OU African American Program and Services will host the annual Black Royalty Pageant, being the first year of making the pageant more inclusive.
The annual scholarship pageant is held to select representatives for the OU Black community. Selected representatives serve for an academic school year, according to the OU Student Life website.
Up until this year, the pageant was called Mr. and Miss Black OU. Angelique Price, programs coordinator for African American Programs and Services, said this is a major year for rebranding the event.
Contestants compete in several categories such as formal wear, athletic wear, interviews, on stage questions and talent.
“Students work hard to get sponsorships throughout the community … and at the end of the day, we run our sponsorships and we award a scholarship to the folks we selected,” Price said.
The theme this year is “Shades of Ebony,” to follow the theme of inclusivity.
“There is no one shade for one person, so it highlights the beauty that is Blackness,” Price said.
This is the first year the pageant will not exclusively crown a male and a female.
“It’s for everyone. In the history of this pageant, we have our first nonbinary contestant. This is history in the making and a big deal for our community,” Price said.
Price said other cultural communities that hold pageants with Mr. and Miss titles will follow suit.
“We are highlighting nonbinary folks and gender-nonconforming individuals to make the whole pageant process inclusive for all,” Price said.
The OU Black Royalty Pageant is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Meacham Auditorium.
“Cultural history is being made with the rebranding of something that has been going on for decades,” Price said. “We are creating a better, inclusive community, within our cultural communities and OU overall.”
