Meet the first black woman to represent the USA in the ‘Miss Intercontinental’ pageant in 51 years

Since the inception of the Miss Intercontinental pageant in 1971, the first Black woman, Amber Corbett, a resident of New York, has been chosen to represent the United States this year.

The 23-year-old received her crown and sash from Katherine McQuade, United States of America’s Miss 2023, according to The Villager.

Corbett disclosed that after hearing the good news, she gasped and started crying because she realized how much the victory meant to her neighborhood. Winning the title felt like she was already shattering a glass barrier.

“My grandmother came from a really small town in Alabama, where when she was growing up, she could only go to the doctor on certain days,” Corbett shared. “So to be able to be the first black Miss Intercontinental USA, I was beside myself.”

Although Corbett described herself as a very timid child, she entered her first pageant at the age of 11 after her mother, Tiffany, read an article about pageants and how they could help a person’s confidence.

The marketing coordinator for NBCUniversal Peacock and Scripted Development Division’s ad sales confessed, “I just fell in love with pageantry.” Corbett added that it later became a  mother-daughter activity for her and her mother. 

Yearning to do more for other women, she created the support platform, “She’s Represented” to capitalize on her exposure to promote diversity and representation both in front of and behind the camera. Women of color working in corporate America can use the resource as a place to network, get support, and unwind.

Tiffany Summerville, Corbett’s mother, showed satisfaction in her daughter’s accomplishments.

Summerville, who is also a Global Vice President and the Head of Human Resources at a biotech business, shared that it was a lot to juggle work, family, school, the honor roll, and pageantry; however, she expressed that it was worth it.

“The return on the investment has been priceless. For her to be able to represent folks that look like her, young girls that look like her. You can’t be what you don’t see,” she said.

In May of last year, Corbett received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University, with a major in advertising and integrated marketing communications and a minor in digital marketing.

She has received two President Obama Volunteer Service Awards as a result of her civil service and has also volunteered for a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Andrus Foundation and the People Connect Foundation.

She has also won the titles of Miss Galaxy NY 2021, Miss Galaxy NY Teen 2015, Miss Earth NY Teen 2015, Miss United States NY Jr Teen 2015, and IJM Junior Teen 2015 since she began her journey in pageantry.

The Miss Intercontinental competition will take place in October 2023, and the victor will be dubbed Miss “POWER OF BEAUTY,” Black Enterprise noted.