The Mr. Collegiate African American Pageant is back with a vengeance
for its 29th Anniversary celebration! Applications are now being
accepted for candidates for the program set for November 17-20, 2021
in Houston and Prairie View, Texas, with the finals on Saturday, November 20, in
conjunction with the International Leadership Summit on Black Men, set for November 19-20, 2021 at Prairie View A&M University.
When
we think of pageantry in America, we think of the beautiful and
talented women in sequin gowns, swimsuits and talent, all vying to be
queens. Then too, the interesting thing is that you have a queen and no
king! Well, the producers of the Mr. Collegiate African American
Scholarship Pageant Program (MCAASPP) has been dispelling this imagery
since 1990 when the pageant, the first of its kind in the world, was
created to empower Black college men and to counteract the negative
imagery of them as perpetuated in the society. The program is also the forerunner for the recognition of campus kings throughout the country.
When
asked why a pageant program for males, Pageant Founder Frederick V.
Roberts stated that "pageantry is gender-free." In fact, the early
Egyptians used pageantry as a ceremony of ascension and coronation. W.
E. B. DuBois also produced the "Star of Egypt Pageant" in the early
1950's to display the achievement of Blacks. Using the principles of
character, self-esteem, positive role modeling and services, the
MCAASPP) hopes to grow the next generation of African American male
leaders and role models for the world.
The goal of the
program is provide a model of excellence for Black males for a positive
belief in oneself and race, and to encourage individual and group
achievement in the pursuit of excellence. We must dispel the myth that
one has to be a product of a negative environment and can be a catalyst
for change and achievement.
The Mr. Collegiate program
was created as a mentoring program in summer of 1990 and the the first
pageant was staged in April 1992 with 13 candidates from HBCU's. Mr.
Charles Clemens of Lincoln University-Pennsylvania was selected the
first Mr. Collegiate.
Since then, other winners include
Steven Daniels, (Alabama State), Stacey O. Washington, (Virginia
State), Christopher Sanders, (Kentucky State), Adoris Turner, (Jackson
State) and Damany Mayfield (Virginia State).
Candidates
compete in a private interview with Judges, personal platform
(oratory), talent, formal attire and onstage interview and question.
The
pageant winners and candidates will receive some $5,000 in
scholarships, gifts and prizes. Additionally, the winner has the
opportunity to represent the program at special events and conferences,
visits to K-12 schools and colleges around the country, sharing his
platform of achievement and community engagement.
The
pageant is in its thirtieth year and is open to college men 18-30
years of age who are enrolled in colleges and universities. The program
is being sponsored in conjunction with the National Leadership Summit on
Black Men with focus on helping to create the next generation of
leaders and Black male achievement in the likes of President Barak
Obama, Dr. Cornell West, Mark Morial, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan,
Benjamin Chavis, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Eric
Holder, Colin Powell, Bob Johnson, LeBron James and Michael Jordan,
etc.
Application Deadline is: September 30, 2021.
For
an application and other information, please contact: The Mr.
Collegiate African American Scholarship Program: P.O. Box 2906, Prairie
View, TX 77446-2906. Email: mrcollegiateprograms@gmail.com. Phone: 281-219-8044 - Frederick V. Roberts
