The Zeta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. held its annual Mr. Ebony Debonair Scholarship Pageant on Tuesday, March 20, in the Opal Johnson Smith Auditorium. The event was part of the sorority’s annual “Skee Week.”
The theme for the pageant was “Welcome to Ivywild: A Night of Smooth Debonairs.” David Butler and Brittany Wills hosted the pageant.
The pageant featured six contestants, Kwasi Anane, Johnny Buckner, Christopher Bridges, Jremekyo Anderson, Raven Nelson, and Theron Quinn. A panel of six judges, chose the winner based on the following criteria: talent, sportswear, formal wear, a private interview with judges and a question/answer session.
The first part of the pageant was the introduction in which the group of contestants danced to the Idlewild theme music, then gave a brief introduction of themselves.
The second phase of the competition was the sportswear portion in which each contestant showcased a different sport as creatively as possible.
The next phase was the talent competition, which included singing, spoken word, and dancing followed by the evening wear portion.
Next was the question and answer session in which each contestant was asked a question and required to give a unique and thoughtful response.
Following a brief intermission the winners were announced. The winners for best sportswear were Johnny Buckner and Chris Bridges. Bridges was also the winner for best talent and the first runner up for the competition. Jremekyo Anderson won in the categories of best formal wear, best interview, and most ads sold.
Anderson said, “I feel great. I worked hard for the past five months practicing my talent every day and showing up for every pageant practice.”
As winner of the pageant, Anderson received a scholarship, a crown, and many other prizes.