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A Holiday Message from Queen Dee, Miss Juggalette 2015

“Be there for each other. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like–no one should ever feel excluded. Everyone needs someone. Live your life with peace, love, unity, and respect.”

–Queen Dee, Miss Juggalette 2015

It’s the holiday season and Miss Juggalette 2015, Queen Dee, the twenty-two-year-old mother of two who earned her title at this year’s Miss Juggalette Pageant, sighs heavily into the receiver on the other end of my phone line. I have just finished asking her if she would like to prepare a holiday message for the Juggalo World. She pauses for a moment and then begins to respond slowly: “I got laid off today under completely unfair circumstances. I feel like it’s going to be a shitty holiday season for me and my kids.”

I was stunned. Here was a young woman crowned queen, supporting her children on her own and just trying to make ends meet. On top of all that? Our Juggalo Queen just got laid off at Christmas time. Holy shit.

After offering a few condolences, my support, and words of encouragement, all I could do was wait it out to see how things would pan out for the young queen and to see if she would even want to continue our holiday interview. A few days passed. And as time went on, I began to think about Dee’s journey to the crown. More than anything, I began to reflect on how her story was one of distinguished determination. This was a young lady who didn’t give up, no matter what. Her life story and multiple pageant performances were a testament to that fact.

IMG_7493-X2

The “D” Is for “Determination”

Hailing from Collinsville, Illinois, an eleven-year-old Dee fell in love with the Wraith: Shangri-La and the Juggalo community that shared her passion for the carnival.

“That album truly moved me at a difficult time in my life. It was tough growing up for me. I was angry. I came from a rough home life. But I found peace in the music…In Collinsville and St. Louis, with shows going on at [a venue called] Pop’s all the time, we formed a really big group and suddenly I had all this support around me. Juggalos and Juggalettes would take me in when I was homeless as a kid or needed a roof over my head or a good meal. They’d say, ‘Stay for dinner. EAT. There’s plenty of food here.’ I’d always feel bad for eating their food at the time, but nowadays I just make sure to pay it forward…I’m only twenty-two now but I feel like I’m forty or fifty. [Laughs] And now I just try my best to be there for anyone and everyone. To me, EVERYBODY is family, juggalo or not, blood or not. We are ALL family.”

...

“Blood or not…we are ALL family”

As a young teen, Dee began to dream about going to the Gathering of the Juggalos and, in particular, entering the Miss Juggalette Pageant.

“I had this dream about winning the pageant when I was only a teenager. I told my [older] friends about it, and they’d start lecturing me: ‘Are you crazy?! Do you know what girls have to do to win that title?’ [Laughs] And I’d say, ‘Just watch. Someday I’m going to win that pageant on my OWN terms, without any of that other stuff.”

"D" for daring to dream

“D” Is for “Daring to Dream”

Even at such a young age, the would-be Queen of the Juggalos had a dream to capture the title of Miss Juggalette on her own terms. Along with that, she had the drive to follow through on that dream for a bigger purpose:

“The first year when they announced about Lette’s Respect, right away I said YES. I’m doing this….I knew I didn’t have to be afraid because everyone who gets up on that stage is a winner. It’s a way to build up confidence and just show the world how beautiful you are no matter who you are, whether you twerk, or sing, or spin a flag, or whatever…It’s all about diversity. It doesn’t matter what you dress like or look like. Have confidence in yourself and know that you kick ass!”

"Have confidence in yourself...you kick ass!"

“Have confidence in yourself…you kick ass!”

In 2013, Young Dee stepped up on the stage for the first time and brought her beloved art of poi along with her.

“I love to dance and I love music. I’ve been spinning poi since I was 14–even when I was pregnant. I truly am in love with the art form.”

She trained for months with racket balls and knotted up socks in preparation for the 2013 pageant. And after all that time and energy, all those hopes, wishes, and dreams…She didn’t win.

"Damn, losing never looked so good"

“D” is for “Damn, losing never looked so good” (2013)

And, again, in 2014, she still didn’t win.

"I love to have fun"

“I love making people happy, and I love to have fun. At that point, I stopped caring if I won or not. The experience was worth so much more…But let it be known that when I put my mind to something, I don’t stop. I get shit done!”

It was 2015. Year three of Dee’s quest for the crown of clowns. And on that fateful sunny last day of the Gathering in 2015, again she graced the stage for a third and final fire poi performance, this time reigning victorious and capturing the title.

The Amazing Jeckel Sister

The Amazing Jeckel Sister

 

“I don’t back down easily. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. The second you start putting barriers on yourself is when you can’t complete your dreams and goals. Just because you lose one time doesn’t mean you can’t come back harder and achieve what you set out to do. KEEP GOING!”

IMG_3859

 

“Dee” is for “determination.” After three years of hard work that paid off, her very presence as the Queen of the Juggalettes is a testimony to the power of persistence. “Don’t ever give up on your dreams.” In the words of Queen Dee, we all need to “Keep going.”

The face of determination

The Face of Determination

***

Meanwhile…

As I sat on a park bench in Philadelphia, hundreds of miles away from Collinsville, Illinois, I waited for Dee’s callback to see if we would ever finish our interview; I started to really worry about her troubles, especially during the holidays with two kids in the mix. But then I had a revelation: I felt that more than anything, I needed to make sure that Dee herself knew what I thought about her journey, whether or not Faygoluvers ever even ran the article. I needed to call her up once again and let her know to remain DEE-termined and not give up just because some sack of shit manager on a power trip decided to can the Queen of the Juggalos this close to Christmas. It was so important to me. I had to call her. I was just about to reach for my phone and then…

It rang. It was Queen Dee calling me. Just like magic.

POW!

Like POW!

Dee stopped me dead in my tracks before I could even say anything:

“Girl, it happened. I decided that I couldn’t just lay down and get trampled on. So I went above my manager’s head and contacted the owner of the company directly. I told him exactly what happened at my job, what my manager did, and why it was completely unfair to let me go. Then, right then and there, he hires me back on the spot. It’s a Christmas miracle!”

Pleased as I was to hear it, I was not surprised. Some might call it a miracle, but I just call it the usual for a woman of her caliber. Dee is for determination. Here is a young lady who never gives up, no matter what the odds.

"Walking through the fire"

“Walking through the fire”

 

As for her holiday message for the Juggalo World? It carries with it the vibes of unity and solidarity from a powerful Queen fit to represent our world to the fullest as 2015 draws to a close. Consider the source:

“As we approach the holidays and the new year, I want to quote the words of Shaggy 2 Dope and say ‘A juggalo is not one specific person. A juggalo comes from all walks of life.’ Be there for each other. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like–no one should ever feel excluded. Everyone needs someone. Live your life with peace, love, unity, and respect. Whoop Whoop and Happy Holidays from Miss Juggalette 2015!”

queen-dee-card2


 

Queen Dee is the winner of the 2013 2014 2015 Miss Juggalette Pageant and would like to give a special shout out to Shaggy 2 Dope, the entire 618 Collinsville and St. Louis Juggalo family, the big homie Krenshaw, her homie Jessica, her inspiration Triplesix (for the record, she is “fan girl status”), and her three crazy girls: Stephanie, Re, and Leah.

Rachel Paul is the author and illustrator of the Dark Carnival Tarot and Sacred Bridges Tarot and would like to thank Psychopathic Records, the entire Faygoluvers staff, Scrubs Crew Worldwide, and the usual suspects:

 

2014's Queen Dominique

2014 Juggalette Queen Dominique

2013 Juggalette Queen Serenity

2013 Juggalette Queen Serenity

Juggalettes who spit blood

Juggalettes who spit blood

Juggalettes who spit fire

Juggalettes who spit fire

Juggalettes who make us ask questions

Juggalettes who make us ask questions

Juggalettes who scare us (in a good way)

Juggalettes who scare us (in a good way)

Juggalettes who keep this world going (Congratulations to new mama Colin and baby son!)

Juggalettes who keep this world going (Congratulations to new mama Colin and newborn baby son!)

Juggalettes who do the splits like Prince

Juggalettes who do the splits like Prince

Ditto

Ditto

Juggalettes who triumph

Juggalettes who triumph

Juggalettes who wave the flag

Juggalettes who wave the flag

Juggalettes with impeccable fashion sense

Juggalettes with impeccable fashion sense

Juggalettes who get crafty

Juggalettes who get crafty

Juggalettes who get tatted

Juggalettes who get tatted

Juggalettes who spit ill shit

Juggalettes who spit ill shit

Crazy Mary Dobson

Crazy Mary Dobson

PMA host Kevin Gill and Son of Southwest DJ Carlito

PMA host Kevin Gill and Son of Southwest DJ Carlito

And the entire cast of Miss Juggalette 2015!

…And the entire cast of Miss Juggalette 2015!

Long live the Juggalette Queens! Merry Christmas, Juggalo Family!

Long live the Juggalette Queens! Merry Christmas, Juggalo Family!

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    Faygoluvers Comments

  1. wonka69

    wonka69

    Comment posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2015 09:16 pm GMT -5 at 9:16 pm

    that’s not a real juggalette! she looks good!!!

  2. the-juggla

    the-juggla

    Comment posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2015 12:17 am GMT -5 at 12:17 am

    wonka your a dick

  3. twiztid_ruiner

    twiztid_ruiner

    Comment posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2015 05:49 am GMT -5 at 5:49 am

    Good article
    Wonka y all the lette hate homie?

  4. Twiztidgurl1990

    Twiztidgurl1990

    Comment posted on Friday, December 11th, 2015 01:22 am GMT -5 at 1:22 am

    Wonka69 Dee is my girl and she went with me to my first rave. She is awesome and yes she is a juggalette. I can’t say so much that Miranda edwards (triplesix) is but that’s just my opinion. But Dee was my best friend in my late teenage years. We have drifted but I’ll always have her back… so with all being said…. fuck your face wonka69!! Sorry for the hate yall it was on the tip of my tongue. Had to say it.

  5. AllStar916

    AllStar916

    Comment posted on Saturday, December 12th, 2015 06:15 pm GMT -5 at 6:15 pm

    She so fine

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