Nationwide — Meet Maddie Oliphant, the first African-American to be crowned Miss Mississippi Teen USA, a title she earned after three attempts. At 19 years old, Oliphant, a Hickory native, is using her platform to inspire others and push for better access to books for young 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren across the state.

Oliphant, a student at East Central Community College, launched her project, Maddie’s Little Library, in honor of her younger brother Evan. Diagnosed with autism at age 3, Evan’s reading s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s improved through daily reading sessions with her. That experience inspired her to help other 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren discover the power of books.

Through her platform, Oliphant plans to organize book drives and donate books to daycares, preschools, and local libraries. Her mission is to expand early 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood reading across Mississippi and encourage community involvement.

“Because it’s people like you and me and ideas like Maddie’s Little Library who can grow this organization, and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Oliphant told WLBT.

Winning the crown took three years of effort, but Oliphant said the journey made the victory sweeter. Oliphant hopes her journey will motivate young girls, especially girls of color, to keep going no matter how long it takes.

She credits her small town for helping her reach this milestone. She said, “I believe that I couldn’t have done this without my small town and the support I had there. I want to give back to them, I want to highlight the small businesses in my town that really poured into me and I want to do them the smallest little favor by just giving back to them.”

Oliphant also thanked her family, coaches, and makeup artist Stephanie Moore for helping her gain the confidence to keep going. With a full year ahead, she plans to grow her platform and keep empowering others through her story.