Labor Day Parade royalty announced

Published 9:00 am Saturday, September 3, 2022

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The Winchester Labor Day Committee has announced the royal court members for next Monday’s parade.

The Labor Day Queen will be crowned at 11 a.m. Monday on the front steps of Broadway Missionary Baptist Church, which is located at 121 W. Broadway Street.

The following young ladies are vying for the title of Labor Day Queen:

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• Jacqueline Anderson is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of  Seneca Anderson and Jessica Howard.

• DeShaylla Baker is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Terry Stewart and the stepdaughter of Abe Haddix.

• Calleaha Clark is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Felecia Clark.

• Ma’Shayla Gorman is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Michelle Ingram.

• Maliyah Miller is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Stephen and Laquanda Miller.

• Azzareya Morris is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Tegan Morris and Brandon Jones.

• Aaliyah Parker is a 12th-grade student and is the daughter of Brittany Berry.

The winner will receive the crown and a scholarship.

“We’ve had the honor of being able to give a scholarship over the last couple of years, a $500 scholarship, to the winner,” said the committee’s vice-president Sherry Hampton.

The contestants are required to submit an essay and are chosen by a committee of judges who primarily live out of state.

The committee emphasizes that becoming queen is not a competition. Its members want the young ladies to realize that this year, their senior year, is the first step toward the rest of their lives and wants them to focus on more important matters than a crown.

“It is about building your self-esteem. It is about building a friendship. It is about building resources and a community,” Hampton said about the experience the committee wants to provide.

And no matter if a young lady is not selected as queen, the committee wants all the contestants to know they are special.

“You may not win, but you are a queen, and you can do and be anything that you want to be,” Hampton said.

The rest of the court

There are three other members of the parade’s royal court.

Fifth-grader Akima Gipson is the 2022 Labor Day Junior Queen. She is the daughter of Medetria Gipson.

First-grader Kali Hutchinson is 2022 Labor Day Little Queen. She is the daughter of Kiara Smith and Kason Hutchinson.

First-grader Zion Bell is the 2022 Labor Day Little King. He is the son of Chandra Bell.