Crest Hill 6-year-old wins Little Miss Black Joliet title

A’maree Dixon, 6, of Crest Hill didn’t have any pageant experience when her mother Gabrielle Poe of Crest Hill registered her for the Little Miss Black Joliet pageant.

But A’maree was excited to participate “to show them how talented I am,” she said.

Nevertheless, A’maree was very surprised to hear her name announced as the winner – or “queen” – of the Shorewood-based pageant, which was held Dec. 21 at Joliet Junior College.

Poe was less surprised.

“Creativity runs through our bloodlines,” Poe said.

“The goal we wanted to instill in her was that no matter if you win or lose, you still go up there, you still show up and you do your best.”

—  Gabrielle Poe, mother of pageant winner A’maree Dixon

As part of that family creativity, A’maree chose to sing “Won’t He Do It” by Koryn Hawthorne in the memory of her great-aunt Jacqueline McMurtry of Joliet, who died in 2023, “because we used to sing it to her,” Poe said.

Poe said a number of family members and their businesses supported A’maree with the pageant. Those include A’maree’s pageant sponsor, Clarence and Lydia Lewis, who are A’maree’s uncle and aunt.

In addition, A’maree’s cousin Ashley Nicole Fox of VPS Etiquette Program provided etiquette coaching; Tesheena Marie, owner and designer of T Marie Couture, designed and customized A’maree’s athletic and talent outfits; and Dianne Atkins of Glam with Dianne served as A’maree’s makeup artist, Poe said.

Poise and talents

The Little Miss Black pageant began in 1983, according to the pageant’s website. The last one was held in 2008, pageant President LaTonya Warren said in 2023, when the Little Miss Black Joliet pageant was revived.

The late Thelmon Page of Joliet, the pageant’s previous coordinator, said in 2007 that late Joliet resident Robert Johnson began the pageant as a way for young Black girls to develop poise and to showcase their talents.

“He had a dream for little Black girls, and it is still special and relevant today,” Page said in 2007. “I think it gives children something to look forward to. A lot of the times they start out shy, but by the night of the show, they’re just worked up to perform. We’ve had a lot of our contestants go on to compete in other pageants.”

The same vision applies to the revived Little Miss Black Joliet pageant. Some continue to enter pageants, and some use the experience to polish their skills, said Arnetta Bosby, Little Miss Black Joliet board member and treasurer.

“Even though they have fun and make friends, they still have to stand with poise and confidence and do things they never thought they could do,” Bosby said.

That’s why Poe wanted A’maree to participate.

“She’s very outgoing and very intelligent for her age,” Poe said. “But I wanted her to broaden her horizons, and also to show other people how she can really express herself.”

Poe said sometimes A’maree is reluctant to outshine others. So a pageant was the ideal forum for A’maree to showcase her abilities and talents, develop her leadership skills, and even learn to sing onstage and curtsey, Poe said.

“But the goal we wanted to instill in her was that no matter if you win or lose, you still go up there, you still show up and you do your best,” Poe said. “This is your time to shine.”

An affordable pageant experience

The 2024 pageant followed almost the same format as those from past years. The pageant was open to girls ages 6 to 12, who compete for the title of queen, Bosby said.

Six girls competed this year, and four girls ages 4 and 5 participated as “tiny tiaras” but did not compete, Bosby said.

Contestants competed in three categories: athletic wear, talent and question and projection. The entry fee per child was $250 – and that’s the cost before families must raise sponsorship money, buy outfits, etc., Bosby said.

That’s why the Little Miss Black Joliet committee is considering raising the entry fee next year to accommodate all pageant expenses, Bosby said.

“I understand that pageants are expensive,” she said. “There’s the dresses and the hair and the makeup and renting the tuxes. It really does add up. So if we include some of those things, parents don’t have to go out and provide all those different vendors.”

As queen, A’maree won a free photo shoot, an iPad, a “trophy taller than the queen” and the ability to reign as queen for a year, Bosby said.

A’maree also won a JD Sports gift card for winning the athletic wear category and Beats by Dre product for winning the projection category, she said.

In addition, the two contestants who raised the most money for ads each will have their primary extracurricular activity paid for for six months, Bosby said.

The first runner-up received an iPad, and the second runner-up received a Target gift card. All contestants received swag bags, Bosby said.

Prizes change each year since the amount of money raised changes each year, Bosby said. Pageant costs (including prizes) are covered by entry fees, ads, fundraisers and contestant sponsorships, she said.

However, the actual pageant doesn’t have any sponsors, and Bosby would like that to change in 2025, she said.

“I would love to have sponsors,” Bosby said.

For more information, visit littlemissblackjoliet.com.