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Ms. Black UConn Ronke Oyeniya (left) and Mr. Black UConn Moravia Latortue III flank AACC director Willena Kimpson Price after the pageant Saturday.

AACC Crowns Mr., Ms. Black UConn

By: Katherine Hannafin

Posted: 2/25/08

Students, parents, faculty and staff filled all seats of the Student Union Ballroom Saturday night to be impressed by the talents and intellect of seven contestants for the Mr. and Ms. UConn Black Pageant, and other remarkable acts. Moravia Latortue III, a 3rd-semester civil engineering major, and Ronke Oyeniya, a 4th-semester political science major, took the titles of King and Queen at the end of the night after a close competition.

This year's theme for the annual student-run pageant was "Dynamic Duos," which the participants could use to inspire their routines if desired. The Ballroom was adorned with all white and black decorations and the stage was set up in front of a panel of five judges comprised of faculty and staff members.

There were also presentations from a variety of entertainment groups interspersed throughout the evening including authentic African dancing by the African Students Association, step routines by the UConn All-Stars, and an original poem by Caresse Spencer about what "Dynamic Duos" really means.

The talents of the groups did not show up the contestants, however. Earl Stallings, an 8th-semester psychology major; Omar Felder, a 2nd-semester exploratory major; Latortue and Richard Tompkins, a 2nd-semester business major, were the four male contesters competing against each other with monologues, rap lyrics, piano performances, and original poem recitations.

Female competitors Nephthalee Edmond, a 6th-semester allied health major; Brittany Green, a 2nd-semester acting major and Oyeniya acted out scenes from plays, recited monologues and sang.

The stage was transformed into a runway during the "Casual Wear" and "Formal Wear" components of the pageant.

"It's a traditional pageant with the modeling, talent acts and Q-and-A … we just don't have the swimsuit element," said Willena Kimpson Price, director of the African American Cultural Center.

The contestants strutted down the runway, succeeding at getting hoots and howls from the engaged and supportive audience members.

The decision for which contenders would be crowned seemed like a near-impossible feat at the end of the talent acts. The question-and-answer segment was the final and most challenging part of the pageant. The thought-provoking questions diffused a more serious and anxious atmosphere while the contestants had to quickly think of intelligent answers to difficult questions. The questions mostly pertained to the issues and barriers that African-Americans face today, as well as concerns of the objectification of women and political matters.

The contest ended after the question-and-answer segment, and a brief break ensued for the judges to tally up their points and conclude the two winners - Mr. and Ms. Black UConn. A submission essay prior to the participation of the pageant, the modeling of casual and formal wear, talent and quality of answers during the question-and-answer portion were the four major parts of the pageant in which the contestants acquired points.

The judges decided on Latortue, a self-taught pianist who played a compilation of classical music on the piano for Mr. Black UConn. Oyeniya was selected as Ms. Black UConn after she sang a fun, audience-involved version of Toni Braxton's "Another Sad Love Song."

All participants were humble and happy to see the two win the crowns. Price made the closing remarks and profusely thanked students Christina Sutton and Daphney Joseph for their incredible jobs coordinating the pageant.

"It's free, just for fun and to show off our students that are so gifted, talented and well-spoken," Price said.

Price also made note of the common misconception that only African-American students are allowed to enter the competition. The pageant is open to all UConn students and often a diverse group of students participate.

The hosts for the evening, students Sutton and Ali Langston, kept the crowd entertained during wardrobe and scene changes with jokes and short stories, while giving deserved praise to every participant multiple times.

Individual Lip Sync performances introduced the four men and three women competing for the titles and comically started off the event, followed by a group step dance.

The African-American Cultural Center put on a good show with fun, talent-filled acts and ended the night on an inspiring note for all attendees. The AACC hopes that even more will take part in the pageant next year.

Contact Katherine Hannafin at

Katherine.Hannafin@UConn.edu.