A Holiday Message from Queen Dee, Miss Juggalette 2015
"Be there for each other. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like--no one should ever feel excluded. Everyone needs someone. Live your life with peace, love, unity, and respect."It's the holiday season and Miss Juggalette 2015, Queen Dee, the twenty-two-year-old mother of two who earned her title at this year's Miss Juggalette Pageant, sighs heavily into the receiver on the other end of my phone line. I have just finished asking her if she would like to prepare a holiday message for the Juggalo World. She pauses for a moment and then begins to respond slowly: "I got laid off today under completely unfair circumstances. I feel like it's going to be a shitty holiday season for me and my kids." I was stunned. Here was a young woman crowned queen, supporting her children on her own and just trying to make ends meet. On top of all that? Our Juggalo Queen just got laid off at Christmas time. Holy shit. After offering a few condolences, my support, and words of encouragement, all I could do was wait it out to see how things would pan out for the young queen and to see if she would even want to continue our holiday interview. A few days passed. And as time went on, I began to think about Dee's journey to the crown. More than anything, I began to reflect on how her story was one of distinguished determination. This was a young lady who didn't give up, no matter what. Her life story and multiple pageant performances were a testament to that fact. [caption id="attachment_123949" align="aligncenter" width="286"]--Queen Dee, Miss Juggalette 2015
The "D" Is for "Determination"[/caption]
Hailing from Collinsville, Illinois, an eleven-year-old Dee fell in love with the Wraith: Shangri-La and the Juggalo community that shared her passion for the carnival.
"That album truly moved me at a difficult time in my life. It was tough growing up for me. I was angry. I came from a rough home life. But I found peace in the music...In Collinsville and St. Louis, with shows going on at [a venue called] Pop's all the time, we formed a really big group and suddenly I had all this support around me. Juggalos and Juggalettes would take me in when I was homeless as a kid or needed a roof over my head or a good meal. They'd say, 'Stay for dinner. EAT. There's plenty of food here.' I'd always feel bad for eating their food at the time, but nowadays I just make sure to pay it forward...I'm only twenty-two now but I feel like I'm forty or fifty. [Laughs] And now I just try my best to be there for anyone and everyone. To me, EVERYBODY is family, juggalo or not, blood or not. We are ALL family."[caption id="attachment_123935" align="aligncenter" width="523"]
"Blood or not...we are ALL family"[/caption]
As a young teen, Dee began to dream about going to the Gathering of the Juggalos and, in particular, entering the Miss Juggalette Pageant.
"I had this dream about winning the pageant when I was only a teenager. I told my [older] friends about it, and they'd start lecturing me: 'Are you crazy?! Do you know what girls have to do to win that title?' [Laughs] And I'd say, 'Just watch. Someday I'm going to win that pageant on my OWN terms, without any of that other stuff."[caption id="attachment_123936" align="aligncenter" width="375"]
"D" Is for "Daring to Dream"[/caption]
Even at such a young age, the would-be Queen of the Juggalos had a dream to capture the title of Miss Juggalette on her own terms. Along with that, she had the drive to follow through on that dream for a bigger purpose:
"The first year when they announced about Lette's Respect, right away I said YES. I'm doing this....I knew I didn't have to be afraid because everyone who gets up on that stage is a winner. It's a way to build up confidence and just show the world how beautiful you are no matter who you are, whether you twerk, or sing, or spin a flag, or whatever...It's all about diversity. It doesn't matter what you dress like or look like. Have confidence in yourself and know that you kick ass!"[caption id="attachment_123945" align="aligncenter" width="521"]
"Have confidence in yourself...you kick ass!"[/caption]
In 2013, Young Dee stepped up on the stage for the first time and brought her beloved art of poi along with her.
"I love to dance and I love music. I've been spinning poi since I was 14--even when I was pregnant. I truly am in love with the art form."She trained for months with racket balls and knotted up socks in preparation for the 2013 pageant. And after all that time and energy, all those hopes, wishes, and dreams...She didn't win. [caption id="attachment_123948" align="aligncenter" width="514"]
"D" is for "Damn, losing never looked so good" (2013)[/caption]
And, again, in 2014, she still didn't win.
"I love making people happy, and I love to have fun. At that point, I stopped caring if I won or not. The experience was worth so much more...But let it be known that when I put my mind to something, I don't stop. I get shit done!"It was 2015. Year three of Dee's quest for the crown of clowns. And on that fateful sunny last day of the Gathering in 2015, again she graced the stage for a third and final fire poi performance, this time reigning victorious and capturing the title. [caption id="attachment_123944" align="aligncenter" width="400"]
The Amazing Jeckel Sister[/caption]
"I don't back down easily. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. The second you start putting barriers on yourself is when you can't complete your dreams and goals. Just because you lose one time doesn't mean you can't come back harder and achieve what you set out to do. KEEP GOING!"
"Dee" is for "determination." After three years of hard work that paid off, her very presence as the Queen of the Juggalettes is a testimony to the power of persistence. "Don't ever give up on your dreams." In the words of Queen Dee, we all need to "Keep going."
[caption id="attachment_123938" align="aligncenter" width="444"]
The Face of Determination[/caption]
***
Meanwhile... As I sat on a park bench in Philadelphia, hundreds of miles away from Collinsville, Illinois, I waited for Dee's callback to see if we would ever finish our interview; I started to really worry about her troubles, especially during the holidays with two kids in the mix. But then I had a revelation: I felt that more than anything, I needed to make sure that Dee herself knew what I thought about her journey, whether or not Faygoluvers ever even ran the article. I needed to call her up once again and let her know to remain DEE-termined and not give up just because some sack of shit manager on a power trip decided to can the Queen of the Juggalos this close to Christmas. It was so important to me. I had to call her. I was just about to reach for my phone and then... It rang. It was Queen Dee calling me. Just like magic. [caption id="attachment_123939" align="aligncenter" width="335"]
Like POW![/caption]
Dee stopped me dead in my tracks before I could even say anything:
"Girl, it happened. I decided that I couldn't just lay down and get trampled on. So I went above my manager's head and contacted the owner of the company directly. I told him exactly what happened at my job, what my manager did, and why it was completely unfair to let me go. Then, right then and there, he hires me back on the spot. It's a Christmas miracle!"Pleased as I was to hear it, I was not surprised. Some might call it a miracle, but I just call it the usual for a woman of her caliber. Dee is for determination. Here is a young lady who never gives up, no matter what the odds. [caption id="attachment_123943" align="aligncenter" width="530"]
"Walking through the fire"[/caption]
As for her holiday message for the Juggalo World? It carries with it the vibes of unity and solidarity from a powerful Queen fit to represent our world to the fullest as 2015 draws to a close. Consider the source:
"As we approach the holidays and the new year, I want to quote the words of Shaggy 2 Dope and say 'A juggalo is not one specific person. A juggalo comes from all walks of life.' Be there for each other. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like--no one should ever feel excluded. Everyone needs someone. Live your life with peace, love, unity, and respect. Whoop Whoop and Happy Holidays from Miss Juggalette 2015!"
Queen Dee is the winner of the
2014 Juggalette Queen Dominique[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123928" align="aligncenter" width="478"]
2013 Juggalette Queen Serenity[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123930" align="aligncenter" width="446"]
Juggalettes who spit blood[/caption]
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Juggalettes who spit fire[/caption]
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Juggalettes who make us ask questions[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123926" align="aligncenter" width="478"]
Juggalettes who scare us (in a good way)[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123927" align="aligncenter" width="395"]
Juggalettes who keep this world going (Congratulations to new mama Colin and newborn baby son!)[/caption]
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Juggalettes who do the splits like Prince[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123924" align="aligncenter" width="499"]
Ditto[/caption]
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Juggalettes who triumph[/caption]
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Juggalettes who wave the flag[/caption]
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Juggalettes with impeccable fashion sense[/caption]
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Juggalettes who get crafty[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123921" align="aligncenter" width="416"]
Juggalettes who get tatted[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123919" align="aligncenter" width="344"]
Juggalettes who spit ill shit[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123917" align="aligncenter" width="452"]
Crazy Mary Dobson[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123929" align="aligncenter" width="469"]
PMA host Kevin Gill and Son of Southwest DJ Carlito[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_123914" align="aligncenter" width="488"]
...And the entire cast of Miss Juggalette 2015![/caption]
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Long live the Juggalette Queens! Merry Christmas, Juggalo Family![/caption]
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