MISS JAMAICA in 2017 Miss Universe : Miss Jamaica Celebrates Being 'the First Afro Queen to Make It Thus Far' in Miss Universe Pageant...Like Davina Bennett's family, neighbours describe joy in Mitchell Town

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Mitchell Town, the normally quiet district in Clarendon, erupted in wild celebration Sunday night when their home-grown girl Davina Bennett placed third from a field of 92 contestants in this year's Miss Universe pageant.

“The 2017 Miss Universe pageant host Steve Harvey correctly announced the winner’s name without any confusion (unlike in 2015). But if you were to go on social media during last night’s show, you would have thought Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett took home the crown because Twitter was going wild for her.

The 23-year-old contestant embraced her natural hair, wearing an afro hairstyle during the competition and the social media response was overwhelming. Fans gave the second runner-up an outpouring of love and even started the hashtag, “#MissJamaicaShouldHaveWon.“I did not win but I got what I was seeking,” Bennett wrote on Instagram. “I won the hearts of many, I got to highlight Deaf awareness, I stand as the first afro queen to have made it thus far, I represented my little island and I received allll the love one could possibly wish for…. THANK YOU!!!There was a lot of pot cover beating. It was like when [Usain] Bolt win the 100-metre race and break a record!” Bennett's aunt, Jennifer Chambers, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Davina Bennett, Miss Jamaica at Miss Universe Contest

Another aunt, Winsome Edwards, said, “It was a merrymaking last night. People were running up and down throwing water all over, can you imagine if she had won?”

Edwards, who was plucking a chicken in the family's backyard, added that residents lined the streets while watching the pageant on their smartphones.

She said that residents were proud that the 21-year-old made the top three, being “a little girl from a small district like Mitchell Town that some people don't even know where it is”.

According Social Development Commission data, Mitchell Town is home to just over 2,500 people.

“We were looking for number one, not number three, but we are still rejoicing, and we are waiting until she arrives because we will be having a big celebration,” Edwards said. “In everything Davina does she is a winner and will always be a winner.” more