(Photo provided by Mary Chimezie)
Two pageants, two crowns, and two different courts. The Miss Maroon and White pageant, along with the Miss Spelman pageant, are two of the Atlanta University Center’s biggest productions with hundreds of people turning out every year to witness the performances, looks, and creativity of twelve girls. After being crowned, Miss Maroon and White, Miss Spelman, and their courts enter a year of representing their respective schools and serving the Atlanta community. Year after year, without fail, there are varying opinions on who did the best and who deserved to win, however this year, the pageants were rife with drama, upset, and scandal. Let’s get into it.
Miss Maroon and White, April 21st, 2017: The night began with a powerful dance by Groove Theory, an AUC dance group, featuring the five contestants; Kalin Tate (Purple), Kennedy Edwards (Yellow), Darian Penn (Blue), Chantalle Cannicle (Green), and Taylor Stewart (Red). Each performer brought something unique to the evening, from spoken word to dance, the talent and hard work from each contestant was evident on that stage. However Kalin Tate’s riveting performance of Beyonce’s “Halo” left the audience stunned. The overall crowd favorite was evidently Tate followed by Penn and her moving hip hop dance to Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE”.
After the question portion of the evening it was time for Morehouse students to vote. Based on the pageant night as a whole, speculations began to circulate. “Purple definitely won bro, did you see that performance?” “Ok that was nice but did you SEE Blue?” Over the course of the hour and a half intermission for voting, playful arguments over the next MMW Court were nonstop, but the recurring color that floated over the air that night was purple.
After the final farewells from the 2016-2017 Miss Maroon and White and her court the results were announced: Chantalle Cannicle as the Second Attendant to Miss Maroon and White, Kalin Tate as First Attendant to Miss Maroon and White, and Darian Penn as the 2017-2018 Miss Maroon and White!
The crowd’s reaction was split between immediate joy and slight disappointment but the overall consensus was that the each of the girls that placed were deserving in some regard. After the long evening ended, Spelhouse Twitter erupted with demands of a recount, accusations and shade. This was mostly lighthearted and lasted approximately two days before the next tweet worthy topic found it’s way to the timeline. All seemed to be forgotten until an email was sent to Morehouse students from the Assistant Director of Student Life and the Associate Dean of the College for Student Life. The email reads
“Morehouse College Student Body,
On Friday, April 21, 2017, we held the 2017 Miss Maroon and White Pageant. Unfortunately, at the end of the pageant, we received allegations of inappropriate voting practices by a Morehouse
College student. We, the Office of Student Life, take matters of dishonesty and compromised integrity to be egregious, as they counter the very ideals of the Morehouse College ethos. Our
investigation uncovered the following:
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Inconsistencies in the methods of voting,
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ballot stuffing by a Morehouse College student in favor of one of the candidates,
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and lack of administrative presence in the student voting venue.
Consequently, in conjunction with the Associate Vice-President for Student Services/Dean of the College and members of student leadership, the Office of Student Life has decided the following:
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In the matter of ballot-stuffing, the student in question, will be referred and adjudicated through the student conduct process
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In the matter of the selection of Miss Maroon & White and Court, a general body vote will be conducted on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. A personal link will be sent to all enrolled students via their Morehouse College email accounts. In accordance with the scoring protocol for the Miss Maroon & White pageant, the vote of the student body will serve as 60-percent of the contestant’s overall score and be paired with the original judges’ scores from the night of the pageant.
We thank you for your patience as we conducted our investigation and we hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity to let your choice for the 2017 – 2018 Miss Maroon & White be known.”
And once again social media was in shambles, people upset at paper ballots still being used in the 21st century and that someone would go so far as to stuff a ballot in favor of ne contestant or another. After the electronic voting ended on Wednesday April 26th, the new court was announced. Chantalle Cannicle as the Second Attendant to Miss Maroon and White, Darian Penn as First Attendant to Miss Maroon and White, and Kalin Tate as the 2017-2018 Miss Maroon and White. In true Spelmanite fashion we scolded Morehouse for the lack of organization and the possible trauma caused to the contestants for having to deal with such foolishness. Of course nothing like this would ever happen at The Illustrious Spelman College.
Miss Spelman, April 22nd, 2017: The Miss Spelman pageant began with a beautiful spoken word done by all six of the contestants, highlighting their differences and the impact and importance that comes with possessing the title of Miss Spelman. That was followed by the introduction of the candidates for Mr. Blue and White and then a well choreographed dance performed by the Miss Spelman candidates: Fatou Haidara, Melaine Ferdinand-King, Zaire Bailey, Janna LeAnn Perry, Haleigh Renee Hoskins, and Mackenzie Millet.
Each contestant put on a show for the audience with acts ranging from dance to spoken word to singing, and made the overall talent portion riveting and fun to watch, but a few stood out. Janna Perry’s spoken word, focused on encouraging community amongst people and stressing the need to help others not only to better them but to make yourself a better person, won the crowd over completely. Zaire Bailey’s wonderful contemporary dance wowed the audience. Haleigh Hoskins performed an emotional spoken word about the importance of black activism and not staying silent about injustice that left the crowd feeling as though they had been called to action. Melaine Ferdinand-King’s rendition of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” was a performance that could touch your soul with its raw heart and emotion.
Overall, the pageant displayed the amazing work that the contestants, producers and Miss Spelman Advisory Board put in to give the audience a captivating evening. At the end of the night, Janna Perry was crowned 2017-2018 Miss Spelman, and her court became Haleigh Hoskins as First Attendant and Melaine Ferdinand-King serving as Second Attendant, with the results coming from a panel of three judges; the crowd seemed to be pleased and content with these results.
Now, let’s fast forward to April 28th, six days after the final result of Miss Spelman were announced at the conclusion of the pageant. At 10:00 am that Friday, an email was sent out to all Spelman students by Dr. Darnita Killian, Vice President of Student Affairs, stating the following:
“Dear Spelman Students,
I am writing to inform you of a change in the Miss Spelman Court.
Due to an error by our accounting firm, the scores upon which the selections were made were inaccurate. The corrected scores result in a change in the Miss Spelman Court. The court is as listed below:
Miss Spelman: Janna Perry, C’2018
1st Attendant: Zaire Bailey, C’2018
2nd Attendant: Haleigh Hoskins, C’2018
We know Miss Spelman is an important event for the students, especially the pageant participants, who put in a great deal of time and effort. We know that all of the participants are equally passionate, and the impact of this change will be much more than an inconvenience. We know that some people are going to be hurt by this announcement. But in the spirit of making sure that we maintain the integrity of Spelman, the students and all involved, it is important for us to set this right. We know that the sisterhood is strong – and that the students who participated in Miss Spelman represent the College with excellence.”
Directly after this email, Twitter again was in an uproar. People were trying to understand just how a contestant could go from not being on the court at all to becoming First Attendant, due to an “accounting error”. Hashtags like #JusticeforMelaine were started and one Twitter user even suggested getting rid of pageants at Spelman and bringing back sports.
(Tweet provided by @__alexnicole)
When asked about their feelings towards these recent dealings, students responded,“Pageants are a really big thing in the AUC but it seems like, from my conversations with upperclassmen and alum, the pageants have drifted away from what they used to be,” These scandals have called into question the integrity of pageantry within the SpelHouse community and the all around idea of pageant culture.
While contestants put in countless hours of work, create extensive platforms, and fundraise hundreds of dollars to enact their possible vision, amongst the student body, these titles turn into more of a popularity contest; it’s about who you like rather than what the contestant has to offer for the institution. This kind of mentality is what allows ballot stuffing and “voter fraud”. If the pageants were about ensuring that the best person got the crown, there would be no need for fraudulence because regardless of who wins, it’s for the greater good.
With other problems at both institutions like troubles in administration and lack of funding for the arts, students feel as though an emphasis is being placed on the wrong thing. “I feel like the schools use these pageants to take away from the fact that we have bigger problems at hand. The change needed is a little less emphasis on these pageants.” Students are concerned that what started as a title to promote servitude and community has metamorphosed into an elitist popularity contest. We have to ask ourselves, “Is pageantry inherently toxic or have we allowed it to become so?”