About this Event
The Red Hawk Community Ball 2026
Presented by Daughta Speaks, Advocacy & Outreach, and Shalik Tiffany & Co.
🗓 Saturday, March 21, 2026
⏰ 4:30 PM – 9:30 PM
📍 Montclair State University – Student Center Ballrooms
1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ
Dress Code: Bring it in your best Harlem Renaissance look. Black and Gold.
Join us for The Red Hawk Community Ball 2026, a community-centered kiki ball celebrating ballroom culture, Black excellence, creativity, and collective care. Rooted in history and driven by purpose, this ball honors Black cultural icons across dance, fashion, activism, and performance while creating space for competition, self-expression, and impact.
🏆 House with the Most Tested
$$$ + 1 Trophy
Sponsored by Shalik Tiffany & Co.
In honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, this category encourages our community to know their HIV/AIDS and STD/STI status. Zufall Health Center will serve as our official testing partner.
To participate, please schedule your testing appointment in advance. When booking, be sure to mention your House affiliation so your House receives proper credit.
📞 To schedule:
Shalik Ross (Facebook)
973-294-4001 | 862-234-0933
🏆 Mini Grand Prize: House with the Most Personal Hygiene Drive Donations
$$$ + 1 Trophy
Access to personal hygiene products is a critical yet often overlooked need in our communities. Black families and students are disproportionately impacted by hygiene insecurity, which affects health, dignity, and daily life. Tonight, we show up with care.
Donation bins will be placed beside the judges’ panel, with a designated bin for each House. Please bring new, unused personal hygiene items, with an emphasis on products catered toward people of color (hair care, skin care, menstrual products, grooming items, etc.).
All products will be donated to the Red Hawk Pantry at Montclair State University.
⭐️ Team BQ Face – The Cast of Noah’s Arc $$$ 2 Trophies
Tonight, we honor the cast of Noah’s Arc. Teams of 2 BQs must serve face together in Y2K looks. You will be judged on individual faces, overall cohesion, and team chemistry.
⭐️ OTA Team Realness – TS Madison
School Boy/School Girl, Pretty Boy/Pretty Girl, Exec Male & Female, Bangy/Thug,
Legendary (Any combo)
$$$ 10 Trophies
“I'm dark brown, dark skin, light skin, beige, Fluorescent beige, bitch, I'm black LIKE THAT”- These are the iconic words of TS Madison that Beyonce sampled in Cozy! Show us that you’re cozy in your realness in flesh tone garments!
⭐️ OTA Performance – Alvin Ailey BQVF vs RWT vs GNC vs FQ vs WOMEN vs DRAGS vs LEGENDS/ICONS $$$ 7 Trophies
Alvin Ailey didn’t have a specific type of dance. He blended several unique styles and put on a SHOW! We honor Alvin Ailey by bringing Dance Theater to MSU in leotards, unitards, flowing silk dresses and dance attire! The judges want to see Alvin Ailey honored through your 10s and you must incorporate an Alvin Ailey dance move in your performance.
⭐️OTA Runway with a Prop – Bayard Rustin BQ vs GNC vs AA vs FQ vs WOMEN vs DRAGS vs LEGENDS/ICONS $$$ 7 Trophies
At the 2026 Black HERStory Ball, we honor Bayard Rustin through our pump, activism & presence! You are a Civil Rights leader tonight, so don’t forget your glasses, tie, and a picket sign with a message!
⭐️FF Face – Tracy Africa Norman
$$$ 3 trophies
FQ vs WOMEN vs Drags
Tracey African Norman is the personification of classic beauty and how a model should present herself. Inspired by Tracy Africa Norman, we honor her with flawless skin, bone structure, elegance, and a bone-snatch ponytail highlighting your timeless beauty!
⭐️ Best Dressed with a Twist – Gladys Bentley $$$ 3 Trophies
MF vs FF vs GNC
This evening, we will make HERstory again, through gender expression and style. We want to see you cross-dress with elegance. Find inspiration from Gladys Bentley’s bold, unapologetic presence while maintaining polished and intentional fashion choices.
⭐️Hair Affair – Angela Davis $$$ 1 Trophy
Tonight we honor Angela Davis, who used her hair as a political and cultural statement. Show the judges that you are bold with an over-the-top afro, inspired by Angela Davis, emphasizing volume, pride, and power.
⭐️Streetwear – Andre Leon Talley
$$$ 3 Trophies MF vs FF vs GNC
Andre Leon Talley was a fashion journalist and the FIRST Black creative director of American Vogue. Tonight, we honor him through the power of fashion. We want to see an Andre Leon Talley look with an urban twist come to life in oversized garments! Don’t forget his famous quote “Luxury or NOTHING!”
⭐️OTA Commentator vs. Commentator – Langston Hughes $$$ 1 Trophy
Comm vs Comm celebrates the power of voice and language. Langston Hughes highlighted that power as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Tonight, we are honoring Langston Hughes through clarity, control, and your presence on the mic. For your 10s, you must have a chant with the word “RENAISSANCE”
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Montclair State University - Student Center Ballrooms A, B, C, 1 Normal Ave, Montclair, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 7.18
