Mister Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant at UMSL

About this event

The Mister Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant at the University of Missouri-St. Louis showcases Black male high school graduates from across the St. Louis region competing for college scholarships at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Held in the Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater on the UMSL campus, the program features contestants in formal wear, talent, and oratory rounds, with judging that weighs academic achievement, community service, and personal vision. Anchored at UMSL, a public research university serving one of the most diverse student bodies in the state, the pageant intentionally inverts the historical exclusion of Black men from scholarship pageantry and creates a public stage for celebrating Black male leadership and aspiration during Juneteenth weekend. The event culminates in scholarship awards and a coronation.