Mr. Collegiate African American to Commemorate 32nd Anniversary in Texas

The Mr. Collegiate African American Pageant™ is back for its 32nd Anniversary celebration and competition on Applications are now being accepted for candidates for the program set for November 13-17, 2024 in Houston and Prairie View, Texas, with the finals on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The pageant is being held in conjunction with the International Leadership Summit on Black Men, set for November 15-16, 2024 at Prairie View A&M University.

When we think of pageantry in America, we think of women in sequin gowns and swimsuits, and talent, vying to be queens. The interesting thing is that there is a queen and no king! Well, the producers of the Mr. Collegiate African American Scholarship Pageant (MCAASPP) has been changing that imagery since 1990 with the pageant creation, the first of its kind in the world and a catalyst for campus kings. The program empowers Black college men and changes the negative imagery of them in the society.

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.  In the spirit of the African Proverb -"Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter,"  we have to tell our stories, and the MCAASPP is one way to our growth.

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, which included some college kings and student leaders.  Charles Clemens,  Mr. Lincoln University-Pennsylvania, was selected the first Mr. Collegiate.  Incidentally the the program is in its twenty-ninth year and is the impetus for the increase in Black College Kings, however it is now open to Black men between 18-30 years of age who are enrolled in colleges and universities.

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 compete for some $10,000 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 program is being sponsored in conjunction with the National Leadership Summit on Black Men, focusing on helping to create the next generation of leaders and Black male achievement in the likes of President Barak Obama, Sidney Poitier, Mark Morial, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, John Legend, Benjamin Chavis, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Eric Holder, Bob Johnson, Denzel Washington, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Michael Jordan, etc.

Application Deadline is: September 30, 2024.

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.