Don't you dare apologize, Vanessa Williams

DON'T DO IT, GIRL.

Whatever you do, Vanessa Williams, don't you dare apologize tomorrow night at the Miss America Pageant. Hold your head high when you walk back out onto that stage. And don't say you're sorry for anything.

Yes, you were wrong to knowingly violate the pageant's morals clause by accepting the crown in 1983, even though you must have suspected that it was only a matter of time before those racy girl-on-girl photos would be published.

But that was 32 years ago. The world has changed dramatically, which is why the Miss America Organization asked you back as its head judge this year. They need you.

Please, don't let pageant officials forget it.

The gossip website TMZ is reporting that the pageant people are in crisis mode over how things are supposed to happen when it airs at 9 p.m. on ABC. TMZ's sources say you're supposed to apologize, after which you will be awarded a new crown.

Girl, please.

All of this sounds like a publicity stunt. But if what TMZ is reporting is true, tell them to keep their crown.

You've been on Broadway and all over Hollywood - and you didn't need no stinkin' tiara to do it. (You do know those aren't real diamonds on that thing, don't you?) You don't need it. It's too late for all of that.

Just judge the pageant, as you've agreed to do, and keep it moving, as they say.

It's all good.

At 52, what happened more than three decades ago must seem like a bad dream: photos published of the first black Miss America simulating lesbian sex acts for a two-bit photographer. It was scandalous. You embarrassed your family, the pageant and all the people who had been rooting for you, especially black America.

But you held your head up, even as strangers drove past your parents' house blowing their car horns and yelling filthy insults out of their windows. Vanessa the Undressa. Nasty Nessa. You heard it all.

You could have tried to hang onto your title. You could have pursued your suit against Penthouse. But you did the right thing and set about rebuilding your career. It was rough. At first, you couldn't find work, unless you counted offers to do X-rated entertainment or bit TV roles. But as the years rolled on, your accomplishments piled up.

Your first album in 1988, "The Right Stuff," was a huge hit, with songs such as "Dreamin'," "The Right Stuff" and "He's Got the Right Look." Next came, "The Comfort Zone," which gave us the pop classic, "Save the Best for Last" followed by "The Sweetest Days" album in 1994. Meanwhile, you were doing your thing on TV with co-starring roles on "The Jacksons - An American Dream" and later in "Ugly Betty." On Broadway, your talent couldn't be denied either, as you wowed audiences with your performances in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Into the Woods" and "The Trip to Bountiful." You were unforgettable in "Soul Food" and other films.

Life isn't easy, and you had your share of bumps, namely divorces from two husbands. You also created a family, becoming the mother of four beautiful children. This summer, you married again, obviously hoping that the third time finally will be the charm.

Just as you did when you broke the stubborn Miss America color barrier and became the first African-American Miss America, you are proof that true talent and determination won't be denied. That's a powerful example for your three daughters, for the 52 contestants who'll compete tomorrow night and for the entire TV audience.

You never got a chance to do the traditional Miss America goodbye stroll that takes place before the new queen is announced. First runner-up Suzette Charles got the honor of doing that.

Come tomorrow night, I hope pageant officials will let you take that final walk down the runway.

When that moment comes, do it the same way you did it the first time - triumphantly, and without apology.

Blog: ph.ly/HeyJen

Email: armstrj@phillynews.com