This competition was originally started as "Miss Black Teenage America," and took place in Atlanta, Georgia during July 1971. The show was produced and syndicated internationally by Hal Jackson Productions. Hal Jackson Productions then became one of the first Black television production companies in the United States.

To be inclusive of all races the name was changed to Miss U. S. Talented Teen Pageant & Revue in 1973. In 1976, due to numerous requests to extend its benefits to teens in other countries, the name was changed to Hal Jackson's Talented Teens International (HJTTI). HJTTI is a talent contest, not a beauty pageant, created for young women of color 13 to 17 years of age. The first International Finals took place in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The contest is open to all races but particularly focuses on minorities in order to foster and develop their artistic talents and give them encouragement and exposure to different aspects of the musical, dramatic, and performing arts.

HJTTI competitions are conducted by community minded individuals and organizations located within urban and rural communities across the United States, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

HJTTI has held its International Finals in it's home base of New York City, at such prestigious locations as, Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum, the Schubert Theatre on Broadway, the Waldorf Astoria, the Apollo Theatre, as well as the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the Arie Crown in Chicago, and the Coconut Grove and Wiltern Theater in Hollywood, California. HJTTI has also been held in St. Croix and St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and in Nassau, Bahamas.

Hal Jackson's Talented Teens of Washington
P.O. Box 78316
Seattle, WA 98178
206-722-1839

E-mail talentwa@scn.org