This is the rule that states “Contestants must be of good health and of the white race.” I’ve seen it cited a few places as beginning in the 1930s, but I can’t find when it was officially removed from the books, and/or when non-white women began to be allowed to compete in the pageant.
Wikipedia says
Does that mean the rule was removed in 1970, or was it removed earlier but no non-white women had managed to make it into the final competition until 1970?
Finally had time to do the actually newspaper searching.
The National rule was lifted in 1948. But , individual states could do what they pleased in their own state contests.
The first Black woman to make it to Atlantic City was Cheryl Browne of Betendorf, Iowa–1970
Thank you for digging that up!