In 2012, Rosie became the first Black woman to win the Miss North Dakota pageant. She got to do what she loves most — play music and perform! — and she won scholarship money to pay down her student loab debt. It was thrilling. It was exciting!

But winning Miss North Dakota means more than just wearing a gorgeous gown on a stage in front of a bunch of people. For the next year, Rosie represents the state like a sort of ambassador, touring the region and sharing her diversity platform with folks … in North Dakota, a state that’s 90% white.

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Read the transcript for this episode here.

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