Mckoy's News on Instagram: "She made history as the first Black Miss America. Ten months later, she was forced to resign in scandal. Thirty years later, Miss America apologized to her. Here's why that apology mattered. September 17, 1983. Atlantic City. When Vanessa Williams was crowned Miss America, she shattered a barrier that had stood for 63 years. She was the first Black woman to win the title in the pageant's history—a groundbreaking achievement in an America still grappling with civil rig