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4 Howard U. Students Lose Bid for Miss D.C.

By Joi Gilliam
Black College Wire

Photo credit: MissDC.org Shannon Schambeau, winner of the 2005 pageant, is crowned by Therese Lizardo, Miss DC.

The well-dressed, standing-room-only crowd at the Tivoli Theater in Washington waited anxiously to hear who had won the 2005 Miss D.C. pageant. To a few audience members� disappointment, Shannon Schambeau, a white student at St. Leo University in St. Leo, Fla., who works in D.C., was crowned the winner and will go on to represent the District of Columbia at the 2005 Miss America Pageant.

None of the four Howard students in the competition placed, and none was chosen for one of the scholarships offered to pageant contestants. Alisha Jones, a student at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music in New Haven, Conn., was the only black contestant among 10 candidates to place.

Some of the audience members and contestants were upset to find that only one of the seven judges for the July 9 competition was black. Some speculated that this might have heavily influenced the results. �I did not agree with the judges� decision at all,� said Howard student April Harley. Harley was in attendance to support contestant No. 1, Amanda Lewis.

Harley acknowledged that some portions of the competition were not seen by the audience. In fact, the formal interview, which is conducted the night before the competition, was worth 40 percent of the overall score -- until, Lewis said, the percentage was changed between the formal interviews and the Saturday competition.

According to Lewis, before Friday, the formal interview was worth 40 percent. When contestants arrived for rehearsal Saturday, they were told the formal interview would be worth only 25 percent. The other scores were also changed; the talent portion was now 35 percent instead of just 30 percent.

�I just think it�s curious that the winner and those that placed in the contest to represent the District of Columbia do not represent the demographic of the city,� said Howard student William Miles. Miles attended the competition to support Crystal Bailey, one of the contestants from Howard. According to a 2003 census, the District of Columbia is 60 percent black.

The pageant producer, Sonya Gavankar, said the score change was not a decision made by the local pageant. Gavankar said the Miss America organization changed the score percentage in April.

"I handled it poorly in never having fully informed them of the change," she said. Gavankar explained that when rehearsals for the competition began earlier in the year, each woman was given information explaining what each category was worth. However, when the scores were changed, she failed to inform them.

Vanessa McKinley and Kinya Young were the other Howard contestants.

Of the 10 hopefuls, Howard had the most representation; the remaining ones were from the University of Iowa, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, American University and Georgetown University.

�I feel na�ve for believing that the organizers of Miss D.C. were really looking for a girl with personality instead of just an image,� said Lewis, a contestant and recent Howard graduate. Lewis, who wears her hair naturally, said the organizers of the competition stressed that she not straighten her hair because they were not concerned with image. "I knew going into the pageant that my image might be a shock to them," she said. "How many women of color who wear natural hair win state competitions? I walked on the stage very proud to be who I am, totally and completely."

A classical vocalist, Lewis performed the Negro spiritual �Deep River� for the talent portion. Despite the speculation that the competition was image-oriented, Lewis insisted that her choice of song was not controversial among the audience or the judges� panel. �I actually had a lot of people approach me about my talent after the show,� she said.

Other notable talent performances included a self-choreographed dance by Bailey, a musical theater major at Howard. Bailey performed to the song �I Am Changing� from the Broadway musical, �Dreamgirls.� Her performance was well-received. As she dramatically tugged on a piece of material, her costume went from a one-piece skirt-and-blouse ensemble to a two-piece outfit, complete with a long, flowing skirt.

�I do feel a bit slighted, especially because my talent was so well-packaged and tight,� Bailey said.

Although Lewis and Bailey said they were disappointed by what Lewis called politics, both remain optimistic. Bailey said she intended to compete next year in the Miss D.C. pageant, and Lewis said she would try for the Miss USA contest.

Joi Gilliam is a senior print journalism/theater major at Howard University.

Posted July 20, 2005