On August 22, 2026, two Miss Juneteenth America representatives participated in the Sisters for Life Wellness Expo at the Mobile Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama.
Queen Erin Hammond, Junior Miss Juneteenth America 2026, and Ms. Miley Jones, Junior Miss Juneteenth America 2026 First Runner-up, took part in conversations centered on confidence, sisterhood, youth, mental wellness, leadership, and responsible social media use.
Through panel discussions and community engagement, both young women had opportunities to share their experiences, encourage other girls, and represent the Miss Juneteenth America Scholarship Pageantry Program in a setting focused on wellness and empowerment.
What Was the Sisters for Life Wellness Expo?
The Sisters for Life Wellness Expo brought together community members, health professionals, businesses, mentors, and young people for conversations and activities related to wellness, sisterhood, confidence, and personal development.
For Queen Erin and Miley, the event created opportunities to engage with other young women, share their perspectives, and participate in discussions that connected leadership with everyday choices.
Miley especially appreciated meeting health professionals, visiting Black-owned businesses, and listening to teen mentoring discussions.
Erin participated in the Young Crowned Queens Panel, where she spoke about what it means to confidently “wear your crown.”
Queen Erin Hammond: Wearing Your Crown With Confidence
Queen Erin Hammond served as a panelist during the Young Crowned Queens Panel.
The conversation focused on how young women can confidently wear their crowns by embracing who they are, believing in themselves, and leading with purpose.
Erin shared her own experiences and encouraged young girls to recognize their strengths, value their individuality, and understand that confidence begins with knowing who they are.
For Erin, wearing a crown is about more than a title.
It is also about how a young woman carries herself, uses her voice, and encourages others.
She used the panel to reinforce the importance of self-confidence, leadership, positive representation, and helping young girls recognize their own worth.
Leadership Through Encouragement
One of the most meaningful parts of the event for Erin was sharing the panel with other young queens.
The experience gave her an opportunity to hear different perspectives while also encouraging girls in the audience to believe in themselves and recognize their own potential.
Erin reflected that leadership is not simply about being visible.
It is about using your voice in ways that help others.
By confidently sharing her own story, she recognized that she could help another young person feel more comfortable embracing her individuality and stepping into her own leadership.
The experience strengthened Erin’s understanding that encouragement can be a meaningful form of service.
Ms. Miley Jones: Talking With Youth About Social Media
Ms. Miley Jones participated in the Sisters for Life Wellness Expo by sharing her experiences with the Miss Juneteenth America Scholarship Pageantry Program and engaging with vendors and attendees.
A significant part of Miley’s participation focused on social media and the effect it can have on young people.
She encouraged youth to understand that social media is a tool.
Like many tools, it can have benefits and drawbacks depending on how it is used.
Her participation gave her an opportunity to discuss the importance of being more intentional online and recognizing when social media habits may not be useful or productive.
Learning to Use Social Media More Intentionally
Miley reflected that the expo helped her think differently about how she uses social media.
She learned more about using online platforms in productive ways rather than spending time scrolling without purpose.
That lesson connected naturally with the broader wellness conversations taking place throughout the event.
Digital habits can influence how young people spend their time, communicate with others, access information, and engage with their communities.
For Miley, becoming more aware of those habits was an important part of the experience.
Her message encouraged other young people to think about not only how much they use social media, but also what they are using it for.
Sisterhood Through the Miss Juneteenth America Experience
The Sisters for Life Wellness Expo also gave both representatives an opportunity to talk about sisterhood.
Miley shared her experiences within the Miss Juneteenth America program and reflected on the relationships that can develop through participating alongside other young women.
Erin’s Young Crowned Queens Panel carried a similar message.
When young women support one another, share their experiences, and encourage each other to recognize their strengths, leadership becomes something they can practice together.
The event created a space where sisterhood could be discussed not only as friendship, but also as encouragement, accountability, mentorship, and shared growth.ndors, and business owners, the representatives helped make the program’s mission more visible and easier for the community to understand.
Wellness Includes Confidence, Connection, and Healthy Choices
The experiences of Erin and Miley showed that wellness can include more than physical health.
The conversations they participated in touched on:
- Mental wellness
- Confidence
- Sisterhood
- Leadership
- Healthy social media habits
- Self-awareness
- Mentorship
- Positive community relationships
For young people, these areas can influence how they see themselves, communicate with others, and make decisions.
By participating in the expo, Erin and Miley helped bring youth voices into conversations about what it means to grow with confidence and make thoughtful choices.
Representing Miss Juneteenth America Through Youth Engagement
The Sisters for Life Wellness Expo gave both young women another opportunity to represent Miss Juneteenth America outside of a traditional pageant setting.
Erin represented the program by encouraging girls to recognize their worth and lead with confidence.
Miley represented the program by sharing her experiences and discussing how young people can approach social media more intentionally.
Together, their participation reflected several areas of the Miss Juneteenth America mission, including leadership, personal development, cultural awareness, service, and community engagement.
Their involvement also showed how representatives can use their titles to participate in conversations that directly affect other young people.
Appreciation for the Sisters for Life Wellness Expo Community
Miss Juneteenth America extends appreciation to the organizers and participants of the Sisters for Life Wellness Expo for creating a space centered on wellness, mentorship, sisterhood, and youth development.
Ms. Miley Jones expressed appreciation to InspireU for its connection to the experience.
Queen Erin Hammond also recognized Amberly “Bambie” Harris for her role in making the event meaningful.
The expo gave both young representatives an opportunity to learn, share, encourage, and strengthen their understanding of leadership in practical ways.
More Than a Pageant. A Living Chapter of American History.
The Sisters for Life Wellness Expo reflected the heart of Miss Juneteenth America:
More Than a Pageant. A Living Chapter of American History.
For Queen Erin Hammond and Ms. Miley Jones, the event was an opportunity to use their voices in two different but connected ways.
Erin encouraged girls to embrace their individuality and confidently wear their crowns.
Miley encouraged young people to think more carefully about how they use social media and how their daily choices can support their well-being.
Together, they demonstrated how leadership can begin with confidence, awareness, encouragement, and the willingness to share what you are learning with someone else.
