Dear Editor,

As a dark-skinned, Jamaican man I am absolutely proud of this Jamaican girl Davina Bennett — not because she came third, which is relative, but rather because she must have been told the obvious bias that exists against Afro hairstyles, but she wore it proudly anyway with her attitude which is typical of Jamaicans.

She is beautiful, confident, and has won me over to start looking again at beauty pageants. She never sold out her heritage and, if I may paraphrase words from Al Pacino: The only class act in this pageant is wearing Afro and I am here to tell you this girl’s soul is intact. It’s non-negotiable. You know how I know? Someone offered to and I’m not going to say who offered to buy it. Only she wasn’t selling. When the bough breaks and the cradle will fall she won’t sell out to buy her future or to win, and that, my friends, is called integrity, that’s called courage and that’s the stuff leaders (winners) should be made of.

Wait for the applause!

Now this is a lesson to all those activists and reformers who believe that protest means civil disobedience or rebellion, or an application of scorched-Earth strategy. Putting it all in context, though, this is right up there with the Million Man March and Rosa Parks, and when properly framed the minstrels should write of her bravery.

Myron Campbell

nebnilknarf2000@yahoo.com