Diverse magazine sponsors Miss BB finalist

Diverse magazine sponsors Liverpool student who saw off tough competition to reach the final of a national pageant for young black women....

Liverpool John Moores University dance student Yohlanda Bellion, 19, secured a place in the Miss Black Britain final being staged at London''s Mermaid Theatre.

Coinciding with Black History Month, 14,000 hopefuls entered the pageant which celebrates black beauty and showcases the achievements and talents of young black women. Yohlanda made it to the last 52 and is hoping her success will inspire other black women to pursue their dreams.

Yohlanda, whose dad is Jamaican, said: "I'm really excited. I have modelled in the past for Liverpool Fashion Week and for charity events but never anything like this. The reason I wanted to enter Miss Black Britain was to challenge the negative media and perception of black people in society. We are always stereotyped and I'm trying to break the mould through my contemporary dance and now through modelling.

"There are very few black models aside from Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks. There are even fewer in ballet and I struggle to find black women role models. If getting so far in this competition helps just one person to feel better about the colour of their skin then I will have made a difference."

Yohlanda, who lives in Kirkdale, Liverpool and wants to open her own dance company after finishing her university course in Liverpool, used to perform with the English Youth Ballet.

She said: "Models and dancers are typically 34-26-34. I'm just not built like that and when I started to grow up I realised I wasn't the right shape to be a ballet dancer. But by changing the perception I hope all young people, not just black youngsters, will try and achieve their dreams of being models and dancers."

The final of Miss Black Britain 2009 takes place on Saturday, November 14.

Yohlanda secured sponsorship with Diverse magazine which promotes the business and social benefits of diversity across the UK, focusing particularly on Liverpool where the magazine was founded in 2005 by Editor, Garth Dallas.

Garth Dallas said "I am excited about Diverse magazine's association with Yola in the Miss Black Britain competition because I love the image of the competition that continues to present a positive image of black women in the UK".

Follow Yohlanda's progress in the competition on http://www.missblackbritain.co.uk/