12 Facts About Radmilla Cody

Radmilla A Cody was born on 1975 and is a Navajo model, singer, and anti-domestic violence activist who was the 46th Miss Navajo from 1997 to 1998.

Radmilla Cody was the first biracial Miss Navajo and thus so far the only Miss Navajo partially of African-American heritage, her nomination sparked considerable debate over Navajo identity.

Radmilla Cody was raised in the rural areas of the Navajo Nation by her maternal grandmother, speaking Navajo.

Radmilla Cody later recalled that this time spent in relative solitude gave her time to practice her early singing skills with the "first audience [being] the sheep", and the surrounding environment gave her an appreciation of the sounds of nature.

In 1997, Radmilla Cody participated in and won the Miss Navajo contest, an event for which extensive knowledge of Navajo traditions and fluency in the Navajo language are required, rather than the ideals of beauty promoted by Western beauty pageants.

Radmilla Cody's songs are a mix of traditional Navajo music and songs incorporating lyrics written by her uncle, Herman Radmilla Cody.

Radmilla Cody won the 2002 Native American Music Award for Best Female Artist for her album Seed of Life, and has since released two more collections, Spirit of a Woman and Precious Friends, in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

Radmilla Cody was the first Native American singer nominated in this new category which succeeded to great controversy a standalone category for Native American music and Latin Jazz two-year prior to this award ceremony.

In 2002, Radmilla Cody sang the Navajo version of The Star-Spangled Banner at the Kennedy Space Center as John Herrington became the first enrolled member of a Native American nation to fly into space.

In 2003, Radmilla Cody pleaded guilty to "misprison [sic] of a felony" for wiring $1,000 to her boyfriend who was involved in the trafficking of marijuana in Las Vegas, Nevada, and she admitted to knowing that the money would be used for such illegal activities; she served 21 months in jail.

Subsequently, Radmilla Cody became subjected to public racial attacks, commenting on her African American descent; others voiced support and understanding for her situation due to her boyfriend's being abusive and oppressive.

Radmilla Cody has since become an activist against domestic violence.