Courtesy Britt Stewart

When Britt Stewart and her partner Taylor Hanson were eliminated just three weeks into the competition on Dancing With the Stars season 35, fans weren’t just shocked—they were angry. In her seven-season run as a pro, Britt has reached the finals, and for the past three seasons, she hasn’t even made it past week three. “Justice for Britt” began trending. “Give her a ringer!” fans pleaded. One tabloid even claimed that—according to an “insider”—Britt was ready to quit.

The 37-year-old pro is, in many ways, a unicorn. In addition to being the first Black woman to be cast as a pro (and only one of three Black pros ever cast), Britt did not grow up training at Center Stage Performing Arts in Utah or dominating the competitive ballroom and Latin circuits.…