Tibbetts crowned in absence of pageant
(CNS): Mariah Tibbetts (26), the first runner-up in the Miss Cayman Islands Universe pageant last year, was crowned as the 2020 representative on Saturday at a scaled down event. The competition was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with expectations that the Miss Universe pageant is still going ahead next year, a decision was made to crown Tibbetts so that the Cayman Islands can send a competitor.
The crowning took place at Grand Old House, where the former Miss Cayman Islands Universe, Kadejah Bodden, handed over the sparkly tiara to Tibbetts.
Category: Community, Local News
It’s really so disgusting how so many ‘new’ Caymanians have really brought their hatred here and over past 25 years have done their best to divide Generational Caymanians, make Caymanians feel they need to adopt their level of hatred for their historical experiences with colonial control and although we hate the way slaves were mistreated and robbed, they have come here and made us believe that all our ancestors were of the same experience.
These new citizens have come here and TOO MANY focus on color yet they have ran from their countries to reap the benefits here but only want their people from their homelands to reap benefits of the Cayman Islands … they do know the islands were settled and developed by Europeans and African slaves right?
The white people were also here dealing with mosquitoes and challenging times so just because they have left the other Caribbean countries, and of course became independent, why come here and have to deal with a British Territory, please stay homer go back so that you can blame your problems about who is Miss Cayman, who is in our talent shows, who the judges are etc in your own country.
Let’s talk about lack of opportunities because ALL expats who come here work together and are trying their best to take everything from us, the generational Caymanians regardless of our color
Couldn’t agree more. We generational Caymanians are one people. These new Caymanians of Jamaican descent are the ones always bringing up color.
Like we don’t all know the stories of Caymanians sweeping out the footsteps of black people from their yards. We all know about McArthurs shop treatment of black people. We have all heard light skinned Caymanians speak down on black Caymanians. Hog Sty Bay was literally referred to as the N-word’s bathpan. Please shut up.
Ever been to “The Congo”?
My best friend is a Congolean
Hog Sty still is.
Yes, I’m aware of that unfortunate history. Racist people have always existed in Cayman (and some still exist), but at the same time, we had a majority mixed-raced population while in the US blacks weren’t allowed to drink out of the same water fountain as whites. We may still be behind in many things compared to the other “first world” countries, but if there’s one thing we were ahead of them in, it’s people of different complexions integrating with each other.
It seems many people here want to go back to segregation, and many of those people don’t even have roots here. Why is it that so many people whose ancestors weren’t slaves in Cayman are always whining about colonialism and oppression? I could understand if something actually racist happened but on an article like this? People are trying to create issues where they don’t exist.
But you are convoluting the author’s point. Those things may have happened in the past but you should give credit that as a community we moved forward pretty quickly in general. To disagree would mean you’ve never experienced true racism and segregation. Think about not being allowed in the shop in the first place! (ie apartheid ended in South Africa in 1991). There is a trend among modern Caymanians to highlight the few instances of our racially charged past(divide and conquer) all while refusing to acknowledge the marginalization of all Caymanians by some expatriates which is a permanent fixture in our daily lives. Relegation to a third-class status by those who believe we are too inferior to belong to our own nation. Yet we want to fight amongst ourselves about experiences people had in the past that most of us haven’t met.
“the first runner-up” so you mean 2nd then!
First loser.
Please leave race or skin colour out of this. We DON’T need those sentiments inflamed in Cayman. Next you’ll be calling for BLM protests!
Ms. Tibbetts is a Caymanian of Caymanian parents, that’s all that matters – even if it should.
BTW, I’m a black Caymanian with white cousins. We’re all mixed!
the sad fact is that racism exists in Cayman period.
I don’t care XXXX public-funded hand-ups shouldn’t be doled out by looks, sex appeal, or via back-stabbing pageantry. This entire enterprise is creepy and gross, perhaps worse now because of the women fronting for the male pageant and future glam-event organizers – gaslighting us with a faux women’s empowerment narrative, even as the contestants stand there shivering in high heels and a bikini. Time was up on all of this many years ago.
Take the phone away from that girl. Slowly and gently, now: she’s having a moment….
Can I go to a pageant and be given a publicly-funded hand-up please?
Only if the males decide you “win”.
Very nice for the young lady, I bet this was a nice 2020 surprise. I hope she gets the scholarship and wears the crown well.
These young ladies usually have a very positive background, message, education focus, and it’s nice to see some happy news so don’t be grumpy everybody it’s only Monday 🙂
bodden to a tibbetts…surely its going to an ebanks next year???
Whats your point, if you even know ?
where’s the bikini pics?
Yet they continue to cry for equality.
Huh? How is this about that?
only after they update their insta…
i hope one day our Melanin Queens will be chosen (not to take away from Sis’ crown, just sayin’……) light-skinned desirability is always an issue. colonial mind-states leftover from slavery.
Caymanians are mostly light skinned….
What a piece of ignorance….lol.
What constitutes light skin?
All of my family are light skinned Caymanians except the ones who blended their families with Jamaicans. It’s a known fact.
Being light in colour
Like Stacey-Ann you mean?
Reverse racism. There was a period in pageant history in the late 2000’s where all the winners were of African ancestry. And the “white” population of the cayman islands did not protest. Stop race-baiting. BTW Ms. Tibbetts’s mother is black.
That did not end with the late 2000s. You then had the Lindsay and Tonie ‘exotic’ years. Obviously beautiful white Caymanian women almost never win. It’s like the pageant thinks being white is prize enough and they need to serve some social purpose with who they choose so you gotta be good and mixed minimum. This is a rare occurrence and you’re right, there was no protest previously at the fact there was always a conventionally beautiful white girl to select, but she never was. That pattern was noticed though. But now one “white girl” wins and people default to “it would be nice if all skin colours could be represented” when in actual fact that is what happens when the pageant selects someone from a different background each time. Representing everyone does not mean choosing the minority every time.
11.47 were all the judges white colonial ex slave owners, or were they citizens of Cayman like you and me. ?
Racism exists wherever different so called races come into contact with each other. White racism is pervasive and dominant because it was consolidated by slavery, colonialism and religion. It was so successful that even light complexion victims jumped on the bandwagon. The Europeans realized that they could steal the wealth of the whole world if they could convince melanated peoples of the world that they were the divine descendants of God. The church did the rest and its not over, we now have to deal with Trump and the stolen generational wealth concentrated in the hands of a few who would destroy the planet if they don’t get their way.. Wake up! BLM
You clearly need to look at the past contestants from when Miss. Cayman was established……or have you not been alive long enough to know Caymans history.
Bet you’re a Jamaican-Caymanian lol.
We’ve had black winners before though. Don’t bring race into this, it’s so unnecessary.
And Caymanians are mostly light-skinned, so I don’t know why you’re surprised. It’s not racist that she won, it’s just a fact that the majority of our people are light-skinned. Like I wouldn’t expect a white woman to win Miss Jamaica (even though that’s actually happened before). Whoever wins wins 🤷‍♂️