After finishing as first alternate at the 2020 Miss Wheelchair Alabama American Pageant, Russellville resident Nicole Kennemur said it wasn't about where she finished in the annual pageant. Instead, it was about sharing her message calling for improved accessibility in medical buildings.
Kennemur's voice, and her platform, will be heard louder and more frequently in the coming year, as she was recently crowned Miss Wheelchair Alabama America for 2021.
“This is not so much a competition as it's about the chance to educate and bring awareness to people,” Kennemur said of the pageant. “I'm always working on that, and as part of being Miss Wheelchair Alabama 2021, there will be more opportunities to share this and other important messages on behalf of people with disabilities.”
Kennemur was crowned at the pageant held January 16th at the A.W. Todd Centre in Russellville. It was her second year to take part in the event.
More than 54 million Americans are living with a disability. The pageant requires participants to communicate ideas and concepts and project a positive vision for all disabled people in Alabama.
With Kennemur's ever-present smile, she's a perfect ambassador to represent Alabama in the Miss Wheelchair America Pageant this August in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
There was a time, though, when Kennemur wasn't smiling much. The Bear Creek native suffered a spinal cord injury during surgery as a teenager. She had multiple tumors on her spine, and doctors had to cut some of her spinal cord to remove them. At the age of 14, Kennemur became paralyzed from the waist down.
In the first years after the injury, Kennemur said she appreciated the efforts of her therapist, nurses and doctors, but she didn't have anyone to reach out to who actually was living with a disability like she was. As Miss Wheelchair Alabama, that's something she wants to change for others.
“One thing I really want to do is work with women and girls who are newly injured to help influence them and see they still have a wonderful life ahead of them, no matter what,” Kennemur said. “It will be easier to share that message now and I'll have more contacts and opportunities to do that as queen.”
After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Education, Kennemur worked as a third-grade teacher for Haleyville City Schools for three years. She left that job to become a drug and alcohol counselor at Hamilton's Marion County Treatment Center.
“I've had family members battle the disease of addiction, but God opened up the door and it was totally a God-send, because I was ready to get out of education,” Kennemur told the Franklin Free Press in 2020. “I wanted to be in some field where I could help people, and from the first day here I knew I was in the right place.”
Kennemur, 42, has lived in Russellville for 11 years. Family members in Russellville include her sister, Misty Kennemur Ikerd.
The Miss Wheelchair Alabama America Pageant began in the 1970s when Alabama became the first state to hold a pageant. In August, winners of more than 25 state pageants will advance to Grand Rapids for the nationals.
Miss Wheelchair Alabama America is a non-profit organization that promotes advocacy and awareness, while celebrating the achievements of women wheelers across the state.
The organization is raising funds to help pay for Kennemur's travel expenses to Grand Rapids. An online auction on the organization's Facebook page (Ms. Wheelchair Alabama America Inc.) will help raise some of the cost.
Donations may also be made through the Miss Wheelchair Alabama website, www.mwa-alabama.org. And groups wanting to schedule Kennemur for speaking engagements may also contact her through the same website.
