For many Americans, it's likely that Friday, April 28th felt like any other day of little to no significance. Sure, a week was finished, a weekend hopefully began, and a new month was about to start. However, nearly 5,000 miles away, history was being made in Croatia's capital of Zagreb, as a winner was crowned for Miss Universe Croatia 2017.
Croatia is a relatively small European country, with roughly 4.2 million citizens and 22 thousand square miles of land. Although it is small, it contains rich history, culture, traditions, and a strong sense of national identity. It is highly likely that you have little to no affiliation with this country, and that its national news would be unlikely to catch your eye on any given day. However, the country's recent Miss Universe preliminary pageant has put it on the map for an important global conversation regarding race and national identity.
Let me start off by saying that I have a personal connection to this particular event. The newly crowned Miss Croatia is Shanaelle Petty, a 19-year-old half-Croatian, half black student who is one tall (6'1") order.
From her interests in music and the arts, love for family and animals, acceptance into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and well-rounded outside pursuits, she is a young dynamo who embodies the long-desired goal for both beauty and brains. Coincidentally, Shanaelle is also one of my very closest friends, and in my 3+ years of friendship with her, I have no doubt that she is the perfect choice to represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant later this year.
As mentioned previously, the country's recent pageant marked a milestone in its history. This is because Shanaelle, as a half-black/half-Croatian citizen, is the country's first biracial Miss Universe Croatia. This event in itself has resulted in widespread responses, both negative and positive, but reopens the highly discussed topic of the importance of one's ethnicity vs. one's nationality.
Ever since America's beginning, it has slowly but surely established itself as a melting pot of blended backgrounds, languages, skin tones, and cultures to promote anonymity and open interpretation regarding views of the American identity. However, the European continent is at a different stage with this, and individual countries are more in the habit of hanging on to their identity under the umbrella term of "European." While it is important to maintain one's history and tradition, this trend has also, unfortunately, resulted in the stereotyping of native Europeans as white people who just speak different languages.
Although Croatia and other European countries are home to larger white populations than the rest of the world, there is still a problem with recognition and representation regarding minority groups. The fact that Shanaelle is the first biracial Miss Croatia in 21 years of the pageant is a reflection of this issue, but it is also a move in the right direction. Almost immediately after her crowning, social media began swarming together to celebrate her black background and ability to embrace that part of herself while also representing her Croatian identity, which she has always cherished dearly and can now wear proudly across her chest.
I am unimaginably proud of my dear friend for her success in the pageant, but I am even prouder of what I know she is capable of. With her empathy, devotion, and poise, there is no doubt that she will use this milestone in her country's history to move forward with efforts toward equality, stands against discrimination, and serving as a role model for those who have been told that they don't belong.
