Miss Essence Pageant Tonight
The 35th annual Miss Essence Scholarship Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. tonight in the Reynolds Performance Hall. Admission is free.
Since the pageant began in 1975, Students for the Propagation of Black Culture (SPBC) has spearheaded the event. For the past 10 years, UCA's Minority Student Services has been a co-sponsor.
The pageant features six African-American female students - Candice Bailey, Joy Spellman, Angela Barnum, Cecelia Rosa, Brittney Bennett and Tasha Stricklin. They will compete in swimwear, talent and evening wear categories and answer an on-stage question, according to Angela Jackson of Minority Student Services.
"I'm excited for the event tonight. We hope to have a decent turnout of at least 200 people," Jackson said.
The Miss Essence crown
SPBC raises money through several fundraisers throughout the year to fund the pageant. Scholarship money is awarded to the top three contestants. The winner receives a $750 scholarship, the first runner-up receives a $200 scholarship and the second runner-up gets $150 in scholarship money.
"This pageant was founded to give women of color a chance to showcase their intelligence, talents and beauty at UCA," Jackson said. "This really gives them an opportunity to shine."
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I attended all the Miss Essence Pageants at UCA from 1978-1982. This article brought back fond memories of my days at UCA. Oh by the way, this article was written by my darling niece.