Pageantcontinues Black History celebration
Faith, talent, intelligence and beauty were on display Friday as the Miss Imani Pageant highlighted African-American women as part of Black History Month.
Imani is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, meaning faith, said Brandon M. Smith, assistant student coordinator of the Black History Month Committee.
“We wanted to choose a name that said African-American heritage,” Smith said. “Faith and spirituality are major facets of African American culture.”
The pageant crowned Shuflonda Gipson Miss Imani 2002, amid screams of support from members of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.
“I was absolutely shocked,” said Gipson, a kinesiology senior. “I wanted to make a difference, and I thought maybe with a title I could do more for unity on campus.”
Psychology freshman Bertilda Duhon was first runner-up, and theatre sophomore Yelena Mebane was second runner-up. The contestants voted business management sophomore Shayla Ross Miss Congeniality.
The pageant featured six contestants judged on casual wear, business wear, formal wear, talent and interview.
Contestants performed spiritual dances, poetry readings and a vocal performance as part of the talent competition. Mebane performed a dramatic monologue about a broken relationship, and Ross performed a dance to “Something About the Name Jesus.” Gipson read the poem “Beautiful, Beautiful Blackness” by Catrina Minnifield.
“It was splendid,” said finance senior Alex Beltran. “I think cultural experiences are refreshing, and hopefully we’ll have more to come.”
The pageant also featured a special performance from the MLK Dance Ensemble and a poetry selection from Terrance Hudson.
“The pageant is a nice way to express our history, and it adds fun to Black History Month,” said mass communication junior Arin Jones.
For the interview portion, all contestants were asked to comment on the obstacles the campus needs to overcome in order to improve race relations.
“Everyone has to begin to accept everyone for who they are, and we need to understand we each have something different to bring to the table,” said Duhon. “We need to accept each other as human beings instead of as a color.”
Student coordinator of the Black History Month Committee Melody Robinson had the idea for the Miss Imani Pageant and organized the event.
“[The contestants] did a beautiful job, and I’m so happy for them,” Robinson said. “Overall, this is one of the most successful programs we’ve had.”
Some students turned out to support a particular contestant, but most came to support Black History Month in general.
“I’m just trying to support black functions when they do have them because its kind of rare,” said sociology senior Charles Ray.
Kayla Gagnet