Nova Stevens

Nova Stevens (born May 25, 1993) is a Canadian model, activist, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2020. As Miss Universe Canada, she will represent Canada at Miss Universe 2020. Outside of pageantry, Stevens is also a professional model and activist for Black Lives Matter.

Nova Stevens
Born	May 25, 1993 Nairobi, Kenya
Occupation	Model activist beauty pageant titleholder
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Title	Miss Universe Canada 2020
Beauty pageant titleholder
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown
Major competition(s)	Miss Universe Canada 2014 (Top 12) Miss Universe Canada 2018 (Top 20) Miss Universe Canada 2020 (Winner) Miss Universe 2020 (TBA)

Early life

Stevens was born on May 25, 1993 in Kenya, to South Sudanese parents fleeing the Second Sudanese Civil War.[1] When she was six years old, the family sent her to Canada in order for her to have a better life; her parents and siblings later settled in Ethiopia. Stevens grew up with various relatives in Alberta and Ontario.[2]

At age 15, Stevens left home and began living on her own. The following year, she moved to New York City and began working as a professional model, until moving to Vancouver in 2014, to continue her modeling career and venture into acting.[2]

Activism

Amidst the George Floyd protests, Stevens became a prominent activist for Black Lives Matter in Vancouver. Along with activist Shamika Mitchell, Stevens organized the Freedom March in June 2020, which saw over 15,000 people protesting against racism and police brutality while celebrating Juneteenth.[3] Following the success of the march, Stevens and Mitchell organized other marches and events in support of Black Lives Matter within Vancouver.[4][5] Stevens and Mitchell were instrumental in lobbying for Mayor Kennedy Stewart to declare August 1 as Emancipation Day in Vancouver.[6][7]

Stevens is a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Keep6ix, which provides assistance to underprivileged youth wrongly accused of criminal activity. She additionally has volunteered with Operation Smile and Feed it Forward.[8]

Pageantry

Stevens began competing in pageantry in 2014, when she signed up for the Miss Universe Canada 2014 competition. Competing with a weave, she placed in the top twelve.[9] Stevens later returned to the competition, competing in Miss Universe Canada 2018 with her natural afro-textured hair, where she placed in the top twenty.[9]

In 2020, Stevens participated in the Miss Universe Canada 2020 competition, which she went on to win.[8] She had initially decided to retire from pageantry, but was inspired to continue competing after Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Prior to competing in the pageant, Stevens had stated that she would use the platform to amplify her message of supporting Black Lives Matter and racial justice.[5] Her win marked only the Third time a black Canadian had won the title, following Adwoa Yamoah in 2012. Stevens attracted attention for her introductory statement she made in the competition, stating:

Good evening, I am Nova Stevens. I am a Canadian and a Black woman. As I stand before you, I want you to see me as a black woman. Yes. I want you to see colour. Because seeing colour does not mean you're a racist; instead, it allows you to see the struggles experienced by people of colour. You've heard the news. You've read the stories. Innocent black lives have been lost to police brutality and hate crimes. We want you to see us. We want you to hear us. We want you to feel us.[10]

Following her win, she will represent Canada at the Miss Universe 2020 competition.[8]

References

1. "The sweetest birthday card from some of my sisters". Nova Stevens. May 25, 2020.
2. Bains, Pahull (October 20, 2020). "My Story: Model Nova Stevens on Beauty Pageants, Activism and More". Fashion Magazine.
3. Johal, Rumneek (June 19, 2020). "Black Vancouver's "March in unity" will commemorate Juneteenth today". Daily Hive.
4. Shepert, Elana (June 29, 2020). "Organizer of powerful 'Juneteenth' march plans new rally in Vancouver". Vancouver Is Awesome.
5. Singh, Simran (October 24, 2020). "Vancouver's Nova Stevens brings anti-racism advocacy to the stage at Miss Universe Canada". Daily Hive.
6. "Nova Stevens". Miss Universe Canada. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
7. Devlin, Megan (August 2, 2020). "Vancouver recognizes August 1 as Emancipation Day". Daily Hive.
8. Singh, Simran (October 25, 2020). "Vancouver anti-racism advocate Nova Stevens crowned Miss Universe Canada". Daily Hive.
9. "Nova Stevens biography: 13 things about South Sudanese-Canadian model, activist, actress, beauty queen". Conan Daily. October 25, 2020.
10. Burr, Brittanny (October 26, 2020). "Miss Universe Canada Just Crowned An Activist From Vancouver". Narcity.

External links

• Nova Stevens on Instagram