Three African-American women will compete Saturday for the title of Miss Black EIU.

The pageant begins at 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The three contestants are LaTicia Land, a sophomore English major; Chyna Roundtree, a freshman psychology major; and Ashonda Simmons, a junior African- American studies and mathematics major, said Courtney Johnson, a graduate assistant in the Student Life Office.

Rashida Garrett, a senior elementary education major and the reigning Miss Black EIU, will crown the new Miss Black EIU.

The pageant contestants will compete in four categories, Johnson said. The first competition is the talent portion, which consists of the contestants showing their personal skills and ability in a presentation of three to five minutes, Johnson said.

“Examples would be singing, dancing, poetry reading, et cetera,” she said.

The second portion of the pageant is a creative expression competition. During this segment, the contestants give a short speech describing their personal beliefs, qualities and characteristics, Johnson said.

The third competition is an African garment competition. During this portion, the contestants model their own designed African garments for the judges. While the contestants are modeling their garments, a prerecorded monologue explaining what they believe black heritage means.

The final competition is an evening gown competition complete with impromptu questions. Each contestant will be escorted to the master of ceremonies in a gown of their choice and asked spontaneous questions by the emcees, Johnson said.

Entertainment will be provided during the course of the pageant by the EIU Illusion Dance Troop, Klimax and Urban Harmony. A coronation dance will immediately follow the coronation in the University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.