Nikole Churchill

Nikole Churchill (born February 21, 1987) is a nursing student at Hampton University who was crowned Miss Hampton University on October 9, 2009. She is the first woman of non-black descent to be named Miss Hampton University. Hampton University is a historically black university (HBCU) located in Hampton, Virginia. Nikole Churchill is from Wahiawa, Hawai'i. Her mother is of Italian ancestry and her father is from Guam.
The selection of a non-black student had caused complaints among the overwhelmingly black student body. Media reports stated that a noticeable number of students walked out of the pageant Friday night when Churchill was crowned. After the selection of Churchill as the 2009 Miss Hampton University, some students and alumni have asserted that a non-black student cannot represent the typical Hampton University student, and that Churchill is unqualified to be Miss Hampton University due to her recent transfer to Hampton from Virginia Commonwealth University after having matriculated there for three years, and the fact that she attends Hampton's satellite school in Virginia Beach, rather than the main campus. Among the complaints that have been raised is the winner of the Miss Hampton University pageant is not chosen by the student body, but rather a committee that represents Miss America. This year's pageant was judged by five people, including two certified by the Miss Virginia competition. The other judges were Joan Gentry, a Hampton University counselor for freshman studies; Lorraine Bell, a Hampton University music professor; and Henry Mills, a senior vice president at Old Point National Bank. The pageant included evening gown, swimsuit and talent competitions. Churchill won a $1,500 scholarship, will serve as homecoming queen.
Churchill initially contended that her selection was controversial because of her race. Some who commented have pointed out that the winner of the "Mr. Pirate" (title of the Mr. Hampton University pageant, so-named for the school's mascot), was also a non-black student. Various postings to media outlets and blogs made by those claiming to be Hampton University students or alumni assert that they support his selection and not Churchill's due to the fact that he was purportedly very active on Hampton University's main campus, and that he held a fair amount of popularity among the student body, while Churchill was not a well-known campus figure or active in student life.
In response to what was initially perceived as racism by Nikole Churchill, she wrote a letter to United States President Barack Obama inviting him to come to the campus to speak on the topic of racial tolerance. However, according to published reports, she later retracted the statements made in the letter she wrote to Obama saying that she "blew things out of proportion," "regrets writing the letter" and "deeply apologizes for bringing negative attention to the University." She says that she has been widely welcomed by elected student officials and looks forward to representing the University and continuing its legacy.

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