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| - The Black Veiled Prophet Ball was an observance in St. Louis, Missouri, beginning in 1967 in which an African-American man was named the Black Veiled Prophet and a woman the Black VP Queen. It was seen as a lampoon or a mockery of the whites-only Veiled Prophet Ball of that era. Before World War II, the African-American community in St. Louis had crowned its own "Veiled Prophet Queen," who included Ernestine Steele in 1939 and Blanche Vashon (later Sinkler), Georgia Williams, and Evelyn Hilliard. A 1940 newspaper column said that for years the official VP Parade had drawn (en)
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has abstract
| - The Black Veiled Prophet Ball was an observance in St. Louis, Missouri, beginning in 1967 in which an African-American man was named the Black Veiled Prophet and a woman the Black VP Queen. It was seen as a lampoon or a mockery of the whites-only Veiled Prophet Ball of that era. Before World War II, the African-American community in St. Louis had crowned its own "Veiled Prophet Queen," who included Ernestine Steele in 1939 and Blanche Vashon (later Sinkler), Georgia Williams, and Evelyn Hilliard. A 1940 newspaper column said that for years the official VP Parade had drawn many persons, white and colored, to the city . . . [and that] Years ago there was a dance for the colored citizenry on that night, but that affair was long discontinued. Five years ago, Mrs. Zenobia Shoulders Johnson, one of the city's most active church and civic workers, conceived the idea of a style show which would culminate in the crowning of the "Veiled Prophet's Queen," someone representative of real St. Louis culture and society, much in the same manner of the original event. The idea caught fire, and from the first night, overflow crowds have witnessed the event at St. James [ A.M.E. ] Church. And, in addition, the idea became so popular that this year there are fully half a dozen similar projects as conceived by Mrs. Johnson being held this week by various other racial groups. Later, a Black Veiled Prophet event was established, the first such VP being Precious Barnes in 1967, followed by George Johnson (1968) and Carl Jackson (1969). Esther Davis was chosen in 1967 as the first "Queen of Truth, Dignity, and Blackness" as a reward for selling the most ball tickets, 25-cent votes and advertisements for the ball program. Carol Jarrett was Queen in 1973, and in 1974 it was Martha Reed, with Carol Moreland second that year and Juanita Triggs third. Mildred Banks Shelton was named Queen of Human Justice in 1968, with Connie Foster in second place and Ann Perry in third. Madam Carol served in 1969. Minnie Dawson was Queen in 1976. Proceeds went to the legal defense fund of the sponsoring group, called ACTION, for Action Council to Increase Opportunities for Negroes. (en)
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