I happened to catch the beginning of the Miss Universe pageant on television tonight.  My children glanced up at the screen when the contestants from Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania and some of the Caribbean islands were announced.  These were some lovely black girls who stood out amongst the 80 participants.    Then they introduced the judges and my heart sank.  Not one of the judges was black. But I thought, Hey, this is 2008. Maybe these judges think a little more broadly than back in the day. But then they announced the 15 finalists and I realized that things have not changed much.  The only African to make it into the top 15 was the South African girl, a lovely colored girl.  The other girl who had some black blood in her was Miss USA. Neither of these girls is dark-skinned.  So I am left rather frustrated, angry that not one of the darker-skinned girls made the short list. I caution myself against over-sensitivity.  Perhaps these particular black girls just weren’t smart or talented enough?  Perhaps - but let’s keep it real.  Looks are the most important element in these pageants.  I thought the black girls were beautiful.  But as they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  None of the beholders - the judges - seem to value dark skin.  Many of the finalists were from Central and South America, home to thousands of people of African descent.  None of the beautiful Latina finalists was black.  Interesting.  So why is this called “Miss Universe” when the Universe is not represented in this competition?  This show is watched all over the world.  What message does this send to little girls with dark skin who do not have that long straight flowing hair.  This is not a new concern.  It is an old concern and it seems to be never-ending.  This just means that we must work harder, speak louder, to show our black daughters that although the universe says otherwise, they are indeed beautiful.