Erika Harold

Pageant titleholder bio
title=Miss America 2003
nationalcompetition=Miss America 2003
photo=
location= Champaign, Illinois
eye color= Brown
hair color= Brown
nationality=American
ethnicity= mixed

Erika Harold (born 1980) was Miss America 2003, having qualified for the pageant by being selected Miss Illinois 2002. Her official platform was "Preventing Youth Violence and Bullying: Protect Yourself, Respect Yourself." This platform choice was said to have grown out of personal experience; she recounts having been the subject of racial and sexual harassment [ [http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2002/10/28/miss_abstinence/index.html Salon: Miss America's stealth virginity campaign] ] while growing up. However, in the first week of her reign, she also adopted a dual platform for Sexual Abstinence, causing some pageant observers to accuse her of harboring a hidden agenda. She held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington during which she claimed the Miss American organization was bullying her. [ [http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/102002a.asp News from Agape Press ] ]

descent. [American Medical Association & Newsmax.com articles]

Harold was born in Urbana, Illinois. She attended University High School and Urbana High School in Urbana, and later graduated from the University of Illinois as a Phi Beta Kappa honoree. In 2007, she graduated Harvard University's Law School and as of June 2008 was employed as an associate attorney at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, Illinois. [ [http://www.sidley.com/ourpeople/detail.aspx?attorney=8438] .]

Harold is politically conservative, and was the Youth Director for the Republican primary campaign of Illinois gubernatorial candidate Patrick O'Malley. [ [http://uis.blogspot.com/2003_09_01_archive.html#106410778585888321 University Blog ] ] She later served as a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention.

References