People jumped to their feet while clapping their hands, waving their arms, and singing along as April Heath inspirationally belted out her own medley of India Arie songs “Beautiful Surprise” and “The Truth.”

April Heath was crowned the 35th Miss Eboness in front of friends, family and supporters in a nearly full Shryock Auditorium on Saturday night.

Dina Timmons, a first-year graduate student from Chicago studying public health, attended the pageant to support several friends.

“Kamela (Houston) and Amber (Young) are both friends of mine. I hope either of them win,” Timmons said.

Marcus Abston, a senior from Chicago studying zoology, also had personal connections with several of the women on court.

“They’re real,” he said of the women. Abston said they aren’t the kind to go on stage and smile but then treat people rudely when they aren’t on stage.

The pageant, which is sponsored, staffed and organized by the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., also celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary. To help celebrate, Fatal Fusion Dance Group Inc. performed a routine with a traditional African feel, and the Vanity Fashion Models performed a 1920s model show.

The show also featured a live pit band put together by Lee England Jr., a senior from Waukegan studying music education. He said the show always has live music, but the band changes every year.

This year’s masters of ceremonies were Latisha Emery, a senior from Chicago studying history, and Chicago comedian B. Cole.

The show opened with the women performing a special practiced walk accompanied by a recording of the women introducing themselves. They then exhibited a variety of talents from singing to poetry to dance. The judges narrowed the group down to four girls: Houston, Heath, Karita Tutwiler and Young. Each of the four women then gave an impromptu response to a randomly chosen question. After a short break, the judges announced the winners.

Tutwiler was chosen as the third runner-up as well as the most dedicated member of the court. Second runner-up went to Houston, as well as an award for selling the most ads in the program. The first runner-up was Young.

The competition began 35 years ago when the 1971 homecoming queen was, for the first time, a black woman, and she was not shown the honor, publicity or prestige commonly associated with the title, according to the fraternity’s Web site. Four members from the fraternity’s Beta Eta chapter created the Miss Eboness Pageant to celebrate black womanhood.

“The brotherhood created something that means a little more than just a Homecoming queen,” said Jason Dickson, third-time coordinator of the pageant.

It is a chance for black women to come together and be placed on a pedestal, not only for their talent, but for their virtues as well, said Dickson.

In the brothers’ eyes, the sister-like bonds the contestants gain is the most rewarding benefit of putting together the pageant.

“There’s nothing better than a strong sisterhood between black women,” Heath said.

Sarah Lohman can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 263 or [email protected].