I'm truly free now,” she said.
Along with that confidence comes her ability to swim and advocate for water safety.
“I am a lifeguard, and I've been asked a couple times, ‘Can you really swim?’ Yes, I can really swim,” Mendy said.
She is the first Black lifeguard hired at the Milan public pool. Part of her platform is teaching kids water safety, since she lost a friend at a young age to drowning. More than that, she lives with AMPS, which amplifies pain in your body. Water has become a therapy for her.
“Breaking stereotypes has always been part of my life,” she said.
“I will tell everyone to be yourself throughout it all. Keep your head high so your crown won't fall – because we're all queens and kings out there.”
Now, she will not just be breaking stereotypes, but creating a culture around her positivity and missions.
“I will tell everyone to be yourself throughout it all. Keep your head high so your crown won't fall – because we're all queens and kings out there,” Mendy said.
Julia Ewoldt is the Marketing Director for The Jackson Post, Jackson’s newest local newspaper. She moved to Jackson in 2018 to work in media, and simply never left. She and her fiance live in a really old house in Downtown Jackson with their two dogs. When she isn’t writing, or attending an event to then write about, you’ll probably find her in her garden or at the local brewery.
