Participating in the Miss Indianapolis Black Expo Scholarship Pageant had a significant impact on Kenya McMillin’s daughter.
“She found her voice,” McMillin said.
McMillin’s daughter, Alexis Taylor, who won the pageant in 2015, not only recited a speech during the talent portion of the pageant, but she used her newfound confidence to become an ambassador for programs at the Center for Leadership Development and is currently an ambassador at Indiana University — she’s even featured on the postcard sent to prospective students.
The pageant, organized by the Indianapolis Chapter of Indiana Black Expo, is 4 p.m. June 24 at Emmerich Manual High School.
As the parent of a pageant contestant, McMillin witnessed firsthand the positive influence the pageant has on young women. Watching her daughter bloom affected McMillin so much so that she became more involved in the pageant and currently is vice chair.
“That’s why I wanted to give back,” McMillin said.
The pageant has experienced some changes over the years. Now younger girls can participate, pageant chair Shamika Anderson said.
“We’ve added some age brackets,” Anderson said. “Instead of going ages 14 to 22, we’ve expanded it to include from ages 5 to 13 and capped it off to high school students. We see a growing number in the adolescent-age young ladies (where) there are not a lot of programs for them.”
One thing that’s remained constant, however, is the pageant’s dedication to emphasizing inner beauty, the importance of community service and academic excellence, Anderson added.
“We want to help other young ladies be great and find out who they are and help develop them for their future,” Anderson said.
The pageant’s focus on brains over beauty and service is needed now more than ever, said Thomas “Sparklesoxx” Griffin, who served as master of ceremonies for 25 years.
“The Black community is not what it used to be — we don’t have positive images,” Griffin said. “We’re hoping to infuse our young ladies with some positive images and positive practices so they don’t become unwed mothers.”
Contact editor Oseye Boyd at 317-762-7850. Follow her on Twitter @oseye_boyd
Celebrate excellence
What: Miss Indianapolis Black Expo Scholarship Pageant
When: 4-7 p.m. June 24
Where: Emmerich Manual High School, 2405 Madison Ave.
Cost: Tickets, $15, are available on Eventbrite.com through June 22.
