More than A Title

The first Miss Wisconsin pageant was held in 1924, and it would take 101 years until the first Black Miss Wisconsin would be crowned: Willow Newell. 22-year-old Racine native Newell was crowned Miss Wisconsin on June 21, 2025. Many headlines are highlighting her great accomplishment, but not many have focused on who Newell is.

Newell recently graduated from Carthage College with a Bachelor of Arts in musical theater. She received a full-ride scholarship, along with additional scholarships to pay for her books and other college necessities. Newell will use her $15,000 in pageant scholarships to pursue a graduate degree in dramatic writing with a future goal of writing a full-length film. She can also sing.

The Racine Theatre Guild was a big part of Newell’s childhood. Like other Racine students in the Guild, Newell was given access to see productions, and she saw firsthand people making a living doing the arts. Newell is working with the Wisconsin Arts Board to increase state spending on the arts, and she was a previous board member of the Racine Arts Council.

“Art brings us cultural awareness and allows us to appreciate cultural diversity,” said Newell.

She’s getting back into her love of reading, starting with Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. She’s also a huge fan of 80s/90s Japanese R&B and loves playing the genre during her workouts.

But no matter where life takes Newell, art always seems to find her.

“I love going to the beach in the summer to paint,” said Newell.

The Pillars of “Expression Without Exclusion”

Newell’s love for art also involves advocacy work. She started the initiative Expression Without Exclusion, which advocates for inclusive arts education and more representation in the performing arts.

Expression Without Exclusion has been hosted in nursing homes and schools.

The initiative revolves around three focuses:

• Promoting books that explore creativity and how art impacts lives
• A digital video series called #expressionwithoutexclusion that highlights nontraditional artistic individuals, like police officers, and how art has impacted them
• Collaborating with the Wisconsin Arts Board on creative outreach efforts

A Goal Set at 14 Years Old

Growing up in Racine, Newell found herself being her own representation. She joined pageants in 2017 at the age of 14 years old because it gave her the platform to be seen and heard.

Pagenets have given Newell confidence, networking skills, and a sense of community that includes many friendships.

Newell was named Miss Kenosha in 2023 and Miss Racine in 2024. In 2024, she competed in the Miss Wisconsin competition, where she finished as a semi-finalist.

During competition week, there is a wall display of the past Miss Wisconsin winners. Newell remembers looking at that wall and not seeing one woman who represented her, so she made a vow to herself to be the difference.

“I wanted to do everything I could to hopefully be on that wall to inspire other girls,” said Newell. “I’m glad that I had the opportunity to be that representation.”

As Newell gets used to her new title as Miss Wisconsin, she is very candid about her struggles with impostor syndrome and how she gets through it by going to therapy.

“We feel like we need to be strong all the time…and as Miss Wisconsin I let people know I’m not always okay. Therapy helps,” – Willow Newell.

Newell will compete at the Miss America 2026 competition in Orlando in early September.