Amber Corbett Becomes First Black Woman to Represent The US in Miss Intercontinental Pageant

By Zayna Allen

      New York native, Amber Corbett, has officially made history. She will be the first Black woman to represent the United States in the annual Miss Intercontinental pageant since its 1971 inception.

Making History

According to The Villager, Corbett was crowned by Katherine McQuade, the United States of America’s Miss 2023. The crowning event happened during a meet and greet at The Ready Rooftop in the East Village.

“Winning Miss Intercontinental USA felt like I was breaking a glass ceiling in itself because, in 51 years, there’s never been a Black Miss Intercontinental USA,” the Brooklyn native said.

This year’s competition was conducted much differently than it has in the past. Participants had to submit a virtual package in order to compete for the crown, instead of an in-person competition and on-stage crowning. She said that with her new title, she plans to use her platform to continue promoting diversity and representation in the media.

“I’m planning [on] doing a safe space and hav[ing] Zoom calls for women of color to do networking. Because as a woman of color in media, it’s such a small industry,” said Corbett.

Her support resource, “She’s Represented,” is a space for women of color in corporate America to network and unwind.

All About Amber Corbett

The new queen graduated cum laude from Pace University last May. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in advertising and integrated marketing communication. Corbett extended her studies with a minor in digital marketing. She now works as a marketing coordinator in ad sales at NBCUniversal Peacock and Scripted Development Division.

Although Corbett did share with the outlet that she grew up shy, she is no stranger to pageantry. She entered her first competition at 11 after her mother gained insight into pageants and the ways they can boost confidence. Since then, she has been crowned 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.

The Miss Intercontinental beauty pageant kicks off this October. The winner of the competition will be named Miss “POWER OF BEAUTY.”