Mister and Miss Juneteenth Crowned During Freedom Day Celebration

Triniti Delia Gibson, daughter of Reverend Darrel/ Tatiana Gibson, attends South Johnson Elementary, was crowned Miss Juneteenth

Scotland County NAACP Youth and Scotland Youth Development are honored to announce the winners of the 2022 Mister and Miss Juneteenth Pageant. On Sunday, June 19, 2022, Jonathan McLean, rising 9th grader at Scotland Early College, was crowned Mister Juneteenth. Triniti Delia Gibson, daughter of Reverend Darrel/ Tatiana Gibson, attends South Johnson Elementary, was crowned Miss Juneteenth during a joyful celebration of African-American freedom, culture, and traditions in downtown Laurinburg.

In total, three girls (Kaliyah Harrington, Triniti Delia Gibson, and Destiny McRae) and two boys (Adrian York and Jonathan McLean) participated in this year’s pageant, which made its debut on Main Street after years of being held at different community locations. As onlookers watched, the confident, young participants expressed Juneteenth’s significance through dance, poetry, and oration while donning African attire on the event’s main stage.

Jonathan McLean, rising 9th grader at Scotland Early College, was crowned Mister Juneteenth

Adrian York, a rising 10th grader at Scotland High School, and Miss Juneteenth Triniti Delia Gibson also won their talent competitions through poetry recitation. The Freedom Day celebration was organized by Ministerial Alliance, African American Heritage Community, Scotland County Arts Council, Scotland County NAACP Youth, and Scotland Youth Development. More than five hundred community members, and guest speaker Judge Cheri Beasley, joined the celebration commemorating the emancipation of illegally enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.