Girls With Special Needs Strut Their Stuff at New York Pageant
- 6 years ago
Emma Duke’s big moment had finally arrived.
The 22-year-old had been practicing her dance, a traditional Nigerian "coming of age" routine, for a month.
Duke smiled wide as the song began, and it wasn't long before the crowd at the Miss Special Staten Island pageant went wild.
Off to the side of the stage, her family danced right along with her.
“I’m lost for words; I’m so excited," said her mom, Anyin. “We were chanting her on, encouraging her."
Duke was one of nine contestants participating in the inaugural event, which was dedicated to increasing inclusivity and empowering girls with special needs.
The pageant, which was held at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn hotel on July 8, was the brainchild of Karyn Turner, who first came up with the idea 45 years ago.
"Isn’t it kind of weird that disabled girls don’t have beauty pageants?" Turner remembered asking a friend. "And I’ve been waiting and waiting and it just never happened, so I figured now’s a great time to do it."
Crowned Miss Black Staten Island at 18 years old, Turner understood firsthand just how much representation mattered.
“I really want to expose the fact that we need more inclusivity,” Turner said.
With nine contestants between the ages of 13 and 30, each contestant had a moment to show the judges exactly what made her so special.
The event kicked off with a parade of contestant introductions, followed by a group dance. The young women then showcased their individual talents, along with their poise and presence in an evening wear segment.
The pageant wasn’t just a big deal for the contestants.
"It’s a very big day," contestant Emma Efrosman’s mom, Rachel, told InsideEdition.com. "People don’t acknowledge special needs children. They think that they can't do what a typical child can do. But they can."
She added: “I’m so emotional right now. I’ll probably be crying. For her as you can see, she’s not. She’s ready to go."
Efrosman's "never quit" attitude is shared by each of the Miss Special Staten Island contestants.
"When things get hard, she keeps trying," Rachel said. "For a special needs child, it’s not that easy to get up on the stage and dance by herself, but she’s doing it."
Before the contestants showed off their talents, the judges met with each girl to ask why they chose to compete.
One girl's response really stood out for judge Gracelyn Santos.
“One of the answers that really touched my heart was a young lady who said that she’s here to show the world, not just Staten Island, that they can do anything that they want," Santos told the crowd. "All they need is to have family and friends who support them."
That contestant, 29-year-old Vernel Black, has autism and was nonverbal until she was 8 years old. She turned to the arts, specifically photography, as a method of communication, she told InsideEdition.com.
"I was used to expressing myself through drawing, pictures, pointing," Black said.
Having graduated with a degree in photography and a minor in
The 22-year-old had been practicing her dance, a traditional Nigerian "coming of age" routine, for a month.
Duke smiled wide as the song began, and it wasn't long before the crowd at the Miss Special Staten Island pageant went wild.
Off to the side of the stage, her family danced right along with her.
“I’m lost for words; I’m so excited," said her mom, Anyin. “We were chanting her on, encouraging her."
Duke was one of nine contestants participating in the inaugural event, which was dedicated to increasing inclusivity and empowering girls with special needs.
The pageant, which was held at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn hotel on July 8, was the brainchild of Karyn Turner, who first came up with the idea 45 years ago.
"Isn’t it kind of weird that disabled girls don’t have beauty pageants?" Turner remembered asking a friend. "And I’ve been waiting and waiting and it just never happened, so I figured now’s a great time to do it."
Crowned Miss Black Staten Island at 18 years old, Turner understood firsthand just how much representation mattered.
“I really want to expose the fact that we need more inclusivity,” Turner said.
With nine contestants between the ages of 13 and 30, each contestant had a moment to show the judges exactly what made her so special.
The event kicked off with a parade of contestant introductions, followed by a group dance. The young women then showcased their individual talents, along with their poise and presence in an evening wear segment.
The pageant wasn’t just a big deal for the contestants.
"It’s a very big day," contestant Emma Efrosman’s mom, Rachel, told InsideEdition.com. "People don’t acknowledge special needs children. They think that they can't do what a typical child can do. But they can."
She added: “I’m so emotional right now. I’ll probably be crying. For her as you can see, she’s not. She’s ready to go."
Efrosman's "never quit" attitude is shared by each of the Miss Special Staten Island contestants.
"When things get hard, she keeps trying," Rachel said. "For a special needs child, it’s not that easy to get up on the stage and dance by herself, but she’s doing it."
Before the contestants showed off their talents, the judges met with each girl to ask why they chose to compete.
One girl's response really stood out for judge Gracelyn Santos.
“One of the answers that really touched my heart was a young lady who said that she’s here to show the world, not just Staten Island, that they can do anything that they want," Santos told the crowd. "All they need is to have family and friends who support them."
That contestant, 29-year-old Vernel Black, has autism and was nonverbal until she was 8 years old. She turned to the arts, specifically photography, as a method of communication, she told InsideEdition.com.
"I was used to expressing myself through drawing, pictures, pointing," Black said.
Having graduated with a degree in photography and a minor in