Thirty Years Ago
Thirty years ago, history was made.
In 1990, Detroit native Carol Gist became the first African American to win the Miss USA title.
The then-20 year old Northwood junior marketing major first won the title of Miss Michigan in 1989. She also was the first contestant from the state of Michigan to win the title, breaking a five-year streak of winners from Texas. Gist’s historical win came six years after New York native and future entertainer Vanessa Williams became the first African American woman to be crowned Miss America. Gist’s win earned her a spot in the Miss Universe pageant where she placed first-runner up to Miss Norway, Mona Grut.
Writer Elwood Watson writes in his 2010 Black Past article on Gist that, “throughout her reign as Miss USA, Gist captivated audiences with her stories of being from a single parent home where she had a number of siblings and having to overcome numerous financial and social obstacles…her story contrasted sharply with the middle class backgrounds of most of her competition and of previous Miss USA crown holders.”
Following her win, other Michigan residents also were crowned winners, including Miss USA 1993 Kenya Moore and Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih.
Despite the historic win, Gist has kept a relatively low profile compared to her more famous counterparts Williams and Moore. Writer Rachelle Williams writes in her 2019 Reel Rundown article, “Carole Anne-Marie Gist, the First Black Miss USA, that “after the glitz and glamour of the crown died down, she [Gist] briefly dabbled in a singing career, but ultimately she did not care for the L.A hustle, so she went back to Michigan to pursue her studies.”
Gist later earned a Master of Education degree in Kinesiology from Wayne State University. Today, Gist currently works as a Wellness Coordinator at Wayne State University.
