Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current, September 15, 2022, Page 8, Image 8

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    8
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
Smoke Signals
Tribal member named Mrs. Oregon American
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer
Tribal member Brittny Frederick
says she never imagined being in
the running for the Mrs. Oregon
American title, let alone the na-
tional crown.
“I absolutely did not think I would
be on the stage here,” she says.
“I joined the pageant program to
bring awareness to the opioid epi-
demic and to bring the community
together.”
In July, the 33-year-old Beaver-
ton resident was crowned Mrs. Or-
egon American at the state pageant
in Salem. From there, it was a quick
turnaround to the national pageant
held in the Westgate Resort, Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday,
Aug. 19.
“It was such an incredible expe-
rience,” she says. “I wasn’t nervous
until I actually walked on stage in
front of so many people.”
At the national pageant, Freder-
ick competed with 46 women from
across the United States in the
categories of fitness, evening gown
and an interview.
Frederick’s journey began in 2021
after a social media post about not
letting trauma get in the way of
letting your future unfold caught
the eyes of the then-reigning 2020
Mrs. Oregon American, Salena
Griffith, who contacted Frederick
and asked if she’d ever considered
doing pageants. During a 2021
Smoke Signals interview, after
she’d been named Mrs. Washington
County, Frederick reflected on that
initial experience.
“I was like, ‘No way, I’m a mom,
I’m married and is that even a thing
for us?’ ”
With a husband, three children
ages 11, 3 and 1, as well as a full-
time job, Frederick wasn’t sure if
she could also juggle pageant obli-
gations at that time.
At the pageant, Frederick learned
about Victoria’s Voice, an organiza-
tion dedicated to keeping teenag-
ers away from drug abuse. It was
founded after a family lost their
18-year-old daughter, Victoria, to
an opioid overdose. They believe
that by Victoria’s death, thousands
will be saved through their founda-
tion that supports ways to reduce
drug experimentation, addiction
Photos courtesy of Brittny Frederick/
Gilliam Photography
Tribal member Brittny Frederick
was crowned Mrs. Oregon American
in July. She decided to enter the
pageant to bring awareness to
the national opioid epidemic and
as a way to bring the community
together during the pandemic.
and overdoses.
“That really struck a chord with
me,” Frederick says. “I didn’t real-
ize it was that big of an aspect in the
event and that there was so much
community outreach. That’s when I
decided to think about doing this. I
wanted to get back to working with
youth.”
As a teen and young adult grow-
ing up in Grand Ronde, she worked
for the Tribe’s Youth Education De-
partment and the Native Wellness
Institute as a facilitator, educating
other youth about healthy alterna-
tives to using drugs and alcohol.
“Growing up in a small town, I
saw drug overdoses a lot and it has
also affected my own family,” Fred-
erick says. “My overall plan was to
do community outreach to make
Oregon a healthier place, whether
that means food boxes for families,
having Narcan (an anti-overdose
spray) available or helping cancer
survivors.”
Frederick decided to apply for
Mrs. Washington County, the first
step to becoming Mrs. Oregon
American. During that time, some
events were canceled or scaled
down due to the COVID-19 pan-
demic, but Frederick still had the
cultural
education
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Tribal member Brittny Frederick wears her 100-year-old traditional regalia
during a portion of the national Mrs. American pageant held at the Westgate
Resort, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday, Aug. 19. “If you asked me
what I was most excited about for the pageant it was this part. I got to show a
major part of who I am, and where I came from,” she said.
opportunity to work with several
nonprofits representing a number
of causes, attended the St. Paul
Rodeo, Hillsboro Rotary 4th of July
Parade and the Spirit Mountain
Community Fund’s 25th anniver-
sary celebration in July.
The statewide pageant in July
involved a panel interview, then a
dance, fitness, evening gown and
onstage question portion. When
Frederick was named the 2022 win-
ner, she was happy and surprised.
“I had no idea so many incredible
women would be there,” she says.
“I was pretty nervous about it, but
kept my nerves at bay by having as
much fun as possible.”
Mrs. America was established
in 1976 to honor married women
throughout the United States. Each
contestant represents one of the 50
states and the District of Columbia,
and participants range in age from
their 20s to their 50s. Participants
earn the right to participate in the
national event by winning their
state competition.
Frederick hasn’t served as Mrs.
Oregon for long, but she’s excited
about representing her Tribe at the
state level for the next year. During
the national competition in August,
she wore her traditional regalia and
enjoyed the opportunity to share
information about what the Grand
Ronde Tribe does for the people of
Oregon.
Frederick’s Tribal roots come
from her father, Dennis Linton,
grandfather Thomas Linton and
great-grandmother Geraldine
“Toots” Mercier.
“I feel it is such an honor to rep-
resent my Tribe,” she says. “I feel
so proud and happy, and I enjoy the
opportunity to let people know we
are still here. I’m very thankful.”
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