WQLN PBS NPR
8425 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509

Phone
(814) 864-3001

© 2026 PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How the Miss America pageant ignited a battle over beauty, race and power

NPR | By Tonya Mosley
Published August 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM EDT

Historian Micki McElya revisits one September afternoon in 1968, Atlantic City, when the Miss America pageant collided with a changing country. Her new book is Liberation Summer.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Culture
Tonya Mosley
Tonya Mosley is a co-host of Fresh Air.
More NPR News