HBCU News Spotlight:
- Toniah Anderson is pursuing a master’s in social justice at Fisk University and plans law school to become a district attorney.
- Toniah Anderson emphasizes civic engagement, voter registration, and education, partnering with Equity Alliance to boost Black youth participation.
- Toniah Anderson draws inspiration from Fisk University legacy and leaders John Lewis and Diane Nash, committing to continue nonviolent activism for freedom.
- Juneteenth is both remembrance and a call to action; she urges continued work until collective freedom is achieved.
By Jada Thompson
June 19, 2026
On Saturday, June 13, Fisk graduate student, Toniah Anderson, was named Miss Clarksville Juneteenth in the event’s second annual pageant. As her family and friends cheered loudly and the crown was placed on her head, Toniah understood the responsibility that came with it.
For Toniah, the crown that she now carries is weighty – and worth it.
From Clarksville, Tennessee by way of Fayetteville, North Carolina, winning the title feels like a natural next step in the mission she has envisioned for her life.
The Miss Clarksville Juneteenth pageant was founded on the pillars of empowerment and culture, with an emphasis on being of service to the community. Finding personal alignment with these pillars came naturally to Toniah.
Born with an innate sense of justice, Toniah has known since her youth that a career in public service was her calling. Today, she has her sights set on becoming a district attorney – a goal she is poised and determined to achieve.
The storied grounds of Fisk University have become the perfect launching pad for that dream.
Pursuing her master’s in social justice, Toniah’s why is clear.
“Having an education here at Fisk helps remind me to always do what is just. Growing up, I always had my defense attorney dreams because I wanted to help innocent people get off. But, I thought, why not be a district attorney and make sure innocent people don’t get charged in the first place?”
With an intrinsic sense of duty akin to notable Fiskites like John Lewis and Diane Nash – who did not view freedom as an option, but a right – Toniah positioned herself at an institution where the search for freedom is divinely woven into its DNA.
Founded in 1866, just months after the end of the Civil War, Fisk University was established to provide educational opportunities for formerly enslaved people and their descendants.
Although the ink dried on the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, approximately 250,000 enslaved people remained in bondage in Texas for nearly two additional years. It was not until Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the delayed news of emancipation was delivered. This day is what we federally recognize as Juneteenth.
But freedom is not linear.
For generations after emancipation, Black Americans continued fighting to secure the rights and opportunities they had long been denied.
Fisk University and its students stood at the forefront of that fight. Through strategic nonviolent protests, desegregation sit-ins and Freedom Rides, Fisk students helped reshape Nashville and the nation. Leaders like Lewis and Nash challenged injustice with courage and conviction, helping make Nashville one of the first Southern cities to integrate public facilities.
Their intellect and leadership provided the framework to dismantle Jim Crow – intellect and leadership that was cultivated here at Fisk.
Inspired by those who came before her, Toniah takes her position as Miss Clarksville Juneteenth and a graduate Social Justice student seriously.
“I wanted this major specifically here at Fisk because of all those who came before me. Though they are big shoes that I may never fill, having that legacy made me feel like this is the place I can grow to hopefully, one day, do half of what they did.”
After becoming involved with local political organizing, Toniah noticed disparities in voter participation within the Black community in her hometown. That observation led her to partner with the Equity Alliance and develop strategies to increase civic engagement among Black youth.
“(With the crown), my responsibility is to keep the fight going, whether that’s civic engagement, voter registration or voter education, and to give everything I do, my all. I need to do everything in my power to emphasize the importance of voting, especially to the youth, and reminding them why their voices matter.”
As the nation commemorates Juneteenth, Toniah believes the holiday serves as both a celebration and a call to action.
“To me, Juneteenth is a holiday of remembrance, for sure, but it’s also a reminder that we keep on working and fighting until all of us are free. None of us are free until all of us are free.”
After earning her master’s degree from Fisk, Toniah plans to attend law school and continue pursuing her goal of becoming an elected official. She hopes young people remember the sacrifices of those who came before them – like Fiskites John Lewis and Diane Nash – and recognize their own power to create change.
“It is our job to honor those that came before us and pick up where they left off.”
As for the legacy she hopes to leave, Toniah’s aspiration is clear: “I want young, Black women to take away that it is okay to be themselves. You don’t have to be perfect. I’m far from perfect. But embrace who you are. I think confidence grows when you embrace and recognize that you have unique value. You don’t have to compare yourself to anyone else.”
As Toniah prepares for law school and a future in public service, she wears her crown with hopes to carry forward a legacy of leadership, justice and community engagement that has defined Fisk University for 160 years.
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