BIOGRAPHY
Host. Educator. Speaker.
Brittany Lee Lewis made history as the 49th Miss Black America, walking in the legacy of former winners like Oprah Winfrey and Toni Braxton, and continuing the legacy of Black protest via the country’s first nationally televised pageant for Black women. Brittany’s national title dovetailed perfectly as a professor of African-American, urban, and U.S. 20th-century history. Today, Brittany utilizes her platform as a thought-leader through her role as a community activist, public speaker, and television personality.
Brittany completed her undergraduate studies at Temple University with degrees in Broadcast, Telecommunications, and Mass Media and African-American Studies. After completing her undergraduate studies, she was accepted into the highly competitive Teach for America program. Through the program, she obtained a Master of Secondary Education degree and graduated with distinction.
Brittany later earned her Ph.D. in History from George Washington University. During graduate school, she served as chairperson of the George Washington University branch of the D.C. History Graduate Student Association, social media chair of The Activist History Review (TAHR), and a member of Yale’s Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society and the Graduate Student Labor Union. Recognized for her excellence in the classroom, she received the university’s Herber Prize for Best Teaching.
Brittany brings that same passion for teaching and advocacy to her role as a professor of Ethnic Studies at Wilmington University. She has taught African American Women's History 1850-1990, The Black Woman, American Slavery & Its Legacies, African American History to 1861, and African American History from 1861. Her most recent publication, "White Philanthropy Won't Save Black Education: Tracing an "Ordinary" Segregated School's Life in Delaware," can be found in the Journal of Black Studies.
Not a newcomer to pageants, Brittany has held national, state, and local titles in multiple pageant systems. She was crowned Miss Delaware for the Miss America Organization in 2014 and Miss Black America in 2017. She was awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships during her reign. She is the recipient of the Carol Maclary Excellence in Education Award, Miss America Community Service Award, and 1st runner-up to the Miss America Jean Bartel Quality of Life Award. During her pageant career, she tirelessly advocated for domestic violence awareness after losing her sister to domestic violence in 2009. She has worked alongside former Governor Jack Markell, Delaware Department of Justice, National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Today, Brittany serves the pageant community as a board member for the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization and Co-Chair of Miss America's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.
​
​
In addition to her academic and pageant endeavors, Brittany is a political commentator and host. She’s a regular contributor for Fox5 DC, Revolt TV, CGTN, Black News Channel, Roland Martin Show, R.T. News, Sakshi TV, WVON Radio, and a range of syndicated shows through the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
​
Her scholarship and advocacy have also made her a sought-after voice in documentary and television features. She starred in the critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary Subjects of Desire, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and is now available on STARZ. The film explores the complexities of race, beauty, and the enduring stereotypes that continue to shape the experiences of Black women. She has also appeared in the A&E Network docuseries Secrets of Miss America, where she examined the history and challenges Black women face in pageantry. Most recently, Brittany was featured in American Experience: The Curb-Cut Effect on PBS.
​
Brittany is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a rising disc jockey. Her activism, research, and pageant ventures have been featured in Essence, USA Today, Colorlines, Southern Living, and NPR, among others.