Lakita Garth facts for kids

Lakita Garth is an American public speaker and former beauty queen. She is known for encouraging young people to make healthy choices. She has spoken to many groups and even shared her ideas with the United States Congress. Lakita also wrote a book and released a music album.

Lakita Garth's Story

Early Life and Achievements

Lakita Garth was born in Los Angeles, California. She was the youngest of five children. Her father, who served in the United States Air Force for 27 years, passed away when Lakita was 11 years old. Lakita remembers her parents being strict. Her mother went to church regularly.

When she was in high school, Lakita says she was sometimes teased for her choices. Lakita was also a successful beauty queen. She won the title of Miss Black California in 1995. That same year, she placed as second runner-up in the Miss Black America pageant.

Her Work as an Advocate

Lakita Garth has been a strong voice for young people. On May 25, 1994, she spoke to a committee in the United States House of Representatives about choices teenagers make. The next year, she was interviewed by Vogue magazine. She was a spokesperson for a group called Athletes for Abstinence.

In February 1998, she was a main speaker at a meeting for the California Republican Party. On July 16, 1998, she spoke to Congress again. This time, it was for the Small Business Subcommittee on Empowerment. In 2006, she spoke at a Christian music festival in San Francisco. She has also talked about healthy choices and respectful behavior with the University of Southern California football team and the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Lakita Garth wrote a book called The ... Truth (published by Revell in 2011). This book is about making good choices in relationships. In 1999, she also released a rap album titled Lakita. One of her songs, "Talk to the Hand," was featured on a 1999 music collection called Power Jams.

Media Appearances

During the 1990s, Lakita Garth often appeared on the TV show Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. She also appeared on MTV's series Sex in the '90s. On an episode of Politically Incorrect that aired on August 13, 1997, she had a discussion with rock musician Marilyn Manson, former government official G. Gordon Liddy, and actress Florence Henderson. They talked about topics like religion and music.

In 2005, Lakita appeared on the talk show The View. She was also featured in People Magazine. Her interviews have appeared in magazines like Seventeen and Cosmopolitan.

Personal Life

In 2005, after dating for two years, Lakita Garth married Jeffrey Wright. She waited until her marriage to be intimate.