Recently crowned Miss Liberia New York during a pageant held in Stapleton, she went on to capture the national Miss Liberia title last Friday in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia.
The 20-year-old Clifton resident says her crown has given her the stature to speak out on the need for freedom of cultural expression -- a calling that she adopted for herself as a student back in her sophomore year at Notre Dame Academy, Grymes Hill.
"This is a very big thing for me. My mission is my platform," said Miss Tunis. She acknowledged that when many teens try to identify what's important to them and commit it to paper, they often grasp at anything simply to complete an assignment.
For her, it was different. For her, everything has come full-circle in four years. "Now, I get to do everything I want to do," she said, recalling her original goals in high-school. "This is a true blessing to me."
The national competition was no walk in the park. Miss Tunis competed against young women from seven other states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Georgia, California, Texas and New Jersey.
"We spent six days together. I began to realize this is a competition. All of them had something unique to offer," she said.
Miss Pennsylvania, for instance, who roomed with Miss Tunis, was passionate about looking at situations from a different angle. Miss Georgia was the "big sister or mother figure," said Ms. Tunis, and Miss Michigan, who won the friendship award, "was selfless."
In the end, though, Miss Tunis, seemed to be the most unique. She beat out the other women with impressive performances in each round of the pageant, modeling a dress to the beat of 2Face's "African Queen," showing off in a white swimsuit and finally performing a poem titled "I am black and beautiful."
Asked what she would do if she were Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Miss Tunis said she would use education to unite the country. For the record, she herself is majoring in public relations and minoring in broadcast at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.
Miss Tunis said she is wearing more than a crown; she is wearing the mantle of a country. "I am a Liberian. Both my parents were born in Liberia. This represents my whole nation. I'm not just representing my state, but a nation," she said.
Though the national title is the end of the line, in terms of competition, Miss Tunis said she is just getting started. "I feel like I made everyone proud. Miss Liberia doesn't stop here."
At the pageant organized by the Liberian United Women in Progress (LUWIP), Ms. Tunis appeared to be destined to make history, when she snatched the Miss Liberia USA 2008 Crown at the Friday night event held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the heart of Philadelphia.
The annual Miss Liberian pageant is hosted by the illustrious women of the Liberia United Women in Progress (LUWIP), and it coincides with the celebration of Liberia’s 161st Independence Day on July 26th. Eight women representing their respective states put up a fabulous show as they tried to win the prestigious Miss Liberia 2008 crown. The show began with the Queens stepping on stage in their elegant African attires.
Under the watchful eyes of judges led by former Liberian arch national goalie and community activist, D. Zeogar Wilson, eight beautiful women, including Miss Ophelia Chulu of California, Miss Maima Harriet Badio of Pennsylvania, Miss Georgette Wade Jarba-Wayne of Michigan, Miss Cassandra Zoewi Bornstein-Baylor of Texas, Miss Korvi Wanga Kamara of Maryland, Miss Alida Wilson of New Jersey and Miss Belloh Paulette Julius of Georgia participated in various aspects of the pageant.
In the round for Evening wears, Miss New York Hananatu Tunis who was announced first, elegantly stepped towards the stage followed by other contestants fully attired in various fashionable dresses. They marched to the beat of 2Face’s “African Queen.” Each contestant choosing what seemedto be a dress that would reveal not only their beautiful and God given shapes, but a dress that stands for respect, honor and integrity.
In the swimsuit competition, the beauty Queens sported white bikini suits. They walked the stage with smiles as the audience cheered their every move.
Ms. Tunis did a monologue entitled “I am Black and Beautiful”, a poem she recited as her talent to the delight of the roaring audience. The New Yorker concluded her poem with “ I am black and beautiful. Don’t judge me because of my color.”
During the question and answer period, Ms. Tunis snubbed nervousness when Arthur Watson, former President of the Union of Liberian Associations in the America (ULAA) posed a question on what would she do to unite Liberians home and abroad if she were President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is Liberia’s and Africa’s first female president.
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| Hananatu Tunis with other contestants |
The reigning Miss Liberia 2008, in response, underscored the importance of sound education for Liberians. She said if she were President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, she would encourage education as the basis for uniting the country, so that people would be educated to make informed decisions. She said she would improve the system and would encourage the youths to enroll in schools to become good future leaders.
The same question was asked all contestants. In response, Miss Pennsylvania said she would ensure that Liberians are on familiar terms with their cultural values and other various qualities to drive the nation towards unity. For Miss Michigan, she would have planned programs to enforce education as a tool to rebuild confidence among Liberians. Miss Maryland said she would inspire Liberians to have a sense of belonging and promote true Liberian culture and values.
Miss Texas said if she were President Sirleaf, she would work to build the level of self respect in the hope that Liberians will gain their self-confidence, that would lead to Liberians respecting one another in order to build a unified country. Miss New Jersey said she would have instituted programs that would unite Liberians.
Amidst the glamorous and eloquence that characterized the occasion, there were few mishaps that brought laughter to the audience. Responding to the question asked, Miss California replied nervously when she choked and took a deep long breathe as the crowd jeered.
Overwhelmed with anxiety, Miss Georgia mispronounced President Johnson-Sirleaf’s name as “Ellen St. James” when responding to the question posed by Arthur Watson.
In the end, Ms Tunis, 20, was crowned by outgoing Miss Liberia, Ms. Mamawa L. Fofana amidst cheers from the jam-packed Convention hall. This is New York first time winning the crown, said one of the Pageant's organizers. The crowning of the new Miss Liberia followed the final walk of the outgoing Queen.
The new Miss Liberia is currently pursuing a degree in Public Relations at the Barry University. Her mission in life is to be an advocate for the youths who are oppressed in many ways. "I will persuade youths to learn and exercise the concept of "Freedom of Cultural Expression," she said in the LUWIP brochure.
Ms. Tunis further said that she would become an aid to youths in uplifting them from any restraint whick keeps them from expressing themselves freely. "They will become empowered and gain a sense of security. I will teach them how to express themselves through arts. Thus I will empower youths and give them a voice."
She vowed to accomplish this goal of youth empowerment and many other youth related effort.
Miss New Jersey took home the third runner-up award, while Miss Maryland and Miss Georgia finished as second and first runner ups.
An electrifying performance by the newest Liberian sensation, Jodi kept the crowd on its feet. His “Liberian Girl” track resonates with Liberian girls who yearned for more performances from the rising star from Florida. Former Mighty Barrolle player Dominic Brapoh also entertained the audience at the pageant.
The President of LUWIP Edith Wilson thanked major sponsors, including ACANA and Brown’s Shop Rite. Michael Gray and Leslie Cole thanked the organization for their hard work and presented them with a plaque from the United States Congressan, Donald Payne of New Jersey.
The Liberian United Women in Progress (LUWIP) was founded in 2000 by a group of strong and promising Liberian women who share a passion for promoting and supporting young Liberian women. LUWIP is a not-for-profit and non-political organization that has maintained a tradition for the past six years of empowering Liberian women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum for them to express their opinions, talents, and intelligence. LUWIP is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Their mission is to raise funds for the purchase of life’s basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and medicines for our unfortunate loved ones. We also strive to promote the awareness to other international organizations of the plight of our people. More so, LUWIP serves as a beacon to promote moral values by encouraging women to pursue education, self-empowerment, and improving their standard of living. Over the past six years the LUWIP Organization has been involved in the following international projects.
The pageant was attended by an array of Liberian community leaders, including ULAA executives, Vofee Jabatah, CEO of ACANA and Anthony Kesselly, candidate for the ULAA presidency.`
Judges for the night were D. Zeogar Wilson, Celue D. Doe, Michael Gray, Samilia Neufville, and Emmanurel S. Wettee, who did not show up. Wettee is the current president of ULAA. Tally judges were Joshua F. Cassell and Beyan G. Kesselly.
Cub Reporter Thomas George contributed to this story/ Additional reporting by Michael Bechek and Marjorie Hack / Staten Island Advance