Since the production company Bee Squared, LLC began Peoria’s Miss Juneteenth Pageant in 2023, the event has grown and evolved.
After the first pageant, Bee Squared added a Miss Teen Juneteenth. The 2025 event saw the introduction of a Little Miss Juneteenth and a Mister Juneteenth. This year saw the addition of a Mrs. Juneteenth to the Royal Court.
“Now we have five titles,” Bee Squared founder Brett Brooks said of Peoria’s Miss and Mr. Juneteenth Pageant. “And we have different demographics represented.”
Brooks added that Juneteenth pageants are a mainstay in communities that commemorate the end of slavery in 1865. The Juneteenth pageant in Galveston, Texas, she noted, is a particularly lavish affair.
“A lot of communities that have festivals always have ambassadors that are crowned as royalty,” she said. “The (East Peoria) Festival of Lights have their girls and the St. Patrick’s Day parade has their title holders. It was just fitting to also highlight young women, initially, and now young men.”
Bee Squared held the 2026 pageant in May at the East Bluff Community Center in Peoria. Following are this year’s Miss and Mr. Juneteenth Royal Court.
Arria Isom, Little Miss Juneteenth
Brooks described Isom as driven, headstrong, a talented dancer, and a precocious public speaker.
“She’s very polished and poised and gets tons of compliments for her speech and delivery,” she said. “She’s top-notch.”
Emonnii Jennings, Miss Teen Juneteenth
Jennings is somewhat shy, Brooks said. However, when coaxed out of her shell, Miss Teen Juneteenth is caring, passionate and funny.
“She’s like a like a hidden talent that we’re still unveiling,” Brooks said. “I know she’s going to be great.”
Patrick Pollard, Mr. Juneteenth
Pollard is one of the Juneteenth Court’s anchors as well as a staple of the Peoria community as a whole, Brooks said. His presence brings a protective mindset and an appreciation for the value of teamwork to the other court members.
“He’s a teacher and he brings that same kind of leadership to our events and to the Royal Court as a whole,” Brooks said.
Briana Stevenson, Mrs. Juneteenth
The only mother on the court, Stevenson supplies the group with a maternal dynamic and steady leadership. Brooks said the first Mrs. Juneteenth in the United States is also a talented singer with an energetic stage presence.
“She really brings proof that the wife and the mom can also shine in the family dynamic and have their own motion and activities going as well,” she added.
Jordan Janae Doss-Watson, Miss Juneteenth
A social media content creator with a large Tik Tok following for her commentary on pop culture events, Doss-Watson is also a businesswoman and a model, Brooks said.
“I will say she is the person the crown needed the most as far as people who are doing something in the community,” Brooks added. “Both she and (Pollard) are doing something in the community and are able to use the title to amplify and use it as a real platform to do something greater in life.”
The court members will represent Peoria at the Jubilee Day celebration Friday, June 19 at the Peoria Riverfront.
A veteran of pageants, Brooks said she wanted to launch Juneteenth pageants in Peoria because she believes the competitions helped improve her as a person. In their quest for crowns, contestants embark on journeys of personal development, hard work, self-discipline and community engagement.
“It really is more than just what you see on stage,” she added. “It’s the journey to get to the stage where they finally can accomplish a goal of winning. Then also upon winning, I challenge all the title holders to really be community servants and to really serve for the entire 365 days of their reigns.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Meet the 2026 Peoria Juneteenth Royal Court
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
