Miss Ja Festival Queen Christina Williams talks goals, coronation and Portland

On August 1, attorney, development advisor and head of information privacy at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Christina Williams, was crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2026. Firmly rooted in Portland’s Rio Grande Valley, Williams, who thoroughly enjoys life in her farming community, is a strong advocate for youth development and culture. She shares some of her goals and aspirations with Living.

1. When you walked into the Festival Queen pageant, were you motivated by a desire to break Portland’s 27-year drought and take the national crown home? And how are Portlanders reacting?

I did yearn to take it home for my parish, as I felt, given the investment of my Portland family in making me who I am today ... my teachers at Ken Wright Primary and Titchfield High, church family at the Wain Road SDA Church. I wanted to honour them with this gift. So I ensured I fully portrayed my roots as a country girl, down to earth, while representing Portland excellence and pride.

Portlanders, even those who do not currently live there, have been reaching out to note how proud they are and how they take the win personal. Some mentioned that they felt the win because right before I was announced as the winner, rain unexpectedly began to pour intensely and continued until 6 o’clock the next morning.

2. On coronation night, your name was being called in rapid succession as winner of four sectional prizes: Most Culturally Aware, Most Active in the Community, Most Poised and Best Gown. How did you feel each time your name was called?

Honestly, I was only partially sure about Most Active in the Community. I knew I had a strong profile of community service, as I have been involved in community and national development for almost 20 years, but with such an exceptional cohort of parish queens who were extremely intelligent and talented, I was not sure about anything else. I believe the multiple wins [are a] testament [to the] hard work, the efficacy of the JCDC Festival Queen Programme at both the parish and national levels, and how you can achieve more than you expect ‘if you nuh hard ears’ and [you] apply what you learn.

3. Now that you have had some time to reflect on this latest achievement, what was one moment that you will forever cherish?

I think winning and looking out into the audience and seeing my father and grandmother’s faces. I think everything went quiet when I saw the pride in their eyes. My family are humble people ... we work hard as farmers, we sacrifice, we contribute to [the] community and family, so I am happy I was able to represent their values of service and perseverance on a national stage and bring honour to their name.

4. What is the core mission of your community initiative, Path to Progress, and how do you plan to reach your goal of impacting 20,000 young adults?

This mission is paying forward the hand up I received to get on my own path, so I will be going into communities and schools and providing them with knowledge they can use to advance their own path through higher education, leadership and entrepreneurship. Then, directly assist and/or connect them with resource personnel who provide practical help, whether it’s résumé writing or interview preparation or more advanced, like mentorship and assistance with a grant application for funding. I am excited to get to work! I also know the figure seems a lot at first glance, but thousands of young people in our nation are full of potential and only need a small match to ignite their light. So I call on partners to help me achieve this milestone and reach even more youngsters.

5. As a youth advocate and legal professional, how do you balance your career with the demands of serving as a national cultural ambassador?

The demands feel manageable so far, as I have been leading a life dedicated to [the] service of community and country for many years, and this platform is a further fulfilment of that. It also helps to have a supportive team at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust who have pledged to facilitate my role. Also, the trust’s role of heritage preservation and promotion is complementary to my role as cultural ambassador, so I will be amplifying our work and that of the ministry and our sister agencies, along with the contributions of our young cultural practitioners found across the nation. However, as someone who is a little shy, I am not sure I will get used to the media interviews and appearances, but I am grateful for the opportunity for a visible platform to help advance the causes I am passionate about and help bring visibility to others.

6.What is one unique piece of Portland’s heritage or culture that you are most excited to showcase during your reign?

Beyond the expected aspects of the beautiful beaches and the natural beauty of our mountains and forests, I want to showcase the community/people-led preservation efforts of Jamaican culture. I grew up with rafting on the Rio Grande, jerk at Boston, the Moore Town Maroons and their drumming and sound of abeng, the continuation of dinki mini. Jamaican culture must belong to, [be] enjoyed by and protected by its own people first, and I want to use my platform to showcase and encourage this in Portland and across Jamaica.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com