Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: News

Candace Collins, a senior graphics design major, celebrates winning the 2009 Miss Black EIU competition on Saturday night in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Collins performed a gospel called "No Greater Love" during her talent portion of the pageant. (Molly Clutter / The Daily Eastern News)

Chandra Golden, Miss Black EIU pageant winner of 2008, passed her crown to the new queen Saturday evening.

"I've had my opportunity to shine," Golden said. "It is time for new faces, new attitudes and new personalities to take the scene."

Candace Collins, a senior graphic design major, was the winner of Miss Black EIU 2009.

Collins had the theme of women valuing themselves during the four categories. The categories were creative expression, African garment, talent and impromptu questions while the women wore their evening gowns.

The creative expression category was made of a topic dealing with youth today. The topics were drunk driving, saving the earth, sexually transmitted diseases and silencing the static, which dealt with the rise of AIDS, and diabetes in the black community.

LaShawn Harris, the first contestant, talked about how her mother and two relatives survived a car accident by a drunk driver. "I made an analogy to a car," Harris said. "The breaking down of a car represented these big issues within the black community."

For the talent portion, the girls either sang or danced.

Harris sang a song called "To All My Heroes."

Unique McIntosh, the second contestant, did a dance session with a male partner called "Dancing with Unique" with classical and Latino music.

Fritzlene Emile, the third contestant, did a reading and dance session called "Phenomenal Woman."

Collins performed a gospel song called "No Greater Love" by the Gospel Musical Workshop of America Mass Choir.

For the African garment category, each contestant designed and hand-picked her own garment.

Collins had people with watering cans, and then she emerged with her garment holding two white pieces of fabrics, which were assumed to be petals.

"I wanted to focus on the petals as different things," she said. "Then, it just evolved from there."

Nicole Walcott, a senior communications major, said the African garment contest is her favorite aspect of the pageant.

Walcott said this part brings out the cultural significance of the pageant. "It is nice to see what the women brought to the pageant in this area," Walcott said.

Ebone Ashford, Miss Black EIU 2006 and senior pre-med major, said she thinks talent and impromptu questions are the most nerve-wracking part. "I like how the talent shows aspects of who the contestants are," Ashford said.

Golden helped organize the event. Organizing the pageant is the past queen's job. "I planned from A to Z," Golden said. "I was the overseer of the pageant."

Golden said she thinks each contestant deserved to win. "They were all fantastic contestants," she said.

Golden said she would help Collins out any way she could. "I will be as involved as she needs me to be," Golden said. "I am there to support her 100 percent."

Collins is going to do her part as queen by trying to inspire young women.

"I talked to two old teachers of mine and might look at talking to some foundation classes," Collins said. "It starts with the freshmen — I want to encourage them to try new things."

LaVeasey Carter, assistant director of academic services for athletics, was one of the judges for the pageant.

Carter said each person got a score for the four categories on a scale from one to 10.

"Each category had a section for originality, presentation and execution," Carter said. "For myself, I look at how they connect with the audience and whether or not they were engaging the crowd."

Carter also looked at if each contestant put any feeling or emotion into what she was doing.

Separate special awards were handed out before the winner was announced as well.

Harris won the Miss Ebony Award, Miss Togetherness Award and the Miss Enterprise Award.

Collins won the Miss Congeniality Award and the Miss Scholarship Award.

McIntosh was the third runner-up, Emile was the second runner-up and Harris was the first runner-up.


Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu