The power and intensity of her angelic chords seem so unlikely to be resonating from her petite frame. And yet, she stands there with such grace and calm as her voice — a cappella — reverberates with conviction, piercing the stillness of the room, and blessing the souls of those present.
No one would be surprised if the glass door and wall suddenly were to shatter as they witnessed this talent beyond measure.
There was immense pride for 18-year-old Alexandra Gramby, the nation’s reigning Miss Juneteenth, in rendering an impromptu performance for Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet in November, when Boulet honored her achievements with a parish proclamation. Among her captivated audience at the mayor-president reception area at city hall office were her parents and members of the Southwest Louisiana Juneteenth Committee, which sponsored the local Miss Juneteenth pageant.
It was a tender, poignant and harmonious moment for the hometown hero, a Maurice resident who has gained national success, touring the country as a goodwill ambassador.
Despite her confidence, and being seemingly wise beyond her years, Gramby did not expect to win the national crown when she entered the local Miss Juneteenth pageant in 2024. A senior at North Vermilion High School, she did not expect to take the state crown, either, leading to her ultimate victory as the first Louisiana winner of the national crown.
Her winning philosophy has been a relaxed one: to breathe and “let things fall in place.”
For Gramby, Juneteenth means perseverance. When confronted with challenges, as is often the case in life, she says, “you have to get up no matter what.”
“Do what you can to get out of it — not for yourself, but for others,” she adds.
Gramby was there when, just recently, the SWLA Committee joined associations and groups across the country in the ringing of bells to commemorate the National Freedom Day Observance, singing the national anthem as well as a song about the 13th Amendment, the signing of which is celebrated on that day, February 1. This year marked 160 years since President Abraham Lincoln signed the congressional resolution for the amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Among the event’s attendees were St. Anthony Catholic Church’s pastor, the Rev. Rick Andrus, State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, and current and former Lafayette City Council members Elroy Broussard and Chris Williams, who spoke on subjects ranging from the future of African Americans to inmates being used for slave labor.
This Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Scott Event Center, Gramby will be among her peers when the regional Juneteenth Committee, the Greater SWLA Black Chamber of Commerce and others host an African American History Program for youth across the eight-parish region.
The three-hour event will include talent performances, a rap discussion on youth issues and the power of youth voting, and a showing of Natalie Spencer’s film, The Chamber Room.
Abram Freeman, pastor of Acts of Love Fellowship and Louisiana’s representative on the national Juneteenth board, notes the importance of educating young people on their communities’ history, and being honest when doing so.
“It is incumbent on our generation that the youth — all youth,” he says, “understand the truth and are able to decipher it for themselves.”
As for Gramby, she has a deep well of generational knowledge to pull from.
Her maternal grandfather is former Lafayette attorney David “Dave” Dennis, a prominent civil rights activist, who rose to the global stage in the 1960s. As the Mississippi director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1964, he gave the eulogy for one of the three murdered civil rights workers — James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerne — who were immortalized in the movie Mississippi Burning based upon their tragic deaths.
“We’ve had to survive from the day that our ancestors were brought into the country as enslaved people,” Dennis said in a 2023 interview with Verite News of New Orleans. “So every day has been some type of resistance in terms of just being able to survive.”
Since winning the crown, Gramby has experienced a whirlwind of events and a schedule filled with an array of academic and extracurricular activities, in addition to her regal duties.
But despite her young age, she presents as someone who understands her truth and is grounded in a powerful sense of identity. Her parents, Frankie and Stacie Brooks, shared in an interview that they were committed to establishing such a foundation, ensuring that she stood up for what she believed in.
Her approach to life and all its challenges, especially those of a reigning queen, has been a measured one. “We’re supposed to take it day by day and do the best we can,” she says.
Gramby exemplifies a youthful confidence. Her goal is to travel and help people. How she will juggle her compounding schedule to accomplish everything, she admits, “I honestly haven’t figured it out yet.” This fall, she plans to enroll at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to study nursing.
If you ask Gramby, the most important thing is to not become overwhelmed in life, but to pace oneself. “Go with the flow, don’t stress too much because it’s not going to change things,” she says.
Gramby wants others to understand that they do not have to be perfect. Instead they should learn to have fun and enjoy whatever they choose to pursue, she says. In all that she does, and whatever achievements she accomplishes, Gramby most wants to serve as a role model and inspire others: “If she can do it, I can do it!”