Nova Stevens made history in 2020 when she was crowned Miss Universe Canada. Born in South Sudan, the six-foot beauty was the first Black woman to ever hold the country’s title. Unfortunately, her success hasn’t come without its drawbacks. 

The 26-year-old model recently spoke about how disappointed she was in several comments she’s received online. In a lengthy Instagram post, Stevens addressed racist comments and colorism she’s been subject to since entering the public eye.

Stevens shared a picture of herself with several hateful comments attached. “She is toasted and burned,” one comment read. Another person compared her to “burnt chicken.”

“Here we go again. I’ve been receiving this picture in my inbox a lot lately,” the pageant queen wrote about the racist comments. “With all that has been going on in the world ‘black lives matter’ ‘Asians are human’ you would think this would bring us together. Instead, looks like some people are still stuck in their ignorant and racist ideologies.”

She went on to detail her disappointment in the pageant fans who’ve attacked her online, saying “Your hate takes away the fun and enjoyment from this once in a lifetime experience. Is it really that difficult to spread love instead of hate? No one is saying you HAVE to support all contestants, all we’re saying is that you support your delegate without bringing others down.”

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Born in South Sudan, Stevens sought refuge from a civil war in Canada at age 6. She went on to become a model as well as a community activist, founding Freedom March Vancouver in Canada. Last summer, Stevens helped organize a 15,000 person Black Lives Matter March to protest police brutality and racism.

Perhaps more than anything, Stevens wants her post to be a teaching moment about race, colorism and traditional beauty standards. 

“The definition of beauty applies to all; because beauty can be seen in different shapes, shades and sizes.,” she wrote. “Please see the beauty that is in this world. We don’t need to look the same, we just need to treat eachother the same.”