Amber Wilsondebriano made history when she was elected homecoming queen at her South Carolina school. She is Porter-Gaud School's first Black homecoming queen. Porter-Gaud School has existed for 155 years and crowned its first homecoming queen during the 1976-1977 school year, according to Good Morning America.
Amber, 17, has attended the private school for 12 years. She has a 4.66 GPA and holds leadership roles in multiple clubs at her school, WCBD reported. She is the co-creator of the school's art club, co-founder of the Black Excellence Society, and co-president of the Chinese Club.
“On Homecoming night, I took so many pictures with young Black children, and I want them to look at me and believe that this is something that is attainable for them," Amber told WCBD. "It feels like finally I can give them some sort of dream, and help them, even if I get to just stand here and wear a crown, it means so much more than just being the queen. My win is not just for me." Amber is passionate about painting and aspires to create children's books one day.
Amber's mom, Monique Wilsondebriano, also posted about her daughter's achievement on Facebook, writing, "On one hand, we hate to talk about race—but we kind of have to."
"Amber's classmates elected her. Not because she is Black but because they genuinely love her. Amber is smart, funny, and is always a friend to anyone she meets," Monique wrote. "The fact that these kids, that look nothing like her, saw something in her and voted for her to be their Homecoming Queen meant the world to us. The week of homecoming we had so many children coming up to us excited, saying that they are voting for Amber and they hope she wins. The joy on their faces when Amber‘s name was called… The roar from the crowd… I wish everyone could’ve been there to see it."
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In her post, she wrote that although they kind of hate to bring race up, it's necessary. "For these reasons, we must talk about race, and we must celebrate it," she wrote.
The Porter-Gaud School became co-educational in 1972. It's an Episcopal private school with a predominantly white student body. Amber said that attending the school has been a positive experience. Porter-Gaud Head of School DuBose Egleston said in a statement to ABC News that, "We are fortunate to have Amber as a member of our community, and we are pleased that Amber and her family have had such a positive and meaningful experience during their 12 years here on our campus.”
