Rodney P. Mason Jr., an alumnus of Alabama A&M University, has been honored with the title of King Zulu for the 2025 Krewe of Zulu Mardi Gras Parade.
More than 700 Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club members, a historic organization founded in 1909, voted Mason for King Zulu. “The club was founded after its members attended a Vaudeville play called ‘There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me,’” Mason shared. “Back then, Mardi Gras wasn’t inclusive of our community due to segregation, so our club created its own celebration, one that has thrived for over a century.”