“You like Yellow?”
There’s a pageant for that.
“You go to Starbucks everyday?”
There’s a pageant for that.
“You take Spanish 102?” (you need a question mark here)
There’s a pageant for that.
“You’re on student council?”
There’s a pageant for that.
Many students during this time may begin transitioning from summer to fall from “senioritis” to the bottom of the food chain, from just getting back from the best internship there is to: Oh Crap! I’m short a credit for graduation. However, down here in the good Ol’ AUC (Atlanta University Center) we’re getting ready for the most festive season Pageant Season. Now being that I am a freshman, the whole “Pageant Season thing was very foreign to me. So when I was granted the opportunity to go to the Miss RHA Pageant hosted by Morehouse.I couldn’t resist. Mainly because it was free, but also because I really wanted to see what all the hype was about.
The first thing I learned about Pageants in the AUC is that they do not start on time. The pageant was supposed to start at 7 pm. For anyone who knows me, they know that I hate being late to things. It is a major pet peeve of. I think it probably has to due with the fact that I feel like I’m going to miss out on something. So it’s around 5:30 and I’m running to the cafeteria to scarf down Spelman’s famous “half-cooked” pizza, then I sprint up the stairs (literally almost lost my life) to “beat my face for the Gods” and to throw on my favorite patterned shirt and red platforms. After 15mins of deciding what jewelry I should wear, I had to power walk over to Morehouse’s Campus to find out that they were not going to start until 8pm. When they finally started letting people in the auditorium, I made sure that I had a seat up front and boy, was it worth it. I’m originally from Maryland, where Pageants are a pretty big deal, but after seeing the Miss RHA pageant, Maryland has some work to do. From the moment the girls walked out, every thing was big and theatrical. It made you wonders what they were going to do next. The ladies of the AUC simply looked exquisite in their gowns while representing their “brother halls”. The best part had to be the dance break out sessions between quick changes for the girls. The only thing missing that would have put the icing on top of the cake was a host/MC. They really do bring something magical make the show.
After almost 2 hours of voting the judges finally announced the winner of the pageant. Ironically the young lady that won stayed in my hall, the best hall: MANLEY! OMEGA NU! That was pretty exciting because I get to share in her royalty. I mean it’s pretty official since we share a kitchen together and I always say hey to her when I see her. Besides the point, what I ultimately learned from going to a pageant in the AUC, is that it’s more than just a season: It’s a way of Life in the AUC. I learned that even though there may seem to be a pageant for every-single-thing-on-campus. It gives everyone the chance to embrace the royalty that exist within all of us and for young black women of African descent to showcase their beauty, talent, and intelligence.