LBC brings back black homecoming

The Legion of Black Collegians will be continuing the past tradition of a black homecoming on Oct. 25.

By Grace Meiners

Published Sept. 26, 2008

The first black homecoming court since 1995 will be announced during the Oct. 25 Common concert in Jesse Hall.

Legion of Black Collegians Activities Chairwoman Erin Vincent announced this during the LBC Senate meeting Wednesday.

Vincent said she was in the LBC office last semester and saw the publication The Black Experience, written by Bable J. Grimes, which contained photos from previous black homecoming courts. The publication chronicled black MU students from 1950 to 1994.

"I was looking at the pictures from past homecoming events and wanted to bring it back," Vincent said.

She said black homecoming started in 1988 when the theme for homecoming was "Show Me Ol' Mizzou." To LBC members, that meant a time when black people weren't included, she said.

"So they decided that year they would boycott the activities and do their own court," she said.

Homecoming directors could not be reached for comment.

Vincent said the election will follow the format used in the past where each black student organization under the LBC umbrella will sponsor one male and one female senior student for the title of king and queen.

This year, freshmen, sophomores and juniors can nominate themselves for the titles of count and countess; duke and duchess; and prince and princess, respectively.

Once nominated, students will start their road to royalty with interviews, which will begin next week, conducted by graduate students who are involved in black student organizations.

Vincent said LBC will employ a point system during each step of the process.

After the interviews, the nominees selected to continue will participate in an MU black student trivia competition. The students will be asked about black students in athletics, LBC and also about "first blacks" at MU, Vincent said.

The nominees are determined after the trivia competition, which is the last elimination round. Students allowed to continue will then perform community service with the other nominees. The students have a chance to rate each other in their performances.

"They will give each other points on how they thought they contributed to the group," she said.

The nominees will be featured at the Homecoming ball Oct. 23 at the Peachtree Catering & Banquet Center in Columbia. There, the candidates have their final chance to campaign.

"We are actually about to start sending out invitations to different organizations," Vincent said, adding that LBC will invite many organizations to the event, not just black student organizations.

Vincent said the LBC panel has the final decision in selecting the nominees, and then the students have a chance to vote. She said the polling for the final court is open to all students the morning of Oct. 24.

LBC will announce the final homecoming court that night at the Common concert.

Vincent said she wanted to present the final court during the concert in order to generate excitement about black homecoming with all students, not just those in LBC.

"We want a chance to showcase the LBC," she said. "So next year we want people excited about black homecoming."