Who will wear the crown? $5,000 up for grabs in Miss Choucoune pageant in Miramar
UPDATE: Dawoonah Pierre, representing Haiti’s Artibonite Parish, won the title after competing against nine other contestants on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Miramar Cultural Center.
The original story continues below.
The Miramar Cultural Center will host the Miss Choucoune International pageant Sunday, Sept. 28, marking the pageant’s second year.
“Choucoune” translates to “yellow bird,” a representation of Marie-Noëlle Bélizaire, a Haitian woman who inspired poetry and songs about her beauty.
The winner gets $5,000 and a trip across the world, plus a billboard featuring their likeness on I-95.
The pageant is not affiliated with the Miss USA or Miss America companies, making this “by the community and for the community,” pageant Founder Sandra Justice told the Miramar News.
She partnered with Miramar Commissioner Maxwell B. Chambers, who helped secure the center’s theater for the event.
“He has been so helpful on this journey,” Justice said.
The commissioner worked with Justice on previous events and called the last pageant “a blast.”
“I hope the tradition continues,” he told the Miramar News. “I have a lot of respect for my Haitian brothers and sisters, and I’m always going to support them.”
There will be a reception Sept. 27, where VIP all-access passholders can meet and mingle with the 10 contestants and guest celebrities. Appearances include former Miss Nigeria Tayo Ishola, actress Elpidia Pierre and renowned physician Dr. Rudy Moise.
Justice said it was important to host the pageant in Miramar, calling it “the melting pot of our community.”
Leading up to the pageant, the 10 contestants were given coaching, free etiquette classes and assistance from pageant coach Delpha Samuels, and pageant production consultant Lulu Orange, who has over 20 years of pageant experience.
The first Miss Choucoune International, Angélique François, will attend and pass her crown to the next winner.
The next Miss Choucoune will become a symbol for the Haitian community, expected to engage in activities that further empower Haitian women. Many Haitians in South Florida, Justice said, have never been to Haiti.
“We want to show them what it was like, the Haiti we knew and grew up with,” Justice said.
The crisis of gang violence in Haiti, coupled with President Donald Trump’s administration’s commitment to end temporary protected status for Haitians, has kept the country in an unfavorable spotlight.
Justice hopes to highlight the good in her community.
“There’s a lot of negative things really happening, and we want to create a platform, not just to empower and motivate women, but to stay true to our culture and our legacy,” she said.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 4:59 PM.
