Miss Tennessee Latina Lilibeth Leon
The Miss Tennessee Latina Pageant will not take place in 2009, according to Marjorie Weller, state coordinator of the 2008 event. The national pageant, Miss Latina US, has also been pushed back from its originally scheduled September 2009 date and moved to May 25–30, 2010, with some details still yet to be finalized. The national Teen pageant for younger contestants, is on hiatus and will be separated from the main national competition going forward.
The Tennessee pageant was last held November 22, 2008, and the reigning Miss Tennessee Latina is Lilibeth Leon, a senior at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga who grew up in Jackson, Tennessee.
Interviewed by the Jackson Sun, Leon described the benefit of having a Miss Tennessee Latina pageant:
Sometimes I feel like we're overlooked. There are so many Hispanic girls out there who are bilingual and accomplished. It's so important for us to gather and do events like that. This just shows other Hispanics that they're not alone.When asked to describe her greatest inspiration, Leon pointed to her mother:
She came here not knowing how to speak English. After sheLeon and Miss Teen Tennessee Latina Alexia Medina were also the focus of this photo-filled interview in eSpanglish Magazine.
learned how to speak English, she started helping other women who can't. She takes them to the doctor. She does a lot in the community, especially in Jackson.
Both Leon and Medina have roots in Mexico and in Georgia.
Photo used with permission of Miss Tennessee Latina Pageant and Lilibeth Leon. Photo by SamFotos.com. All rights reserved.
Good. I don't like these "pageants". This is a part of American culture best left alone. Its demeaning.
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