Amid cheering, whistling and laughter, Aaron Wright stood in front of a packed house in Schwab Auditorium wearing a crown and holding flowers and a trophy.

It was the first time in the 16 years the Mr. Black Penn State pageant, called "Redefining Black Men," had a tie for first place, but in the end, Wright (sophomore-secondary education) was victorious.

To break the tie, Wright and Devin Oliver (junior-theatre) told judges and the crowd why they deserved to be the next Mr. Black Penn State.

"I am the only non-greek affiliate in this competition," Wright said. "I entered this because I'm the youngest in the competition, and I wanted to enjoy my college experience to the fullest."

Other contestants included Patrick Wallace (senior-religious studies), Kevin Smith (senior-premedicine) and Mark Bunbury (junior-political science).

Contestants competed in several different events including business attire, a sportswear competition, an African garb segment, a talent segment, formal wear and an impromptu question-and-answer session. Contestants also showcased their talents through group performances, including an opening dance sequence to several Michael Jackson songs and a tribute to Stevie Wonder.

Tears streamed down some audience members' faces during the talent portion of the competition, when Wallace recited a poem he wrote about political "seduction" and war.

"Evil loves complacency but despises discontent," Wallace said, causing several people to jump to their feet in applause.

Bunbary sat onstage at a grand piano, and as he played the first few measures of "Ordinary People" by John Legend, he asked the audience, "Y'all know this one, right?"

Oliver walked out on stage during the formal wear competition and winked at the audience, causing the women to giggle and the men to erupt in a fit of laughter.

For the final part of the pageant, contestants pulled random questions from a hat.

Smith was asked whether he thought students would respect the recent decision to cancel classes for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday by honoring King's accomplishments or just treating it as a three-day weekend.

"I think many students will just use it as a long weekend," Smith said. "We must continue to make events that will encourage students to participate in them instead."

Victoria Peurifoy, a computer science and engineering staff assistant, was one of five judges, and said she was pleasantly surprised at the contestants' abilities. "I know what I was expecting, but that wasn't what I got," Peurifoy said. "I was very impressed by their talents, and we had an extremely hard decision to make."

The event was sponsored and hosted by Zeta Phi Beta sorority, whose members were dressed in formal attire to escort contestants across the stage.

Wright said the experience was one that allowed him to travel his own path, which is something that is very important to him.

"I hope to use this role to make the black community more aware about their culture," Wright said. "I want to help unite us, and not just the black community but everyone, regardless of race."