The OU Black Student Association crowned its Ebony Homecoming king and queen and raised $2,500 for the charity Guiding Right Sunday night.

The 2009 king and queen are freshman Daron Stallworth and junior Tara Johnson. Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity nominated Stallworth, and black campus Christian ministry Impact Movement nominated Johnson.

Once nominated, the homecoming court had to raise money for non-profit Guiding Right, said Lauren McMillan, BSA president and English writing senior. To determine the winner, the BSA considered both the amount of money each candidate raised and the number of votes each earned.

“I raised $764,” Johnson said. “I went to different organizations and asked for money. Some donated because they knew me, but most just thought it was a good cause.”

Guiding Right, the chosen charity, is a non-profit organization that provides free HIV testing, as well as HIV/AIDS awareness and education, according to the organization’s Web site.

The BSA chose the charity because the virus most affects the black community, McMillan said. The theme for the Ebony Homecoming event was “A Red and Black Affair,” in order to represent the virus and the people it affects.

Ebony Homecoming is an annual event to crown a king and queen from the black community, McMillan said.

“During the early years of the BSA, students felt like they were not represented in the larger Homecoming festivities and wanted to recognize two outstanding students from the black community,” McMillan said.

The BSA has now hosted the event for 42 years.

This year, however, it teamed up with Miss Black Oklahoma 2009, said Nikki Ajeh, accounting and finance junior, who currently works for HIV/AIDS awareness as her platform.

Ajeh first became interested in HIV/AIDS after becoming a peer mentor in high school. Although she did not personally know anyone with the disease, she said she started meeting individuals as she traveled around speaking about the disease.

“I met so many people with AIDS and heard so many stories about discrimination [because of AIDS],” Ajeh said.

She wanted to continue teaching HIV/AIDS awareness as Miss Black Oklahoma because HIV is preventable and because people are so misinformed about the virus.

“People don’t understand the facts, so I wanted to teach people that,” Ajeh said. For example, people cannot get the virus from a mosquito as commonly believed.

The BSA also crowned a prince and princess at the event: Junior D’Andre Fisher and senior Erin Jackson, respectively nominated by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Winners received a prize package donated by the Miss Black Oklahoma organization. The grand prize for the king and queen was an all-expenses paid, three-day trip for two to the city of their choice.

“I am undecided on where to go for my trip,” Johnson said. “I will probably go somewhere with my boyfriend, but of course I have to talk to my parents first.”