The singer and actress reflects on the racist criticism and jokes she faced when she first won the crown in 1984 Janine Rubenstein is Editor-at-Large at PEOPLE and host of PEOPLE Every Day podcast, a ...

The actress says she felt that Carson was implying "there had to be one Black judge in order for me to win.” Vanessa Williams is reflecting on the early days of her career in a new interview with ...

Vanessa Williams arrives at the “Desperate Housewives” Wrap Party at W Hollywood Hotel on April 29, 2012, in Los Angeles, CA / Credit: Depositphotos *When Vanessa Williams became the first Black woman ...

When Vanessa Williams made history becoming the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America at the 1984 competition, the then-20-year-old became the talk of the nation. Unfortunately, all of what was ...

Vanessa Williams attends the Pamella Roland fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Starrett-Lehigh Building on Feb. 12, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images ...