Rebecca Jozwiak | staff writer

On Sunday, March 16, the Ebony Women for Social Change hosted the 8th annual Miss Black Duquesne Beauty Pageant in the Union Ballroom. Spearheaded by president Saskya Hector, the competition gives Black women the opportunity to highlight their talents and personality traits while creating a sense of community.

“Sometimes, we don’t see that [much] representation for Miss Duquesne,” Hector, a senior from Haiti said. “Our [former] president came up with it, and then she was crowned as the first Miss Black Duquesne.”

The first ever winner of the pageant, Kayla White, was in attendance. After being crowned Miss Black Duquesne in 2018, White graduated from Duquesne in 2020 with a bachelor’s in Health Sciences, before receiving her master’s in 2022 in Physician Assistant Studies.

“Ebony Women started [the pageant] because they wanted to have a place to honor Black women on campus, and have a safe space,” White said. “After I was in the pageant, we started to send a representative to the Miss Duquesne pageant.”

For the pageant, five contestants were judged in the following categories: Introduction, Express Yourself, Talent, Formal Attire and Questionnaire.

After formal introduction, the contestants each took to their own colorful methods of really introducing themselves.

The first contestant was Allahna Johnson, who chose to represent herself through an expressive lip-synch to “Live Your Life” by T.I. Gracing the stage, Johnson danced while raining cash all over her stage.

Next was London Irish, who removed her jacket during her walk-on dance, followed by Kaylin Cousin as she opened her campaign with “Shining” by Beyonce and Jay-Z. Cousin’s strut down the stage was met with applause and cheers.

Lei’asha Battle’s entrance was marked by a Beyonce mashup as she donned a cowboy hat, which she threw off stage before revealing a multi-colored body suit after taking off her skirt.

Lastly, Shaterra Reese ended the Expressive round by jumping off the stairs, and punctuating her routine with a jump split.

The pageant then moved onto the talent portion of the contest.

Johnson appeared in a pink chef hat and apron, presenting her favorite poultry dish to the judges. Irish took a different approach: She decided to make something new from something old, upcycling and styling an outfit.

In a more vulnerable move, Cousin read self-written “Black Girl Magic” poetry, which tackled themes of identity and confidence. Battle also performed spoken poetry, with two volunteers handing out black roses as she approached the microphone.

Battle’s poetry included call and response from the audience, giving the event an interactive aspect.

Reese returned to the stage dancing in a hot pink costume, but her dance routine was interrupted by frequent costume adjustments, costing her time and favor with the audience.

Judges on the panel, Amber Satterwhite, Venetia Khouri and Miss Duquesne 2024 Demari Hall were tasked with evaluating the five women.

After the break, contestants were ready to take on the final two categories, attire and questionnaire, which were combined.

Donned in floor-length ball gowns, each debutante was asked about her definition of beauty, her younger self, her leadership philosophy, handling criticism or embracing her Black style.

“I believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” Johnson responded as she carried her gold accented accessories. “I think value is very important when we’re talking about beauty, especially for women.”

Irish wowed in a one-sleeved, royal blue dress that boasted an open back. “I think I would tell my younger self to have a bit of self-discipline,” she said.

In a break from the deep jewel tones of her competition, Cousin articulated the importance of leadership in a sparkling white gown.

“The most important quality for a leader to have is the ability and capability to be able to communicate with other people,” Cousin said. “Communication for leaders goes a long way.”

In opera gloves and a velvety gown fit for royalty, Battle said that she was “the type of individual to take criticism head on.”

“Even though criticism is good, you can’t let it belittle you,” she added.

Lastly, Reese walked across the stage in a sparkly, sleeveless feathered number.

“[We] see beauty has to be edited, or has a filter over it,” she explained. “That’s not what beauty is. I feel like we have more black role models who like to show off their natural features.”

As the judges made their decision, the audience engaged in a discussion about celebrating womanhood.

Hector passed around the microphone as they answered one of the two questions: “As the woman that you are today, what advice would you give to yourself as a young girl? What is advice or a quote from a woman that inspired you?”

“Something I would tell my younger self is to stop waiting around to see if things happen,” Jayla, a freshman, said. “That’s something I struggled with a lot. I would just go for it.”

As the conversation drew to a close, so did the judges’ deliberations. In third place – also called “Miss Congeniality” – was Cousin. Irish was awarded first runner-up and Battle was named Miss Black Duquesne 2025.

“I’m truly happy and blessed. I did express an emotional poem, and I was a little hesitant at first, because people haven’t seen that side of me,” Battle, a junior, said of her performances. “I’m glad that I’m getting recognition for expressing my emotions and my background. It’s a real honor to be seen.”