I want to say congratulations to Jerad Claytor and Marissa Wilson for winning Homecoming king and queen this past Saturday. The Homecoming coronation was a beautiful event; the table settings, the lights, the food, the contestants and the different dance scenes. President McDavis, Dr. Kent Smith and Dean Lombardi were there, but I didn't see anyone from The Post taking pictures or interviewing anyone.
I was shocked that the Annual Homecoming coronation wasn't reported by The Post. For 33 years, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board (BSCPB) has been sponsoring this event. Contestants are judged by university officials on a point system based on personal interviews, banners, timeliness to weekly meetings and money raised for the Blackburn-Spencer Scholarship. This scholarship is a reason the coronation came about in 1976. Last year, I won Homecoming queen and this year I co-hosted the event. But for some reason the coronation gets ignored because it's considered a black event.
For example, last year when I ran for queen, BSCPB had a float in the parade. The contestants, along with the king and queen of 2007, walked in the parade. I kept hearing from people on the sidewalk, Oh
that's their king and queen. No, that's OU's king and queen. Also, I was so excited that I won and for a week I would check The Post for an article or picture of me with my crown and trophy, but I didn't get to see that picture or read about it.
This year, BSCPB partnered with the University Program Council to host the coronation, mainly to get a diverse group of people to participate. I feel they succeeded; it was more diverse than in recent years. Hey, even a white guy won king! Talk about diversity!
The coronation is not just for black students. Any student regardless of race, year or sexuality can run for Homecoming court. I'm sure there are many students who are unaware of this opportunity to raise scholarship money and get some attention for themselves or their organization. Better coverage from The Post would help showcase this important event. The homecoming coronation has just as much Bobcat pride as the parade and football game.
Sarah Williams is a junior studying political science. 4
Opinion
Letter to the Editor
