Da’Lasia Scrivener’s reign as Miss Indy Juneteenth has just begun.
For the past six years, the Miss Indy Juneteenth Scholarship pageant has seen young Black girls from across Indianapolis competing not just for a crown and title, but for an active leadership role in the community. The pageant awards scholarships and crowns to winners in three age groups, Little Miss (ages 7-12), Junior Miss (ages 13-17) and Miss Indy Juneteenth (women 18 and older).
Scrivener, a dancer and incoming junior at Ben Davis High School, competed in and won the Miss Indy Juneteenth Scholarship pageant on June 6 alongside Soraya Taylor, who was crowned Little Miss Indy Juneteenth, and Mya Mack, crowned Junior Miss Indy Juneteenth. All three girls will now participate in the Juneteenth parade and festival at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on June 20 before traveling to represent the State of Indiana in the National Miss Juneteenth USA Pageant.
“It feels amazing to have won the crown, and it feels good to represent my community,” Scrivener said. “I’ve always been a person (that) wants to give and help everybody in need, so I’m a people person, and it just, it just warms my heart.”
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This year marked Scrivener’s first time competing in the Miss Indy Juneteenth pageant. Inspired by watching pageants on TV and listening to Beyoncé growing up, Scrivener said she was interested in trying something new.
Scrivener’s expectations for the pageant included winning, of course, and taking on the leadership role of Miss Indy Juneteenth, but, more importantly, she set out to meet new people, make friends with other girls her age, and have fun.
“I didn’t know what I was going into, I didn’t know what to expect,” Scrivener said. “All I knew was that it was going to be a lot of girls, and that I was going to have to do my best to win. I wanted to have fun, even if I didn’t win, and I wanted everybody to know that even if you don’t get the crown, then you’re still a queen.”
Those who win the Miss Indy Juneteenth Crown represent freedom to be oneself and promote “excellence, leadership and greatness” through selfless acts and volunteering their time within the community, especially with the youth, throughout Indianapolis.
The 2026 Miss Indy Juneteenth Scholarship pageant featured the theme of “Tailor-Made for Greatness.” Contests were invited to showcase their talents and personality, to remind judges and Hoosiers that “greatness looks different on everyone.”
“It’s very important for young black girls, because … they need to make sure that they understand that we are truly queens, with or without the crown,” India Lisenbee, Indy Juneteenth parade director, said. “We are royalty. We came from royalty, and it’s about building confidence and making sure that everyone, not just women, because young men struggle with self-confidence and self-awareness, too. So, that’s a part of everything that we do with the Miss Indy Juneteenth pageant.”
Lisenbee also serves as a mentor for the girls who compete in the pageant, and said being able to see where they start and how far they’ve grown by the end of the pageant is “truly magical.”
“Sometimes we get girls with low self-esteem, we get timid girls, we get girls who don’t know how to speak on behalf of themselves, and by the end of the pageant, they have grown into these powerful young women who don’t mind speaking up for themselves, who also don’t mind representing themselves outside of school, outside of their families,” Lisenbee said. “So, I really love helping the young girls build their self-confidence on and off the stage.”
Each pageant contestant also chooses a community issue they are passionate about, and the winners receive assistance from Indy Juneteenth to organize outings and events to raise awareness of that issue.
Scrivener chose to try to bridge the gap between generations, and said she will be active in family outings and BFF, a mentor group she grew up in that uses trips and fun activities to teach Black history.
“I’m most excited about just learning more about Juneteenth, because I know the basics, but I don’t really know the facts and the deep stuff about it,” Scrivener said. “To me, the holiday means strength and resilience, and to be proud of pushing forward, no matter all the challenges that I face.”
In previous years, Scrivener’s family celebrated Juneteenth at the festivals and parades, but then hosted their own private barbecue at home, she said. This year, Scrivener is excited for that to change as she rides in the parade and attends the festival as Miss Indy Juneteenth.
“My mom was already talking about getting shirts made,” Scrivener added. “I’ll just be there all day, having fun, meeting and talking to people in my community.”
After high school, Scrivener plans to use her pageant scholarship winnings to attend college and become a NICU nurse. In the meantime, Scrivener said she’s “just happy to be Miss Indy Juneteenth” and be a part of something bigger within her community.
The 9th Indy Juneteenth Parade and Festival takes place from 4-10 p.m. on June 20 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. There will be a fireworks show after the sun goes down. The event is free to attend but parking is $10 on the 38th Street side at gates one and seven.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
