You can call it a pageant, but it transcends pageantry.
Miss Juneteenth Nevada is an eight-week empowerment program for young African American females set to end with a coronation and scholarship ceremony on June 8.
Born from Juneteenth Nevada, a non-profit that helped enshrine the cessation of African American slavery as a state observance and later a national holiday, Miss Juneteenth Nevada takes delegates through several activities “designed to build confidence, skills, and unity.”
Scheduled stops on 2025’s journey include a fashion show, a freedom document pitch tournament, and a unique 12-hour shut-in meant to mark the “beginning of a lasting sisterhood.”
The climactic pageant, held at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre, will see the crowning of a Miss Juneteenth Nevada Queen. She receives a $1,500 scholarship. The first and second runner-ups receive $800 and $700 scholarships, respectively.
“We are investing in future leaders”
Directing the delegates is MarQue Munday, a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette and current Renaissance Woman. She embodies the qualities she hopes to foster in her wards: confidence, passion, cultural/historical awareness, and a willingness to both support and lead one’s community.
“We are not just crowning a queen,” Munday emphasized, “we are investing in future leaders.”
In vying for a temporary crown and lasting sovereignty, each delegate is required to write a 500-word essay on the significance of Juneteenth, complete 75 hours of community service, interview one-on-one with the judges (TBA), and pay a non-refundable $300 registration fee ($150 for “early bird” registrants) plus secure $500 in community partnerships or sponsorships.
“Typically, when you’re looking at a pageant situation . . . let’s say a United World or a Miss America or any of those, their pageant fees are quite extensive and expensive,” said Munday. “We’ve tried to make sure that we can cover our community and make sure that it’s affordable to them, which is why we, one, have the early bird special, and two, why the price point is set where it is.”
For comparison, Miss American Teenager‘s registration fee is $395, while Miss Silver State’s entry fee is $425+.
Community donations are made primarily via ad sales in the Miss Juneteenth Official Souvenir Program Booklet. Delegates can solicit an array of individuals and organizations, whether they be parents, friends, churches, or the “7-Eleven down the street,” Munday added.
Not a Win-Lose Program
Though certainly competitive, Miss Juneteenth Nevada “is not a win-or-lose platform.” Yes, it does crown a queen based on factors like best introduction and talent demonstration, but the remaining delegates are elected to the Queen’s court.
As noted, scholarship money is guaranteed to the Queen and two runners-up. However, through partnerships with various universities, Miss Juneteenth Nevada has been able to secure scholarship funds and make post-secondary connections for non-placing Queen’s courtiers as well.
Moreover, Queen and court transition into community ambassadors. The eight-week program becomes a year-long extravaganza where delegates-turned-ambassadors represent Miss Juneteenth Nevada at community events. Last year’s ambassadors were invited to Disneyland, the Black Girl Magic show, and a major movie premiere.
Annual celebrations attended by Miss Juneteenth Nevada include the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and Women’s History Month. Female professionals, from lawyers to financial advisors, counsel the ambassadors.
A key point is “educating our young ladies,” said Munday. “Making [them] leaders and giving them platformed opportunities so that they can continue to . . . I’ll say dream . . . have an open mind to the possibilities, to their possibilities.”
“When finances are a challenge, we have a tendency to pull back and not shoot for your goals, dreams, and aspirations, because you already have a barrier and a block in front of you.
This program is really set for us to remove those barriers, or at least that prospect, so that your mind can be open and, in the community, you can start to develop and grow.”
Five-Figure Scholarship Potential
Knowing the high cost of post-secondary education, Munday is “looking at bringing that [scholarship amount] to five figures” with help from an “organization that specifically is looking to fund our scholarships.”
“We really would like to make a substantial contribution to their education.”
2024’s Miss Juneteenth Nevada Queen, Charlee Ann Hadley, is still in high school, so “her scholarship will sit until she’s ready to go to either college, university, or higher education trade school,” Munday noted.
Applications for Hadley’s successor, who “MUST have African American ancestry and be a natural born female,” are open until April 3, the program’s start date. Find the form here.
Miss Juneteenth Nevada Pageant Details
- Delegates must be between 14 and 19 at the time of the pageant
- 1st place wins a $1,500 scholarship
- The crowning ceremony is on June 8 at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre
