Miss Black Pennsylvania Focuses On Mental Health In Pageant Platform

ABINGTON, PA — The newly-crowned Miss Black Pennsylvania, a Penn State student, focused on mental health advocacy for Black women in her pageant platform.

Molaea-Rene Goodman, a Penn State Abington senior, will compete in the Miss Black America pageant next summer. The national pageant includes the traditional talent segment and modeling a formal gown, according to Penn State.

“This pageant is not just about the glamour. It is about helping me get into the community and spreading positive messages and becoming an inspiration and role model to girls and women who look like me,” said Goodman, a resident of Lansdale.

She focused her platform on " mitigating the stigma surrounding mental health challenges among Black women," the university said.

Goodman said she has been interested in the study of society and the human brain since she was a child.

At Penn State Abington, she is majoring in psychological and social sciences and works as a peer counselor. She works as a behavioral health technician at Omni Health Services with clients with developmental disorders, and hopes to further her education while working in the field.

“I’ve done a lot of work on my platform, and I’m preparing to launch a blog called Miss Imperfect. It will provide a safe space for Black women to share experiences including with occurrences such as imposter syndrome,” Goodman said.

A cousin won the Miss Black Pennsylvania title in the early 200os, which motivated Goodman to compete with the organization.

“I’ve been interested in pageants for some time, but I wanted to find a pageant system that had the same moral compass as me,” she said.

Goodman's hobbies include art, writing, and exploring the outdoors. She will graduate in May.