“I’m really glad that Howard was the space where I started forming an opinion about myself, my world and my identity as a Black woman,” said Davis. “It gave me a clear idea of who I wanted to be. I’m sure I would have been able to do that at another institution, but I’m glad I did it at Howard.” Davis credits her pageant success and experience holding royal court as Miss Howard in 2020. She also gave props to her HBCU queen competitors Miss New Jersey, and Miss Alabama, both who attended Morgan State University and Clark-Atlanta University, respectively, who supported one another during the national competition. “We were all extremely confident and clear why we were at Miss USA,” said Davis. “In the middle of living our dreams, we were thinking about other people showing up, taking up space in certain spaces. We had conversations about how excited we were to be representing HBCU queens. Pageantry at HBCUs is different from the Miss USA system. We wanted to show other HBCU queens that there’s a way to participate in other systems and industries that aren’t 100 percent for you while walking in full confidence.”
an ambassador on and off campus and nationwide. One thing stood in her way of doing that full out, though. “One week later after she won, the pandemic came,” said Walter S. Servance, Howard University Executive Director of Campus Life who serves as an advisor to students on the Homecoming Court. “She missed out on that experience of going to the football game, walking the field and waving. We had to move to a virtual platform. She did not have the standard coronation. Instead, she put on a white dress and crown and did a small video to be a representation of the coronation. There was a lot of social media presence to make the time while being at home really meaningful.” The following year when students returned after the pandemic and before the new Homecoming court was announced, the university gave the 2020 court the opportunity to walk the field so they would have the experience, said Servance. “I remember being so devastated,” said Davis. “This was my senior year that I got to be on the yard as Miss Howard and I had recently become a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. I just felt like these things that were supposed to represent the pinnacle of my experience and in
Tay
As Miss Howard University, Davis’ duties were to represent the institution as
" We had conversations about how excited we were to be representing HBCU queens. PAGEANTRY AT HBCUS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MISS USA SYSTEM. We wanted to show other HBCU queens that there’s a way to participate in other systems and industries that aren’t 100 percent for you while walking in full confidence. " - TAYLOR
Powered by FlippingBook