Raissa Santana becomes the second black woman to be crowned Miss Brasil! She is only the second black winner in 62 years!

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Last night, Raissa Santana was crowned Miss Brasil 2016 (Photo: Celso Tavares)

Note from BW of Brazil: We called it! This blog has covered the events leading up to the Miss Brasil contest last night as a record six black women were featured in the competition. Our loyal readers will remember that BW of Brazil predicted a victory for a black woman two weeks agoBW of Brazil predicted a victory for a black woman two weeks ago after seeing the momentum leading to an unprecedented six state representatives. Although this writer didn’t post it here, over a week ago, after taking a good look at all of the black contestants, I also concluded that Raissa would take the crown. All of the six Afro-Brazilian women in the contest were beautiful, but Raissa’s smile, radiance and dazzling beauty stood out a bit more, at least for me.

It’s unbelievable that it took 30 years for another black woman to capture the crown, only the second in the 62 year history of Miss Brasil! Needless to say, it’s been a long-time coming, and I believe that this contest is sort of a coronation, even if only symbolic, of the headline making activism of Afro-Brazilian women over the past few years. I don’t expect an ultra-Eurocentric Brazil to make any drastic changes that would allow black women to have more prominence in important areas of the country’s day to day, but even so, the victory will go down in the history books. 

Miss Brasil 2016: Paraná representative is the second black woman to win the contest

With information from Revista Donna, Rede TV, M de Mulher and Ego

The representative from the state of Paraná won the 2016 edition of Miss Brasil: Raissa Santana was crowned Miss this Saturday night at the ceremony held at Citibank Hall, in São Paulo, and broadcast live on Band TV. The paranaense (native of Paraná ), 21, is the second black woman to win the contest: the first was the gaúcha (native of the Rio Grande do Sul state) Deise Nunes in 1986.

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Raissa Tavares being crowned Miss Brasil 2016

This edition was marked by the fact of having the largest number of black candidates in the history of the competition. Miss RS 2016 Letícia Kuhn, was among the 10 semifinalists and not ranked among the five finalists.

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The delivery of the sashe was made by Miss Brasil 2015 Marthina Brandt, who on Friday revealed that she was secretly fighting cancer. She won the race by putting together a look with Ellus pieces in thirty seconds and a second test in self-makeup. Danielle Marion, from Rio Grande do Norte, and Deise D’anne, of Maranhão, were respectively second and third place. Raissa had the opportunity to tell the jurors live why she deserved to win the crown. She said she wanted to “break the 30 year fast” since the last black Miss won the beauty contest.

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Raissa studies Marketing and measures 1m77cm (5’9 ½ ). She measures 90cm bust, 64cm waist and 87cm hips (35-25-34)

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Deise Nunes Ferst was the fourth representative from Rio Grande do Sul to be crowned Miss Brasil in 1986 (and the first and only black to win the contest until then). In an interview with the Donna site earlier in the week, the gaúcha said she was pleased with the involvement of black candidates in the competition and hoped that the public would recognize the beauty of the participants.

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Until last night, Deise Nunes was the only black woman to win the title in 62 years of the contest. Nunes won in 1986

“Certainly, the reception is more open,” she said. “This opens doors for them and, if one is elected, it is important that she in fact embraces the cause of negritude and always fights for respect, opportunity and space.”

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In her last posting on Instagram before the contest, Raissa made it clear that being Miss Brasil was more than a dream for her. “I can’t imagine my future, I don’t know what God has for me. What happened to me today were things that I confess to be beyond (my) dreams. I thank all of you who are living in mine and my dreams,” she declared.

After the conquest, the beautiful just posted a photo, crowned, and celebrated: “I AM MISS BRASIL”. The beautiful will represent the Brasil at the Miss Universe contest, to be held January 30 in the Philippines.

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2016 Miss Brasil winner Raissa Santana poses with Miss Maranhão (3rd place) (left) and Miss Rio Grande do Norte (2nd place)

After her victory, Santana said, “I’m very emotional. This here is a mixture of great emotions. I didn’t expect to win this title, but I am very happy to have won this title and to represent black beauty and encourage girls who have the dream of having something, to conquer, to be a model, to be a Miss…now I want to encourage these girls and show them that they can,” said Miss Brasil.

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Raissa Santana with boyfriend Tagliari Marcos, 38

Raissa is dating Tagliari Marcos, 38, (1) with whom she has been 10 months. He talked his girlfriend’s conquest: “I ran on a fast with her, worked out with her, dieted…We cheered a lot and knew she had a chance to win,” he said.

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Miss Brasil Raissa Santana with mother Roseneide Oliveira Santana (photo: Celso Tavares)

The winner won a trip to Italy, as well as a set of white gold set with brilliant topaz gems from Vivara. She also wom a brand new 2017 Kia Picanto, a contract with Polishop valued at R$ 100,000 and a trip to Cartagena, Colombia, with the right to a companion, offered by Brazil Exclusive.

Source: Revista DonnaRede TV, M de Mulher, Ego

Note

  1. With our long time focus on black women activists who have been calling out black men for what seems to be a preference for white women in romantic relationships, we must also take note of the choices of a large percentage of successful as well as everyday black women as well.
About Marques Travae 3747 Articles
Marques Travae. For more on the creator and editor of BLACK WOMEN OF BRAZIL, see the interview here.

8 Comments

  1. Congratulations Raissa Santana i hope you win miss universe this year i hope god gives you the strength and health to accomplish many good things in life. Also you have to look at Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar also the second black Miss Colombia to represent colombia actually most colombians are mestizo and black and this is the way it should be colombia and brazil have black contestants this make me happy since afro colombians and afro brazilians get an chance to represent their countries.

    Now Miss Parana now miss Brazil is not a true representation of the state of Parana the majority of southern Brazilians are white and blacks are a minority in parana this is a true accomplishment .

    90% of southern brazil is white but 50% of the Brazilian population as a a whole is white half the population of brazil is white and since blacks are a minority in Parana this is a true accomplishment blacks in brazil should represent the face of brazil since blacks afro brazilians built brazil i’m very proud of Raissa .

    Look at these videos below Brazilians from southern brazil protesting in the streets these people protesting in the streets are a true representation of southern brazil and the state of parana look at the youtube videos below southern Brazilians from parana protesting in the streets.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WemLIw7ZY1gvideo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i587eS0hRysvídeo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZhby2GP67g

  2. This is wonderful news!! I am so happy to see that Brazil is moving away from its denial of its Black beauties! Congratulations Raissa!!

  3. Although I am glad that a black woman was elected to be Miss Brazil, we have to remind ourselves that on this very day black Brazil is losing big in a much more substantive election: on the municipality elections, right-wingers are taking over the cities – from the corrupt PSDB in Sao Paolo to an Evangelical nut in Rio. And, lets not forget, thes right wing nuts are the very ones who want to keep blacks at the bottom. Winning on symbols is never bad, but winning on substance is much better. So I am kind of disappointed that this website spent much time on this subject matter while keeping silent on these important elections.

  4. Congratulations to Raissa. Her crown is well deserved. Not only do I wish that her reign for Brazil is a prosperous one but I’m also hoping that her post Miss Brazil/ Universe reign will be the same.

  5. I love that she is very obviously a black woman and not one of those you need a microscope to find the blackness. May she be victorious in the Miss Universe pageant.

  6. What’s the point of celebrating the “accomplishments” of women like this, if they themselves are anti black or palmiteiras?

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