Photo: Kendall Morgan, Queen of the Bay 2023-2024
The Queen of the Bay Committee and the Association of Former Queens of the Bay have stripped the reigning Queen of the Bay, Kendall Morgan, of her title, after she allegedly violated several contractual conditions.
Her attorney says “accusations.. are false”, “they are practicing colorism”, and that “the Committee has undermined their pageant.”
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 14, 2024
For what is likely the first time in Queen of the Bay history, a reigning queen has been stripped of her crown and title—a dethronement that took place just a week before the pageant!
It was publicly announced via a press release on Wednesday, August 14, by the Association of Former Queens of the Bay and the National Queen of the Bay Committee that the reigning Queen of the Bay, Kendall Morgan will not be participating in this year’s September Celebrations festivities because she has been unanimously stripped of her title for allegedly violating several conditions.
According to a press release issued by the National Queen of the Bay Committee, numerous attempts were made to ensure that Morgan completed her reign, which was set to end on St. George’s Caye Day on September 10 with the crowning of the new Queen of the Bay. However, on several occasions, Morgan allegedly violated the terms of her contract, which was legally signed on November 23, 2023.
The press release further mentioned that numerous verbal warnings were given to Morgan for “bullying, cyberbullying, and generally discourteous and disrespectful behavior”. The Committee noted that those behaviors violated Sections 5, 10, 11, 12, and 13 of her contract.
According to the release, Section 5 of the contract states the following: “She will, at all times, conduct herself in a manner befitting of the dignity and image of the Queen of the Bay – this will also include posts made on social media – and if at any time her conduct is considered to have a negative or demeaning effect to the title of Queen of the Bay, the Committee has the right to caution her verbally and in writing and advise that if such behavior persists three (3) times, the committee will proceed to rescind the Crown.”
Additionally, Sections 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the contract highlighted the terms and conditions that must be met by the Queen of the Bay when participating in public engagements, raising any concerns or queries, or providing notice of plans to leave the country.
“They are seeking to rely on a clause that she should not have left the country without informing them, but that clause cannot be a restriction of her freedom of movement. It can be interpreted as a restriction of her movement if so far, the committee had events planned during the time of her absence,” stated Morgan’s attorney, Arthur Saldivar. He went on to state, “Her absence was only from Friday to Sunday, and was not in respect of any time that she had an event or appearance to make to her duties as Queen of the Bay. So that would not be a breach of her contract; and if that is a breach, it would be only one, and the contract would say three incidents that would be a basis for her removal, and they don’t have that … Kendall went to the US for three days to visit her sister; would have been less, but because of the hurricane stayed an extra day. She was not on some long-extended absence from the country that prevented her from carrying out her duties; she had none of that when she left, nor when she got back!”
Saldivar also mentioned that the other accusations against his client (of inappropriate behavior) are false. Also, he asserted that what was said in the press release is defamatory, and that the Committee is making decisions which reflect an attitude of colorism towards Morgan.
“What has happened here is, they have taken colorism to an extreme! She is beautiful and dark in complexion; and by that, they have exercised the little power they have in their teapot to embarrass, ridicule, and degrade her. We are talking about a young lady who is an exemplary student at SJC Sixth Form, and has carried her functions with dignity, respect, and grace throughout her tenure,” Saldivar said.
The press release noted that during Morgan’s reign, she was reportedly offered advice, guidance, and even professional help, all of which were declined.
“Counseling for what?! The press release is defamatory because it suggests there is something wrong with someone perfectly normal and has no issues. But because she is from Burrell Boom – a rural area – and is of a dark complexion and from a family they don’t respect, they are using every means to demean her, at their disposal,” Saldivar said.
“… They are practicing colorism; because her complexion is darker, she is not afforded the respect as the other girls. The calendar came out which, before what they did, was of a former queen of a lighter [skin tone]; what does that tell you? You have not stripped her; she is still Queen of the Bay; why produce a calendar with a former queen who’s no longer standing Queen of the Bay? That is an indication that they made their decisions long before anything ever happened. They were looking for an excuse,” he added.
Saldivar said that the Committee should have handled the situation in a different manner, and that they undermined the pageant.
“The Committee has undermined their pageant, and I would recommend that no female sign up for that pageant, because it is being run by idiots, morons, imbeciles who don’t care,” he said.
Amandala attempted to contact Sherima Usher Guity, president of the National Queen of the Bay Committee; but as of the writing of this article, we had not received a response. It is to be noted that the first runner-up in the last Queen of the Bay pageant, Keely Faux of Stann Creek West, will be the new queen after Morgan’s removal.
Saldivar has further alleged that his client has not yet received 90% of her prizes from last year’s pageant, including a piece of land and a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Belize. Morgan is taking legal action against the committee in order to have them retract their statement and apologize.