NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Two Jefferson Parish residents are reigning as King and Queen Zulu for 2026.
Ron Tassin, Ph.D., is King Zulu, and he chose his niece, Sharell Monique Chatman, to be his queen.
“I am the 110th king of Zulu,” Tassin said.
Recently, they exhibited their specially made Zulu coconuts.
“King’s logo of 2026 and it actually comes with the queen’s logo for 2026,” Tassin said.
Both grew up attending Zulu parades.
“I was just amazed,” Tassin said.
He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Southern University New Orleans and a doctorate in management in criminal justice from Colorado Technical University.
Tassin currently serves as the manager of student partnerships and programs at Inspire NOLA schools.
In 2006, he joined the Krewe of Zulu.
“They used to call me committee man because I was on every committee,” Tassin said.
He did not rush to become king.
“After my mother had passed in 2017, and my parents had passed, my father as well, you know it took me some time to really, really get back, get my soul back,” Tassin said.
In 2025, he decided to run for king and won.
“I said to God, like, God, thank you,” Tassin said.
Per Zulu tradition, the queen is unveiled at an airport ceremony.
“Amazing. When I stepped off the plane,” Chatman said.
She earned dual degrees from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in industrial engineering and sociology and later completed a master’s degree in computer engineering at Colorado State University.
The king did not immediately tell Chatman she would serve as his queen.
“I told her mother. Her mother is my sister,” Tassin said.
Chatman said, “They both came to me.”
Tassin’s contributions go beyond education.
“I actually run an actual behavioral health clinic for kids and adults,” Tassin said.
And Tassin founded the Audrey Mae Tassin Foundation in honor of his late mother.
“We actually do scholarships for kids from out the neighborhood, kids that are pushing hard,” Tassin said.
Both the king and queen hope their reign inspires young kids to aim high.
“When I go and I talk to little girls and young ladies, I tell them, look, um, beauty is only at the surface, but your character matters,” Chatman said.
“That every kid that actually sees me and sees the queen as well, um, saying that one day that they can be the same person that we are,” Tassin said.
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