NATCHEZ — The crowning of Madison Malone as most beautiful at Adams County Christian School’s beauty pageant Friday night marked the first time a black contestant won the pageant in 38 years.

Madison, 17, competed against nearly 20 other 10th through 12th grade students throughout the evening and eventually came away as the queen.

“When they called my name, I just had this blank stare because I couldn’t believe it,” Madison said. “I have no words to describe what I was going through. I was speechless.”

The beauty pageant stage wasn’t unfamiliar territory for the senior, who competed in the pageant last year and made it through to the top 10 round.

After her name was called past the top 10 round and into the top five contestants this year, Madison knew she could at least walk away from the pageant with a sense of accomplishment that she did better than last year.

“I was just so happy to make it that far,” Madison said. “So when I made it to the top five, I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”

Hours before her name would be called as the pageant winner, Madison answered a variety of questions during an interview with three judges.

The questions included basic ones, such as where she was planning on going to college, and others asking to describe her personality.

The Natchez native, who plans on attending the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall, told the judges her personality was exactly what they were seeing in the room.

“I’m just a happy and uplifting person,” Madison recalled telling the judges. “I always try to give encouraging words to my classmates and try to stay uplifted no matter what.”

Madison’s uplifting spirit is one her mother, Joyce Malone, said makes her a joy to be around every day and can also be attributed to her constant motivation.

“All the girls in the pageant were so beautiful, and I told her before the pageant that even if you don’t win you should be proud no matter what,” Malone said. “She agreed with me, but just kept telling me, ‘Mommy, I’m going to win.’”

Despite Madison’s words of confidence, Malone was still in a moment of shock when she heard her daughter’s name called over the speaker Friday as the pageant winner.

“My reaction was kind of delayed, and it took a second for it to register that she won,” Malone said. “When it finally sunk in, I tapped the lady next to me and just kept saying, ‘Oh Lord, she won, she won.’”

After the pageant wrapped up and Madison was taking photos with her classmates, a comment that she was the first black contestant to win the pageant overwhelmed Malone with a sense of pride for her daughter’s accomplishment.

As a Natchez native and graduate of South Natchez High School, Malone said the moment showed just how far Natchez and Mississippi had come.

“Things were a little bit different back when I was in school, but what I’ve noticed is that these teenagers nowadays don’t see color and they’re more open minded and willing to embrace each other,” Malone said. “We have come a long way since I graduated from high school, and it’s just a great thing for Mississippi.”

ACCS headmaster David King echoed Malone’s statement and said Madison was deserving of the crown regardless of the color of her skin.

“There were 20 beautiful young girls up on that stage, and I’m just very excited for Madison,” King said. “We don’t have any black students or white students, we just have ACCS Rebels.”

Being the first black contestant to win the pageant wasn’t the most important thing about the night for Madison either, who said she was simply happy to share the stage with her classmates and friends.

“I was determined to win after last year, and it felt great after they called my name,” Madison said. “It’s just such an honor.”

Madison is the daughter of Jim Bateaste and Joyce Malone.