Statement on the 2023 Miss Old Gold and Black Scholarship Pageant

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, the South Carolina Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. proudly hosted the 2023 Miss Old Gold and Black Scholarship Pageant. However, we must regretfully acknowledge that the pageant committee has identified an error in the scoring process for one of our contestants. We immediately addressed this issue and announced that the revised results confirm Miss Old Gold and Black from Clemson University, Marae Lewis, as the deserving first-place winner.

The South Carolina Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. extend our most sincere apologies for any confusion or inconvenience that this unfortunate error may have caused to the contestants, their families, and friends. Please be assured that we are diligently implementing measures to prevent such discrepancies from recurring in the future. Your understanding and support are immensely valued as we remain committed to upholding the esteemed standards of excellence associated with our fraternity.

In a gesture of good faith, both the previously announced winner and the correct winner will be awarded scholarships, reaffirming our commitment to fairness and scholarship within our community.

Brother Vincent A. Gatling Jr.

South Carolina District Director