And in other news.....

Happy New Year folks!

I hope my silence on the M.A.O pageant speaks volumes about how I feel about THAT production!  After the wonderful event, in which Caressa Cameron joined the likes of my favorite Miss America - Vanessa Williams (1984) as well as the equally shocking, yet fun, event which brought us the youngest Miss America ever crowned - Teresa Scanlon, the powers that be sought fit to bring us THAT.

Have we not seen a resurgence in this country over the past twelve months about the DANGERS and traumatizing effects of bullying!?  What does the Miss America Organization go and do but BULLY some of the most talented, intelligent and charismatic young women in the country.  To say I was disappointed in their tactics would be an understatement.  On top of the fact that the WORLD knows Miss Florida should have been in the top 5, the sheer cruelty with which they treated those young women will not soon be forgotten.

What's done is done but I sure hope that all of my true pageant purists and fans write everyone they can so we don't have to witness this horror and injustice next year!

And in other news, before heading out to my MAO watch party with my fellow directors and "former" pageant girls, I had the pleasure to accompany some beautiful young women from the International, Black America and Black USA system to "Black Oppulence" - A VIP gifting suite which preceded the glamorous BET Honors taping in Washington.  The event was hosted by BET's 106 & Park Host Rosci Diaz and Minnesota Viking Visanthe Shiancoe  Enjoy the pics!

 Miss International 2011 Ciji Dodds, and BET's 106 & Park Host Rosci Diaz. 

 Miss International hits the red carpet

 Miss Black Washington USA 2012,  BET's 106 & Park Host Rosci Diaz and 

Miss Black America Baltimore 2012, Alexandra Morton

 

 Miss Black America Baltimore 2012 hits the red carpet

 

You never know "Who's Who"

 It is always quite thrilling to learn about the accomplishments of titleholders outside of the pageantry arena.  It continues to emphasize the fact that pageants are about much more than just looking pretty on stage and in a bathing suit.  Titleholders, every day, are doing so much in their communities and with their titles.  

Chelsey with the unveiling of the publication's cover

Miss District of Columbia International Chelsey Rodgers, Esq. can now count among her many accolades the distinction of being included in the 2010 edition of the “Who’s Who in Black Washington, DC”.  In an official ceremony, held in Washington on September 15th, Chelsey along with other honorees were treated to a preview of the publication after receiving their awards. This distinction places her in the amazing company of Washington luminaries like Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, the Honorable Anna Blacksburn-Rigsby, Rev. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. and BET’s Debra Lee who were also honored in this year’s list.

 Chelsey with Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, former dean of Spelman College

Chelsey is the Director of Business & Legal Affairs for Johnson Media, Inc. and managing attorney for the Law Office of Chelsey Rodgers, PLLC, which services clientele in New York, Maryland and Washington, DC. At Johnson Media, Chelsey oversees expansion strategies into other US markets, serves as event director for the annual Apex Society Power 30 Under 30 Awards, and manages the company’s legal affairs. An alumna of Howard University Law School and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, she also serves as Chairperson of the District of Columbia’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. The Board advises juvenile agencies and ensures juvenile delinquency prevention programs meet the needs of youth in the District.
 

Chelsey with Cassandra Bozeman, COO of Who's Who Publishing

Chelsey with Mrs. DC's Classic American Woman 

Congratulations Chelsey Rodgers - Miss DC International 2010 on your latest honor!