By Alexandria Bonin

Baylee Albritton, Miss Pearl River County, hosted her first “True You Pageant” for all abilities on Saturday, May 31, at Crosby Commons.

Albritton, who began her journey in pageants two years ago, was selected as Miss Pearl River County in November 2024 and will soon be competing for the title of Miss Mississippi. This is a title that Albritton holds graciously and with pride.

“It was an amazing honor,” says Albritton. “I’ve lived in Picayune my entire life, and to know that I am able to represent our amazing county, especially at the statewide level, has been an amazing honor.”

With the title of Miss Pearl River County and her plans to compete for Miss Mississippi, Albritton is required to develop and run a Community Service Initiative (CSI). As an older sister to two siblings with disabilities, it was only fitting that Albritton’s Harmony Inclusion Project was born—an initiative that seeks to both destigmatize and include those with mental and physical disabilities.

“For the Miss Mississippi competition, you are to have a community service initiative, and my community service initiative is called the Harmony Inclusion Project,” says Albritton. “It’s a very personal project to me because both of my little siblings are on the autism spectrum.”

Throughout her life, Albritton has firsthand witnessed the discrimination that occurs on a day-to-day basis. With her brother being only three years younger than her, the issue has been even more prominent in their high school years.

“I’ve watched as he grows up, him wanting to do something and the other kids seeing that he’s different and not wanting to include him in it because they don’t think he can do it or they don’t want to have more of a hassle for him to be included,” shares Albritton. “It’s stuff like that that really just made me want to cater something towards people with disabilities.”

Albritton’s True You all-abilities pageant was a part of this initiative and an event to bring it to life. The quickly planned project came together in only a month and started as a suggestion from Albritton’s mom.

“She came up with the idea because she thought it would be cool to connect my CSI to my pageant world, so I went and kind of just put it all together,” shares Albritton. “It gives people with disabilities the ability to be seen and show who they really are without judging them. It also gives them the platform to feel beautiful in their own skin.”

Her journey and firsthand experience with her siblings made Albritton the ideal organizer for such an event. Due to her understanding of the community, she has become a strong advocate for those who are often overlooked.

“It’s something I’ve grown up around, so I know the personal struggles and the difficulties of being included in a non-disabled world,” says Albritton. “I really wanted to give a voice to people who are overshadowed because of their disabilities.”

The True You Pageant was partnered with The Arc of Pearl River County, an advocacy organization that promotes and protects the rights of those with mental and physical disabilities. Albritton expressed her gratitude for their support.

“Working with organizations like the Arc of Pearl River County has been a great help because it gives me an outlet to not only people who understand people with special needs but also people with special needs themselves,” says Albritton.

The community response to Albritton’s pageant has been overwhelmingly positive, as she has received messages from caretakers and families of contestants. Through this all-abilities pageant, she demonstrated that individuals with disabilities possess the same skills as their able-bodied peers and should not be doubted or overlooked. This is an event that she, as well as the participants, hopes to continue as an annual pageant. 

“They were all very excited and willing to do this because it allows them to do something that they may not otherwise get to do,” shares Albritton. “People with special needs want to be included, and a lot of times they’re not because people assume they can’t do whatever a person without disabilities is doing.”

The event gained attention from Mayor Jim Luke, who spoke at the event and shared his appreciation for the initiative. Albritton served on the mayor’s youth council this past year and displayed a strong work ethic and eagerness to help her community. Albritton mentioned that Luke is in favor of making the True You Pageant an annual event.

“He knows how I work,” says Albritton. “He was excited to see me putting that work ethic to something good for the entire community, and that it’s not just the youth, it included everyone.”

While the Harmony Inclusion Project was initially created as a competition requirement, Albritton plans to continue the initiative beyond her reign as Miss Pearl River County. She is already involved on a deeper level than required, including developing solutions to issues she has witnessed in local schools. This includes working with Picayune School District and South Side Elementary to make improvements to their sensory rooms.

“The Harmony Inclusion Project is something I want to continue to grow beyond if I get a title next year or not, and help people with special needs not just within this community but throughout the entire state and the entire nation,” says Albritton. “We, [Albritton and Picayune School District], are working on getting a sensory nook for their sensory room just to make it more interactive because right now it is a little bare.”

Through her efforts, it is important to Albritton to show that mental and physical disabilities should not lead to exclusion from the community. She has one simple message for those who view individuals with special needs in a negative light.

“Be kind. Think about what you’re going to say before you say something, and understand that people with special needs are still, at their core, people; they are just functioning differently from how you may be functioning. That doesn’t make them bad or less than you, it just means that they have different accommodations to work in a non-disabled world, and that’s not something they should be put down for.”