Erica Nego

Erica Nego
Bornc. 1984
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
NationalityAmerican United States
Ghanaian Ghana
Other namesYayra Nego
CitizenshipAmerica
Ghana
Known for

Erica Yayra Nego (born c. 1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American-Ghanaian businesswoman, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was elected Miss Minnesota USA 2009 and Miss Universe Ghana 2011,[1][2][3]

Nego is the co-founder of Style & Grace, a Minneapolis-based etiquette academy.[4][5]

Early life

Nego was born in about 1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[6][7][8] At the age of 12, she was signed to Ford Modeling Agency.[citation needed] She is of Ghanaian,[9] German and Persian ancestry.[10]

Pageants

As Miss Minnesota USA 2009, Nego competed at Miss USA 2009 placing in the top 15 at the competition.[1] She also competed at Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.[11]

The play School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh was inspired by the 2011 Miss Universe Ghana competition in which Nego participated,[12][13] and the controversy around colorism that this contest sparked.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "Miss Ghana Universe Website". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  2. ^ Grossberg, Michael. "Colorism, bullying in Ohio State graduate's 'Mean Girls'-influenced coming-of-age play". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  3. ^ "A West African spin on queen bees and mean teens - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  4. ^ "Mind Your Manners: Holiday Etiquette Tips". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  5. ^ "10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ERICA NEGO - SecureNigeria365". SecureNigeria365. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  6. ^ Walljasper, Matt (2020-02-07). "True Colors' production of School Girls sparks conversation about colorism and pretty privilege". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  7. ^ Cristi, A. A. "The Garden Theatre Goes Back To School In SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  8. ^ "Beauty and the colorism beast: Norfolk's Generic Theater rocks a mean African 'School Girls'". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  9. ^ "St. Petersburg's American Stage addresses colorism in new play 'School Girls'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  10. ^ "Yayra Nego is Miss Universe Ghana". Modern Ghana. 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  11. ^ "Sao Paulo, Brazil to Host the 2011 MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant Live on NBC". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  12. ^ Holdren, Sara (2017-11-16). "Theater Review: The Funny, Fierce, Fearsome Competition of School Girls". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  13. ^ "In 'School Girls,' African And Western Beauty Standards Collide In Dramatic Fashion". DCist. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  14. ^ Chris Hewitt (March 13, 2019). "Inspired by Minnesota beauty queen, Jungle Theater's 'School Girls' questions colorism". StarTribune. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
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