PEMBROKE — The reigning Miss Lumbee will keep her crown following a controversial cameo in a music video.
The Lumbee Regional Development Association, which sponsors the annual tribal pageant, announced Wednesday that Alexis Jones will continue her term as Miss Lumbee after serving a suspension. According to a statement from LRDA, the decision was made Tuesday after a closed session meeting of its board of directors.
“I feel that the board labored over this decision and the seriousness of the allegations in determining the appropriate measures that needed to be taken in order to address the issue,” Woodrow Dial, chairman of LRDA’s board, said in the statement. “It is our hope that the seriousness with which the board approached this has helped Ms. Jones realize the scrutiny that she is under at all times during this year of her reign.”
Jones will remain on suspension until Feb. 5, according to the statement.
The video, “Big Face Hunnits,” was released by Cliff Powell, a New Jersey rap artist who grew up in Pembroke and goes by the stage name Feli Fame. Jones and Powell both attended Purnell Swett High School, but not at the same time.
LRDA officials took issue with the profanity-laden lyrics of “Big Face Hunnits,” which includes explicit descriptions of sexual acts and gun violence. Jones told LRDA representatives she was unaware of the song’s lyrics because the audio was added after the shoot.
“My intention that day was to simply go and support a friend,” she said in a recent YouTube video addressing the controversy. “I do not condone any of the language, activities or message that this video expresses.”
“Big Face Hunnits” has racked more than 50,000 views since it was uploaded to YouTube. In a Facebook post, Powell wrote that he “meant no harm to anyone while shooting the video.”
“I only wanted to give people the real story of the town I grew up in which is Pembroke,” he said. “I just want to give back, build awareness and make our community a focal point in music … please continue to support me and Alexis Raeana Jones.”
About 50 people turned out to support Jones during an LRDA meeting on Jan. 12, when the directors first discussed the situation but did not make a decision Earlier that week, Rebecca LaClair launched an online petition calling for LRDA to allow the 20-year-old to “resume her official duties with the dignity and grace that she has since her crowning.”
The petition, which can be found on change.org, had collected 1,281 signatures as of Wednesday evening. Kayla Morgan, a former Teen Miss Lumbee, is one of several supporters who left comments on the page.
“She has been one of the best, most amazing Miss Lumbees that the Lumbee Tribe has ever had,” Morgan wrote. “She has gone out of her way to teach the outsiders about our culture. She has been successful and accomplished many great things. She has made one mistake; one bad decision. What gives any of you citizens the right to judge?”
The Miss Lumbee title comes with a $5,000 scholarship and other perks. A student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Jones has represented the tribe at various functions since being crowned in July.
A section pertaining to social media in the Miss Lumbee pageant application says that any “conduct found unbecoming by Lumbee Regional Development Association Inc. could result in [the contestant’s] disqualification from the competition.” Social media websites singled out in the section include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat but do not specifically mention YouTube.
“The board was disappointed that Ms. Jones made the decision to allow herself to be recorded and edited into something that she did not intend,” Dial said. “We felt that the suspension levied a penalty that would give her time to reflect on the high standard to which she is held during her reign.”
According to Dial, the board of directors reached its decision by “considering all the positives that Ms. Jones has accomplished during her reign.”
“I sincerely hope that this incident serves as a bright warning to our youth the trauma that social media could have on their bright futures,” he said.
The statement by LRDA carried a headline that read, “Board picks up fallen Ms. Lumbee.”