Fourth Annual Miss Black and Gold Pageant Set for Nov. 23

Seven young African-American women will compete in the Fourth Annual Miss Black and Gold pageant at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in the Barfield Drawing Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center on the Baylor University campus. The contest is sponsored by the Baylor chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
The national fraternity first sponsored the scholarship pageant in the 1920s as a way to honor African-American young women. The current pageant is open to all young women. Although many such events feature a swimsuit competition, Miss Black and Gold emphasizes the scholarship of its contestants rather than their appearance.
"Miss Black and Gold recognizes the scholarship of young women," said Lenroy Malone, president of Alpha Phi Alpha. "We want to emphasize that instead of beauty."
The fraternity has awarded scholarships of $500 for each of the past three years of the local pageant, but Malone said he hopes that this year's scholarship will total $1,000.
"Right now, we are at $750, but our goal is to award $1,000. It all depends on ticket sales," he said.
Tickets can be purchased for $4 in advance at the ticket office at the Bill Daniel Student Center or at the door for $6. For more information, call Malone at 753-7215 or Bruce Willis at 750-5158.