Meet Janelle Penny, winner of 26th annual Miss Universe competition

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago has recently remembered Janelle Penny, the winner of 26th annual Miss Universe competition in the Dominican Republic.

As per the social media post shared by the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago, July 16 marks 46 years since Janelle “Penny” Commissiong was crowned Miss Universe at the 26th annual Miss Universe competition in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic!

This 1977 victory made her the first black Miss Universe in the history of the pageant, as well as the first Caribbean contestant to take home the crown.

As per the update, before 1977, there were only a few Caribbean women in the competition who had made it close to the Miss Universe title: Miss Haiti 1962, Evelyn Miot, who was the first black woman to reach the semi-finals; Miss Haiti 1975, Gerthie David, who placed second in 1975; and Miss Curaçao 1981, Anne-Marie Braafheid, who placed second in 1981.

When Commissiong was crowned in 1977, her success was celebrated widely—in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and across the African diaspora. That year, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago awarded her the Trinity Cross for her achievement, and three postage stamps were issued in her honour. In 1978, the legendary Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Kitchener made a tribute to her in his calypso, “Miss Universe.”

Photo 1 shows Penny Commissiong after winning the Miss Universe competition c. 1977. This photo is part of the National Archives Photograph Collection.

Photos 2 and 3 show Penny Commissiong among fellow contestants in the 1977 Miss Universe pageant, courtesy of the Trinidad Express, Express Woman, 40th Anniversary Tribute, published on July 16 2017. This newspaper is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.