Minutes before the Miss Black EIU pageant Saturday, the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union was buzzing with murmurs of excitement.

After watching each contestant present four months of hard work and dedication, the audience finally got to meet their new Miss Black EIU.

Keiyanna Franklin was received with a standing ovation after crowned this year’s Miss Black EIU.

The crowd leapt to their feet and roared for Franklin, a senior special education major, as she held her head high and walked on the runway in the spotlight.

Even Mayor John Inyart said he was impressed.

“What a wonderful group. It’s clear they put a lot of effort into preparing and planning,” Inyart said. “Very powerful. It was clear (the performances) came from their hearts. It was great.”

Some audience members like Michelle Taylor, a senior elementary education major, were excited.

While others like T’keyah Ford, a sophomore mathematics major, said she anticipated seeing more creativity.

Some pageant patrons were looking forward to seeing how this year was going to stack up against last year’s pageant. Carlos Risby, the father of 2011 Miss Black EIU Timery Jackson, said that last year was great.

“As long as they have been working, I know (the pageant) will turn out great,” Risby said.

The lights dimmed as Black Student Union President Andre Allen presented the opening ceremonies.

Jeremy Rykard and Jonathan Ridgner acted as masters of ceremonies for the evening, cracking jokes and giving commentary in between events.

After a performance of the Black National Anthem by Essence Allen, the contestants appeared on the stage for an opening number where each contestant explained her “Touch of Beauty.”

The judges were introduced to the audience after a brief explanation of the history of Miss Black EIU, and then it was time for the pageant to start.

Stage one of the pageant was “Creative Expression,” where the contestants presented an original skit, monologue, or poem that revolved around a topic within black culture that was important to the contestant.

Ashley Bell, a senior family and consumer sciences major, performed a skit and monologue that evaluated stereotypes about black culture.

The next stage was the “African Garment” category.

The contestants modeled hand-sewn outfits that represented African culture while recordings of each contestant’s reason for the outfit played.

Brittany Carr, a junior sociology major, said her African garment was themed “The Garden of Traits,” and she modeled her African garment while her voice-over explained her theme, comparing traits of flowers and plants to her personality traits.

Stage three was the talent category.

Some audience members, like Charisse Archie, a senior applied engineering and technology major, were heavily anticipating stage three. Archie said that she was most looking forward to the talent competition.

Destiny Winford, a sophomore psychology major, performed a musical skit that she wrote about catching the bus.

The final category was the evening gown and impromptu question portion of the show.

The four contestants strutted their stuff down the runway in evening gowns and answered an interview question chosen at random.

After a special performance by Blake Morris, special recognition awards were given to honor each category and Miss congeniality.

Ridgner said the contestants did a good job.

“It was a beautiful display. I feel honored to be a part of it,” Ridgner said.

Winford, who was awarded first runner up, said she was proud of herself and the other contestants.

“I really do believe that Keiyanna deserved the crown. (I’ll take away) the friendships I developed with all of the ladies,” Winford said.

Right after the pageant, Franklin said her victory was unbelievable.

“(In my mind) I won when I started the pageant in my mind. It was such a challenge. I just feel like everybody was a winner,” Franklin said. “(I hope to) lead by example. I’m here to serve EIU and the entire student body.”

Felicia Darnell can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].