IN SEARCH OF THE CROWN: MEMOIR OF A BLACK BEAUTY QUEEN DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

She dared to challenge an unjust system

Book by Catherine Grace Pope, EdD

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 20, 2025 (San Diego) -- Catherine Pope, a San Diego resident, has written a debut book about her struggle to gain social justice. Pope, as a poor 19-year-old black college student, set her sights on the Miss America Crown.

She began by winning the 1969 Miss Omaha beauty pageant, where she was promised a four-year college scholarship. Though she won talent contests, in 1970, Pope did not receive any recognition, let alone receive the Miss Nebraska award. A photo in her book of pageant contestants shows a line of blondes with bouffant hairdos, where Pope and another dark-haired white lady who sit in the foreground, stand out as the most beautiful.

Though Pope’s neighbors showed support, many expressed fears of white backlash as she ran for each contest. Whites called her family and threatened them regularly, often demeaning Pope as an unworthy Miss Omaha winner. However, she wore her crown as she attended civil rights protests and demonstrations. When she lost the Miss Nebraska honor, she experienced it as a personal failure. Nevertheless, she also could see her loss was a failure of white society to grow and encourage blacks to realize their abilities. Sadly, not until 1984 did the first black woman receive the Miss America pageant.

In every regard, Pope stands out as a winner, personally, professionally, and socially. Her example inspires me to challenge myself and to do more for others.

Here is an excerpt from Pope’s book, which shows how far she has come from the poverty that her family endured:

“John Pope, my dad, was always described by my siblings as a self-educated man. Dad was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather was a freed slave who came from Arkansas. When Dad’s grandfather was freed he was given land to work, and later on to own. On this land he and his wife and family, including grandchildren and other relatives, farmed and raised horses. My dad said that one night white men on horseback came and terrorized the family, shooting guns, yelling, and setting the home on fire. They were forced off their land. They left everything and scattered to various parts of the South. My dad always said that this made it almost impossible for him to find any of his relatives outside of his uncles, brothers, and sister. He never gave up hope and always searched for them throughout his life. When the family broke up, my dad went with his grandfather, Frank Pope, to Chickasha, Oklahoma, where Pope served the community as a preacher. They had a large plot of land and a garden. They had pecan trees on their land and sold the pecans around town and beyond.

“Dad had an unusual childhood. When he was a boy his family lived in Indian Territory. He would talk about how they cooked in a small pot in the yard. It was always said by his family that they were part Choctaw Indian. They lived in a small shack with wooden plank floors; you could see the ground below through the cracks. The walls were made of straw and tough Oklahoma mud. At meal time a peculiar thing would sometimes happen. The local Indians would come in, sit at the table, and silently eat the food right off their plates. None of the children went to school. My dad spent his day doing chores and playing with the local children, Negro, white, and Indian ….

“He learned to ride horses without a saddle and to shoot a moving target with a shotgun, rifle, or handgun with a high level of accuracy. Even as a young boy he was responsible for contributing whatever he could to his family’s survival. He used the hunting and fishing skills that he learned from the Native Americans to bring food to the table. It was obvious to me how much his family depended on him. All of the various groups seemed to depend on each other. There were even poor whites entwined in their small community.”

Pope holds a doctoral degree from NOV Southeastern University (Special Honors). She was honored by the UNO Women’s Archive Project; honored at the 50th Annual Local Author’s Exhibit; and received the 2009 Culturally Courageous Leadership Award.