A Black woman has made history as she became the first to win be crowned Miss Ireland 70 years after the competition began in 1947.
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26-year-old Pamela Uba won the title in Cavan on Sunday night years after she obtained her citizenship when she came to Ireland as an asylum seeker at the age of 7. The young woman said she fled from Johannesburg, South Africa with her siblings when the country was experiencing turmoil and violence.
“It means so much to me, I am so grateful I can show girls that colour is not something that holds you back and it doesn’t matter where you come from, the world is your oyster.”
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Prior to her win, Uba worked as a medical scientist and part-time model who was called a frontline working during the coronavirus pandemic as reported by The Irish Times.
“I was in it for 10 years, not knowing what was happening or when my life could start. People need to be able to live their lives. I hope Ireland continues to help people, but the direct-provision system needs to be rethought and possibly removed.”
Uba earned her bachelor’s degree at a school in Galway and she is currently waiting for her master’s degree at the Trinity College in Dublin.m