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BEST IN BLACK BEAUTY AWARDS 2018

76 WAYS TO SLAY

Kerry Washington

ON SCANDAL’S END, NEW BEGINNINGS & WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS

99 MORE WOMEN OF COLOR STANDING UP FOR US JOIN OUR SELF-CARE CHALLENGE p. 115

GET SUMMERREADY! BOLD COLORS HOT WHITES

VISIT ESSENCE.COM MAY 2018

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VIDEO BLOGGER KYRAH STEWART (AKA @KYRAHSTEWART) IS ALWAYS SHOWING HER FOLLOWERS HOW TO ROCK THE LATEST MAKEUP TRENDS. FIND OUT WHY SHE DECIDED TO ADD EVEN MORE COLOR TO HER LIFE, AND HER HAIR, WITH CLAIROL PROFESSIONAL JAZZING.

Seen here with celebrity stylist Kiyah Wright (@kiyahwright1), Kyrah says, “Changing your hair color is really an amazing way to embrace who you are. I didn’t realize using Clairol Professional would make me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to.”

“I use makeup to enhance my life. It’s super fun for me to change up my makeup to reflect however I’m feeling that day.”

“Sometimes I’m feeling simple and my makeup will turn out really minimalistic. Other times I’m in the mood for a colorful eyeliner and red lipstick.”

Kyrah Stewart knows a thing or two about style and color, especially when it comes to makeup and fashion. Recently, she decided to step out of her comfort zone to add color to her curly hair—and she loves her new look! “I’ve never had my hair colored before, but I’m obsessed with how it looks and how diferent it is,” she says. “It adds a pop of color to everything, every day.”

CLAIROL PROFESSIONAL JAZZING COLLECTION Ofering semi-permanent and temporary color options, this product is perfect for Kyrah, who likes to change things up. “It’s also important to me that the product is ammonia- and peroxide-free and doesn’t damage hair,” she says.

ADD COLOR TO YOUR OWN LIFE AND FIND THE @CLAIROL_PRO PRODUCT THAT’S PERFECT FOR YOU AT CLAIROLPRO.COM

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A cleanser’s just a cleanser. Unless, it’s Olay.

2018

MAY VOLUME 49 | NUMBER 1

CONTENTS

104 THE EXIT INTERVIEW About to take her final bow as TV’s handler, Olivia Pope, ESSENCE Woke honoree Kerry Washington shares her thoughts on the impact of Scandal and the landscape of Time’s Up

By Rebecca Carroll

74 SAVING OUR LANDMARKS Meet three women on a quest to preserve our history for generations to come

By Wendy L. Wilson

90 WOKE 100 Our second annual list salutes the changemakers who fight the good fight for us everywhere, from the health care field to the Hill to Hollywood

K WAKU ALSTON

28 IN LIVING 110 THE WOMEN COLOR WHO TURNED THE TIDE Orange Is the New Black actress Danielle Brooks is altering the perception of Black women in entertainment and on the runway, so who better to showcase this season’s bold trends?

In a key yet controversial Senate election in Alabama, Black women answered the call to serve by organizing and voting to secure empowerment for us all

By Donna M. Owens

Cover Photography

by Kwaku Alston Kerry Washington wears a Balmain dress, Rinaldy Yuhardi beret and Jennifer Fisher hoops and ring. Other ring, subject’s own.

For styling information and clothing details, see Where to Buy.

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 5

SIMULATION OF ACTUAL PRODUCT RESULTS ON LASHES ENHANCED WITH LASH INSERTS. Maybelline.com

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CONTENTS Style

15 | THROWING SHADE Futuristic sunglasses

20 | TRENDS

We harken back 34 years for fresh inspiration that’s white-hot

22 | STREET STYLE

It girl and brand consultant Marjon Carlos is a proponent of self-expression in wardrobes and writing

24 | DESIGNER TO WATCH We peeled away the layers of mystery from Whitney Mero and her whimsical Onion dress collection

26 | DOPE STUFF ON MY DESK On Mother’s Day (and beyond), maintain your chicness during mommy and mini-me time

Beauty&Hair

35 | BEST IN BLACK BEAUTY 2018 This year’s selection of the creams, lipsticks, foundations, scrubs, tools, influencers and more that landed in the winner’s circle in our annual ode to beauty excellence

44 | GOTTA HAVE IT

Essential illuminators and highlighters that will accent your radiance

46 | THE COMPACT

28

Danielle Brooks came to slay in television, theater and fashion.

53 | ALL TIED UP

Money&Power

How to be a

wrap queen

77 | SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THE JOB A realistic primer

Scene

on how to handle unwelcome and unlawful behavior in the workplace

61 | POETIC JUSTICE

Survivor’s Remorse alum Erica Ash courts a new prime-time leading role

82 | YOUNG PHENOM After teaming up with a partner, millennial brand coach Meagan Ward decided to make room for other women in business

62 | ENTERTAINMENT

The fellas of Dear White People drop knowledge, plus the latest from power couple Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil on love

What’s new!

GREATNESS In honor of our anniversary, we counted 48 ways to bring you closer to good health and wellness

A roundup of events to tide you over until Essence Fest

35

Lashes will be tops with this Best in Black Beauty awardee.

66 | PATRIK’S PICKS

Five reads by and about brave hearts and souls

Let culinary delights and your palate be your trip adviser for your next vacation

68 | BOOKS

Editor-at-Large Mikki Taylor returns with more motivational words

Issues

71 | TEN THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT 8 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

120 | FOOD

In Every Issue 10 12 122 126 128

| | | | |

Let’s Talk What’s on Your Mind Where to Buy Horoscope Crossword Puzzle

FROM TOP: YACHIN PARHAM; COU RTESY OF BR AN D.

64 | SPRING FESTIVAL GUIDE

Love&Life

115 | UNLEASH YOUR

*

LET’S TALK : A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ESSENCE 2018 staff not pictured

ESSENCE staf, photographed January 8, 2018

F

orty-eight years ago, four Black men launched a publication for Black women, to celebrate, uplift and affirm us. With the small but mighty crew (pictured at right), they collectively went on to build a brand that values community, inspiration, creativity and journalistic excellence.

I keep this photograph in my office as a constant reminder of the shoulders on which we stand as well as the responsibility we all have to continue to build on their legacy.

Fast-forward to 2018, and we are now once again 100 percent Black-owned, led by our CEO, Richelieu Dennis, who is seated in the second row above with the rest of the ESSENCE team. We took this photo the very day it was announced that we were under new ownership and that our female leadership team would have an equity stake in taking us all on this new journey.

If there’s one thing that has been consistent over these years, it is the passion ESSE NCE with which our team approaches the work we do, and for the audience we serve. staf in 1970 As we move into this next exciting phase, rest assured we will be putting your needs and wants first. Now more than ever, we would like you to know how much we appreciate you. We also hope you’ll encourage others to support us with subscriptions, clicks, follows and likes, and attend our live events, such as our upcoming Essence Festival. We hope to see you all in New Orleans over the July 5–8 weekend, where our pride and joy in serving you will be on full display.

Stay in touch,

Twitter: @Vanessa_KDeLuca

VANESSA K. DE LUCA Editor-in-Chief

10 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Instagram: @vanessa_kdeluca E-mail: Vanessa@essence.com

LOOK FOR THESE ICONS TO DISCOVER DIGITAL CONTENT: ESSENCE.COM

VIDEO

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: K ARL FERGUSON , J R .; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECTS ( 13); ESSENCE ARCHIVES .

PRIDE AND JOY

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! KEEP SENDING US YOUR FEEDBACK ON ALL THINGS ESSENCE VIA FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, TWITTER, E-MAIL, A LETTER IN THE MAIL OR ESSENCE.COM

SOCIAL MEDIA’S TAKE ON OUR MARCH ISSUE:

ALL SUPERHEROES MATTER We love everything Black Panther, but the cover featuring the ladies of Wakanda had you spellbound the most, according to our Twitter poll.

“Kudos on profiling @NafessaWilliams and @chinamcclain [‘Wonder Women’]. They are so dope on the show Black Lightning. As a guy with a daughter, I really like that there are beginning to be more realistic and positive roles for young Black women to identify with on-screen.” —@J_Life2020

“I wish your cover story ‘Watch the Throne’ had been longer.

Then the issue would have been a must-read. The copy needs to be as desirable as the cover art.”

—@suggswriter

“Such a great article on @chefahki [‘Eat Your Way Healthy’]. I originally learned about electric foods from the late Dr. Sebi. My 96-year-old grandmother is no longer diabetic because we eat better.

Thanks for sharing.” —@deniseatpeace

CHADWICK BOSEMAN SOLO COVER

9%

THE MEN OF BLACK PANTHER COVER

9%

THE WOMEN OF BLACK PANTHER COVER

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU

JOIN US! Share your habits and thoughts on events, culture, style and new products.

Become an Insider at ESSENCEINSIDERS.COM

Tell us what you think about this issue. #ESSENCEStyle: Houston living in stripes —@newtexacali

#ESSENCEEats: Meet the new king of Kansas City —@stay_snatched

#ESSENCETravels: Taking in the Mexican marvel of Oaxaca —@hey_ciara

E-mail us at letters@essence.com

CONTRIBUTORS Tamara E. Holmes (@tamaraeholmes) is a Washington, D.C.– based journalist who specializes in money, health and careers. This month the veteran book editor expertly tackled a timely and crucial topic in “Sexual Harassment on the Job” (page 77).

12 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Rebecca Carroll (@rebel19) is editor of special projects at WNYC. The writer of “The Exit Interview” (page 104) is the author of several books, including Sugar in the Raw, and her pieces have appeared in The New York Times and Esquire.

Erica Génécé (@ericagenece) is a Brooklyn-based photographer who loves to celebrate the beauty of cultural traditions. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she got to showcase her appreciation of fashion and details as the shutterbug behind “All Tied Up” (page 53).

INSTAG R AM , FROM LEF T: B RI COSTELLO PHOTOG R APHY; @STAY_ SNATCH ED; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT. CONTRIBUTORS , FROM LEF T: SHAY- L A ROM N E Y; SE AN H EM M ERLE; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT.

We picked three favorites from the posts you shared on Instagram using our hashtags #ESSENCEStyle, #ESSENCEEats and #ESSENCETravels

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PUT TWO & TWO

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Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. Homeowners, renters and condo coverages are written through non-afiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. Š 2018 GEICO

HAIR AN D MAKEU P, STEPH EN H U DSON/KEN BARBOZ A .COM . MANICU RE, SU NSHIN E OUTING . PROP ST YLIST, CHRISTOPHER STONE /HALLE Y RESOU RCES .

STYLE

THROWING SHADE FUTURISTIC SUNGLASSES ARE BOLD AND EDGY PHOTOGRAPHY BY YACHIN PARHAM FASHION EDITOR: JOIEE THORPE MOSCHINO “Cat-Eye Studs Triangle” lenses, $250, solsticesunglasses.com. FLACA JEWELRY bullet stud with tassel, $95, flaca jewelry.com. Nose ring, subject’s own.

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 15

STYLE : CHIC FRAMES

16 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN

From top: LOVE COLLINS “Wonder Woman” Lucite frames, $15, lovecollins .com. FENDI “Eyeline” shades, $465, solstice sunglasses.com. OXYDO “O.No 2.6” sunglasses, $475, oxydoeyewear .tumblr.com for stores.

COCO AND BREEZY EYEWEAR “ZesiroSilver” sunglasses, $300, cocoandbreezy.com.

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Always struggling when styling? You’re not alone.

Beauty expert, Lauren Legato is here to share how she has banned bad hair days and tamed her tomboy glam strands with the Maui Moisture Strength & Anti-Breakage + Agave Collection. .GVÀU VCNM CDQWV [QWT VTGUU UV[NG Lauren: My hair reflects both elements of my personality perfectly. It’s wavy and elegant, but voluminous and lioness all at the same time!

9JCV KU [QWT JCKT UVTWIING! Lauren: My biggest battle is breakage. My chemically processed hair makes it extremely hard to find products that my hair reacts well to, but the Strength & Anti-Breakage + Agave Collection strengthens my breakage-prone tresses in a heavenly scent.

&Q [QW JCXG C RTQFWEV IQ VQ! Lauren: I deep condition my hair often, so the Agave Hair Mask is my favorite. The consistency is nice and thick but easy to work through my hair.

When I wash it out, I can feel the hydration and strengthening benefits, which is also evident in how soft my hair air dries.

Shampoo and conditioner strengthen my breakage-prone tresses.

Agave Hair Mask is part of my routine, I use it twice a week.

MY HAIR SAYS FEMININE, FREE AND FABULOUS! @LaurenLegato

Discover wholesome beauty for all hair types. Maui Moisture’s formulas start with aloe juice and coconut water.

All shampoo, conditioner and treatments are vegan and free from sulfates, gluten, paraben and silicone.

FIND THE COLLECTION THAT’S BEST FOR YOU NOW AT MAUIMOISTURE.COM @mauimoisture #MauiMoisture

From top: ILLESTEVA “Marianne Flat” lenses, $190, illesteva.com.

STEVIE BOI EYEWEAR “SB Noirz” sunglasses, $200, stevieboi.com.

RAG & BONE “RNB 1008/S” sunglasses, $245, rag-bone.com.

18 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

R E C I P E S C R A F T E D TO TA S T E AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK

STYLE : TRENDS

WHITE OUT GET READY FOR

STAUD “Ann” top, $200, staud .clothing.

SUMMER WITH THIS CHIC COLOR FASHION EDITOR: JOIEE THORPE KENNETH JAY LANE square drop earrings, $100, kennethjaylane.com.

THE INSPIRATION JONATHAN ADLER “Muse Blanc” candle, $78, jonathanadler.com.

AERIN Rose de Grasse parfum, $215, aerin .com.

ESSENCE July 1983

ZARA “Sequin Midi” skirt, $60, zara.com.

SHOSHANNA “Valery” dress, $395, shoshanna.com.

20 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

SHOEDAZZLE “Bexley” heels, $43, shoe dazzle.com.

CENTER IMAG E, COU RTESY OF ESSENCE ARCHIVES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

ADRIANNA PAPELL “Sky” pleated clutch, $48, adrianna papell.com.

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STYLE : STREET STYLE

It Girl

MARJON CARLOS THIS JOURNALIST, EDITOR AND BRAND CONSULTANT IS A MUCH-NEEDED VOICE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY AND BEYOND BY JULEE WILSON A WRITER’S LIFE: “I like meeting new people and telling their stories. When I was at vogue.com, I loved creating a certain kind of tension with my work— taking unusual suspects in popular culture and aligning them with a huge fashion brand to produce a really interesting result. I enjoy shaking things up.”

The Texas native is inspired by writers Elaine Brown, Margo Jeferson and Zadie Smith, to name a few.

A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story

by Elaine Brown (Anchor, $17.95).

Carlos hopes to write a book and launch a podcast with her brother, comedian Jordan Carlos.

DRESS TO EXPRESS: “My personal style is still evolving, but it will always be grounded in a love for colors and patterns with a tomboy flair. I’m a big pants girl.”

THOUGHT-PROVOKING THREADS: “I love brands like Jacquemus, Duro Olowu, Maki Oh, Area, Y/Project, Acne Studios, Adam Selman and Maryam Nassir Zadeh. I am drawn to people who have something to say with their work— it translates in the clothes and makes them more special.”

JACQUEMUS “Le Robe Sol” dress, $1,090, net-a-porter.com.

WHAT IS FOR YOU IS FOR YOU.

LE SPECS X ADAM SELMAN “The Last Lolita” sunglasses, $120, net-a-porter.com.

22 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

LUCAS’ Papaw Ointment, $8, 25 g, walmart.com.

MARYAM NASSIR ZADEH “Sophie” mesh slides, $363, shopbop.com.

“My writing is a reflection of how I see the world, and my style is the way I wish to express myself to the world,” says Carlos.

C ARLOS , COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT (3). PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

PRETTY AMAZING: “My favorite beauty products run the gamut from simple to luxe. I adore SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner. I think Lucas’ Papaw is the best lip balm, and Diorskin Airflash Foundation always leaves my skin glowing.”

STYLE : DESIGNER TO WATCH

WHITNEY MERO THIS NEW YORK CITY–BASED DESIGNER MARRIES EASE AND ELEGANCE WITH HER EFFORTLESSLY CHIC DRESS COLLECTION, ONION BY JULEE WILSON

ESSENCE: How would you describe your designs?

WHITNEY MERO: They’re beautiful clothes that feel like pajamas.

ESSENCE: Who or what inspires your easygoing collection?

W.M.: My muses are snacks and sleep.

Check out I want women to feel as beautiful as I more Onion do when I am full of delicious food. fashion at whitney mero.com.

ESSENCE: What’s the most exciting part of your career?

W.M.: Having the freedom to create whatever I want without imposed limitations.

ESSENCE: What’s the best style advice you’ve ever been given?

W.M.: Be mindful of your posture, and make your bed before you leave the house. You’ll glow all day knowing you have an attractive place to rest later.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS Mero models some of her creations.

HAIDER ACKERMANN pleated polka-dot blouse, $1,085, net-a-porter.com.

COMME DES GARÇONS neon leather wallet, $105, net-a-porter.com.

PATRICIA WEXLER Universal Anti-Aging Cleanser, $16, wexler dermatology.com.

24 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

ESSENCE: Which clothing brands do you love other than your own?

W.M.: I am not superadventurous when it comes to fashion but I adore Duro Olowu, Haider Ackermann and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons because their inventiveness is awesome and beyond my purview.

ESSENCE: What are your must-have beauty products?

W.M.: I rarely wear makeup, because I have no clue what I am doing, but I do stick to a skin care regimen that includes Patricia Wexler facial cleanser.

For my hair, I am absolutely lost without Oyin’s Hair Dew and Honey Hemp products.

OYIN HANDMADE Hair Dew Daily Hair Quenching Lotion and Honey Hemp Detangling and Moisturizing Hair Conditioner, $14 each, oyinhandmade.com.

M E RO, FRO M L E F T: A L A R I C C A M P B E L L ( 3 ); G M D T H R E E (2). P RO D U C TS , CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS .

ESSENCE: What would you say to aspiring designers?

W.M.: Don’t assume you have to go to school for fashion. You can innovate a business that is successful without conforming to traditional models. Also, ask everybody everything.

Pulmonary hypertension puts unbearable stress on the heart.

Often misdiagnosed - as asthma, for example - Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) can cause death from heart failure.

There is no cure. But at the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, we’re giving hope to PH patients and caregivers.

The food lover’s heart

The book lover’s heart

The lover’s heart

The pulmonary hypertension heart

Learn how you can help at www.PHAssociation.org

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Try this!

Rapper André 3000 designed these kicks, so you know they’re fly.

STYLE : MY FAVES

DOPE STUFF ON MY DESK

1

Spending quality time with my 3-year-old son, Orion, is the best—and it’s even better with these great finds!

2

BY JULEE WILSON

Check out the Dope Stuff on My Desk video series at ESSENCE.com.

4

3

5

2. 10&CO Motherlover Rejuvenating Body Oil, $35, 10andco.com.

6

3. EAU THERMALE AVÈNE TriXera Nutrition Nutri-Fluid Cleanser, $29, aveneusa.com.

4. ART & EDEN “Hunter” T-shirt, $31, artandeden.com.

5. DIRTY LEMON +Collagen Beauty Elixir, $45/month for 6-bottle case or $65 for 6-bottle case with one-time purchase, dirtylemon.com.

7 6. BANANA BOAT Simply Protect Kids Sunscreen Lotion Spray SPF 50+, $8, walmart.com.

7. THEMINICLASSY “Dots Dino” harem pants, $60–$68, theminiclassy.com.

8

8. MUSTELA Cleansing Wipes, $9, mustelausa.com.

9. AKID “Axel” sneakers in Dalmatian, $70, akidbrand.com.

10. BABY DOVE Rich Moisture Lotion, $6, 13 oz, walmart.com.

26 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Why I love...

This brand creates the coolest kids’ clothing, ofering the perfect mix of fashion and function.

9 10

Must-have!

Go to dove.com to add your child’s name to this bottle of lotion that will keep skin baby-soft.

PHOTOGRAPHY, ERICA GENECE. PROP STYLIST, CHRISTOPHER STONE/HALLEY RESOURCES. WILSON, MANFRED KOH.

1. TRETORN X ANDRÉ 3000 BENJAMIN Nylitexab sneakers, $120, bloomingdales.com.

PROMOTION

ESSENCE’s “Yes, Girl” podcast is an audio lovefest highlighting celebs and influencers taking the culture a little higher.

Hosted by ESSENCE® staffers Cori Murray and Yolanda Sangweni— and bonus: our love guru Charli Penn gets real with Black women on their unique sex and relationships stories—“Yes, Girl” will feature aspirational conversations every Thursday.

Subscribe now on iTunes and Google Play.

www.essence.com/podcasts

N

LIVING

COLOR ACTRESS DANIELLE BROOKS IS AS VIBRANT AND STYLISH AS THESE AMAZINGLY LOUD SPRING LOOKS!

BY JULEE WILSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY YACHIN PARHAM ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREA PIPPENS | FASHION EDITOR: JOIEE THORPE

28 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Opposite page: Chromat “Garter Cage” bustier.

Universal Standard “Thames Fog” dress. GabiFresh X Swimsuits For All “Prairie Underwire” bikini.

Mignonne Gavigan “Madeline” earrings.

This page: Margarita Álvarez “Jazz B eaded B omber ” jacket.

Onion “ Long Sleeve Crop” top. Christian Siriano satin pleated-front wide -leg trousers .

R . J. Graziano “ B eaded Disco” earrings . Alexis Bittar “ Druz y Stone Hinge” bracelets.

»

D

anielle Brooks isn’t your typical fashion girl—and that’s part of her magic. The Orange Is the New Black actress is redefining beauty standards every time she hits the red carpet and works the runway—like she did at the Christian Siriano Fall 2018 show. And—when she’s not shooting her films—Brooks is taking her sartorial status a step further by creating a capsule collection for Universal Standard. Known for its fashion-forward designs in sizes 10 to 28, the New York City–based company tapped Brooks to add some of her flair with a signature line.

“You get exhausted asking people to design for you, regardless [of whether] it’s a red-carpet look or just a pair of jeans,” Brooks says. “So I was like, I want to work with people who are allowing me the opportunity to wear what I want to wear and design what I want to design.”

But it isn’t all about the 28-year-old star. Brooks, who describes her style as “comfortable and sexy,” understands the power of her position and image: “It’s truly for that next girl to rise up and feel confident about herself and see people who are expressing themselves the way she hopes to, if she’s not there already. And loving themselves in a way she hopes to, if she’s not already.”

Onion “One-Shoulder Large Puff Sleeve” dress. R.J. Graziano “Beaded Disco” earrings. Kenneth Jay Lane coral amethyst stones and dragon bracelets. Brian Atwood “Sienna” sandals.

30 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Christian Siriano off-the-shoulder cross bodice dress . Kennet h Jay L ane wrap ball top with seedbead tassel earrings .

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STYLE : PLAYFUL SPRING

Christian Siriano “ Double Twist Front Vic torian Sleeve” top.

Eloq uii “ Trumpet Maxi with Ruf fle” skir t. R . J. G raziano “ B eaded Disco” earrings .

Kennet h Jay L ane “Owl ” brooch . M a nolo Blahnik “Chaos” satin sandals .

32 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Marc Jacobs “Oversized Moto” jacket. Universal Standard “Tee Rex” shirt. Love Collins “Matrix” sunglasses.

For details, see Where to Buy. Hair, Tish Celestine.

Makeup, Michael Patterson. Manicure, Sunshine Outing.

º

©2018 Walgreen Co. All rights reserved.

What makes you feel beautiful

™

With our updated assortment of new, premium, and trusted products, you’re sure to bring home a look you love. When you feel beautiful, you look beautiful too.

Find your look at Walgreens and walgreens.com/beauty

BEST in BLACK Worth the Splurge

PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN

It’s an age-old dilemma for the chic crowd: prestige versus drugstore buys. And while we live for an afordable makeup find, there are those goodies that are actually worth the extra coins. These luxury brands make some of the finest hair, body and makeup products around. Period.

From left: DIOR Diorific Matte Lip & Cheek Colour ($38, dior.com); ORIBE Côte d’Azur Luminous Hair & Body Oil ($75, oribe.com); BYREDO Bal d’Afrique Body Lotion ($65, byredo.com); PAT MCGRATH LABS Mothership IV: Decadence palette ($125, sephora.com).

Beauty

When it comes to beauty, this year has been unforgettable. From epic launches (hey, Fenty Beauty) to red-hot stars (we see you, SZA) whose creativity inspired us, we’ve loved it all. Here are the products and people that deserve our praise PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN HENN

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 35

BEAUTY : AWARDS

Best New Fragrances Finding a fantastic perfume is lifeand mood-changing. There were plenty of fragrance launches over the past year, but these three really swept us of our feet. They all serve up a feminine floral vibe in very distinct ways: Ex Nihilo’s Viper Green is lavish, Ralph Lauren’s Woman is rich and spicy, and Giorgio Armani’s Sì Passione is oh, so sexy!

Best Budget-Friendly Finds

CELEB OF THE YEAR SZA The Ctrl singer encourages us to be empowered by the diferences that make each of us unique and beautiful, which is why we’re obsessed with her.

Oh, and we can’t get enough of her voluminous curly mane and freckles.

1. RALPH LAUREN Woman ($110, 3.4 oz, macys.com); 2. EX NIHILO Viper Green ($325, 100 ml, bergdorf goodman.com); 3. GIORGIO ARMANI Sì Passione ($86, 1.7 oz, giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com).

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These treats deliver major hydration and color without breaking the bank.

So you can totally skip feeling guilty when it’s time to re-up on these must-haves.

PALMER’S Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks ($5, target .com); OGX BEAUTY L Salon-Technology Restoring + Bonding Plex Collection ($9 each item, ulta.com); COLOURPOP Super Shock Shadows ($5 each, colourpop.com).

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Best Ash Busters

When a pimple pops up there is only one place we want it: gone. Blemishes don’t stand a chance against this crew.

Keeping skin hydrated all day is no easy feat. Thankfully these picks do just that.

TATA HARPER Clarifying Cleanser ($68, tataharperskincare.com); PETER THOMAS ROTH Acne-Clear Invisible Dots ($30, sephora.com); M-61 PowerSpot Blemish Lotion ($16, bluemercury.com).

VASELINE Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter ($6, target.com); HANAHANA BEAUTY Body Butter ($15, hanahana beauty.com); TGIN Organic Shea Butter ($15, 8 oz, tginstore.com).

Best Co-Wash

Best Curl Definers

Great for a variety of hair types, these two fantastic formulations deliver shine and leave frizz behind.

These creams will definitely have you saying, “Wow. My curls are poppin’.”

SHEAMOISTURE Mongongo & Hemp Seed Oils High Porosity Moisture-Seal Co-Wash ($12, target .com); CREME OF NATURE Argan Oil From Morocco Creamy Hydration Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner ($8, select Target stores).

CANTU Coconut Curling Cream ($7, 12 oz, walmart.com); URBAN HYDRATION Coconut Oil Styling Cream with Avocado Oil & Argan Oil ($10, jcp.com).

36 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Best Green Beauty Brands If organic, nontoxic blends are your thing, then make sure to add these four fabulous brands to your shopping list. They each have a clear focus on clean beauty—and we love them for it.

4. LILAH B. Divine Duo Lip & Cheek in b. dazzling, Virtuous Veil Concealer & Eye Primer and Flawless Finish Foundation ($46, $44 and $48, lilahbeauty.com); 5. ABA LOVE APOTHECARY Flower Crown Brightening Facial Serum ($68, abalove apothecary.com); 6. SUSANNE KAUFMANN Witch Hazel Bath ($70, spacenk.com); 7. REN SKINCARE Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic ($35, sephora.com).

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SZA , GILBERT CARR ASQUILLO/FILMMAGIC . PRODUCTS , COURTESY OF BR ANDS .

Best Blemish Fighters

BEAUTY : AWARDS

Best Matte Lippies With Staying Power

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Rocking matte lipstick is usually a major commitment, since it tends to mean constant application.

These three, however, are nothing like that. One application and you’re good through cofee, lunch and even drinks.

1. NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment ($26, narscosmetics.com); 2. NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Powder Puf Lippie Lip Cream ($9, nyxcosmetics .com); 3. KAT VON D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick ($20, sephora.com).

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Natural-Hair Crush

Most Trustworthy Extension/Wig Brands High-quality hair goes a long way, and these extension and wig companies guarantee the look you want will last.

No matter the hair texture you desire, supersleek to ultra wavy, these top performers will have you covered.

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Best Shampoo and Conditioner Duo

TRUE INDIAN HAIR True Signature Indian Wavy ($100–$300, trueindianhair.com); MAYVENN Virgin Hair Line (starting at $55, shop.mayvenn.com).

Best Edge Tamer That Won’t Budge or Flake

You’ve gotta love a product that makes your daily showers feel like a mini spa moment.

Let’s be honest, you deserve it.

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PANTENE Gold Series Sulfate Free Shampoo and Moisture Boost Conditioner ($8 and $6, target.com).

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Best Precision Eyeliners Whether you’re a makeup pro or a novice, getting your winged liner to be symmetrical is tough. These three options make it supereasy to achieve the perfect cat eye with one simple flick of the wrist.

CURLS Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Paste ($9, target .com).

CARESS Botanicals Shower Foam ($6, walmart.com); RITUALS The Ritual of Ayurveda Foaming Shower Gel ($15, rituals.com).

38 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

It still warms our hearts—and slays our manes—knowing that this collection was formulated by a team of Black women scientists. The sulfate-, parabenand silicone-free products work for both relaxed and natural tresses. Basically, they should be a staple in any haircare regimen.

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4. CLÉ DE PEAU BEAUTÉ Intensifying Liquid Eyeliner ($55, cledepeau beaute.com); 5. REVLON ColorStay Exactify Liquid Liner ($8, revlon .com for stores); 6. IT COSMETICS Superhero Liner ($24, ulta.com).

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WISE, NOAM GAL AI/ WIREIMAG E. PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

Best Body Washes

Finding a product that keeps edges laid sans visible buildup is no easy feat. It all depends on the consistency. This one by Curls is the perfect hybrid between a wax and gel. It has a flexible hold and delivers hydration to your strands.

DEWANDA WISE The lovely She’s Gotta Have It actress teaches us that we have infinite options when it comes to styling our natural locks.

From the many ways she rocks an updo or a wash-and-go, we can learn a lot from Wise.

BEAUTY : AWARDS

Best Sunscreens for Us One of the most commonly used excuses Black women give for skipping SPF is, “It makes me look ashy.” And while that may have been the case, there are a lot of new products that blend perfectly into our rich skin. These three winners not only do that but they are also hydrating.

1. SHISEIDO Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion WetForce SPF 50+ ($40, shiseido.com); 2. 3LAB Perfect Sunscreen SPF 50+ Broad Spectrum ($50, barneys.com); 3. ZO SKIN HEALTH Smart Tone Broad-Spectrum SPF 50 ($70, zoskinhealth.com).

Breakout Beauty Star ANOK YAI A major modeling agency signed Yai after a photo of her at Howard University’s 2017 homecoming went viral. We were instantly mesmerized by her natural beauty and deep complexion and can’t wait to see her take the fashion world by storm.

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Best Face Serum This brew packs a beautiful punch.

The highly efective combination of pure ferulic acid, pure vitamin E and the herb Centella asiatica helps skin fight pollution, infrared radiation and UVA rays.

LANCÔME Advanced Génifique Sensitive Serum ($78, lancome-usa.com).

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Best No-Show Deodorant This instantly dry antiperspirant spray is dope. The lightweight formulation leaves underarms supersmooth and soft, and best of all you don’t have to worry about any embarrassing marks being left behind on your clothes.

DOVE Invisible Dry Spray Clear Finish Antiperspirant Deodorant ($6, target.com).

Best Game-Changing Hair Masks These masks deliver much-needed hydration to keep natural tresses in tiptop shape.

THE MANE CHOICE Heavenly Halo Herbal Hair Tonic & Soy Milk Deep Hydration Mask ($20, target.com); BRIOGEO Don’t Despair Repair!

Deep Conditioning Mask ($36, sephora.com).

40 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Best Stain-Fighting Toothpaste Stained teeth are no match for Colgate’s newest hydrogen peroxide–formulated paste. That’s definitely something to smile about.

COLGATE Optic White Platinum Stain-Less White Toothpaste ($4, target.com).

Best Flat Iron The shimmery heat-sensor plates on this awesome tool provide a sleek and smooth finish and guarantee that hair is healthy and protected from heat damage.

GHD Gold Professional Performance 1'' styler ($199, ghdhair.com).

Best Resurfacing Mask If you don’t have one of these in your beauty regimen, add one immediately. AHA and BHA formulations help improve the texture of your skin, minimize the appearance of pores and remove dead skin cells. The result is a radiant and revitalized complexion. Need we say more?

4. ELEMIS Dynamic Resurfacing Gel Mask ($79, elemis.com); 5. DRUNK ELEPHANT T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial ($80, sephora.com); 6. BIOLOGIQUE RECHERCHE Masque Vivant ($70, biologiquerecherche.com).

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YAI , VICTOR VIRGILE /GAM MA- R APHO VIA G E T T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

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Š 2018 Colgate-Palmolive Company

BEAUTY : AWARDS Best Dark Spot Erasers Best Gotta-Have Gadgets When tech and beauty meet, pure magic happens.

Any item that makes our routine more eicient, efective or, heck, more enjoyable is a clear champion in our book, and these products are all of the above.

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Hyperpigmentation can be incredibly stubborn. So finding a product that actually helps to fade discoloration quickly without irritating skin can feel like a godsend. These three standouts do just that.

1. PAULA’S CHOICE RESIST Triple-Action Dark Spot Eraser 7% AHA Lotion ($27, paulaschoice.com); 2. URBAN SKIN RX Super C Brightening Serum ($58, urbanskinrx.com); 3. CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10% ($20, clinique.com).

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DYSON Supersonic Hair Dryer ($400, dyson.com); DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE Pro Facial Steamer ($149, sephora.com).

Best Wellness Digestible/ Vitamins We Don’t Mind Taking

Best Sheet Masks We’ll never stop appreciating the convenience and efectiveness of a good sheet mask. The stars in this category are just that and so much more. Fresher and more fabulous skin is just a few sheets away.

NEUTROGENA Hydro Boost 100% Hydrogel Mask ($3, walmart.com); EDIBLE BEAUTY AUSTRALIA Express: Bloom of Youth Infusion Masks ($44 for 5-pack, ediblebeautyaustralia.com).

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Best Black-Owned Beauty Brand We love absolutely every single item in this line. The founder, Dana Jackson, has created a collection of nontoxic luxury potions that is primed to become a big deal in the beauty industry.

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Beauty starts from the inside out, and this powder, gummies and pills ensure you have the right stuf.

GOLDE Turmeric Tonic Blend ($26, golde.co); OLLY Flawless Complexion Supplement ($14, olly.com); THE NUE CO Prebiotic + Probiotic Multivitamin ($85, thenueco.com).

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Blogger We Can’t Stop Watching 6

JACKIE AINA She is not new to the beauty blogging game. In fact, she’s an OG who has nearly nine years of vlogging experience under her belt. But what keeps us tuning in after all this time is that Aina uses her platform to discuss crucial political and social issues that afect Black women.

42 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Best Skin Perfecting Face Oils A great face oil can make all the diference in a beauty regimen (even if you have naturally oily skin), especially that glowy and dewy look so many of us are after. The key is finding one that’s not superheavy and melts into the skin.

Look no further than these three gems.

4. EVE LOM Radiance Face Oil ($80, spacenk.com); 5. TATCHA Gold Camellia Beauty Oil ($95, tatcha.com); 6. KIEHL’S Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($47, 1 oz, kiehls.com).

AINA , COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT. PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

BENEATH YOUR MASK Polish Detoxifying Body Scrub ($70, beneathyour mask.com).

Best Foundations With Shades for Us

Most Exciting Beauty Launch It can be extremely diicult to stand out as a newcomer in this business, but Fenty Beauty immediately became an industry sensation. With 40 hues of foundation and a killer matte liquid lipstick in the line, it’s easy to see why we’re totally obsessed.

FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color and Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter ($34, $24 and $34, sephora.com).

Artists of the Year SHEIKA DALEY (MAKEUP) AND VERNON FRANÇOIS (HAIR) These beauty moguls are the artists behind many of our favorite celebrity looks.

Daley is the mastermind behind Nicki Minaj’s and Lala Anthony’s flawless faces, while François continues to craft the tresses of stars such as Lupita Nyong’o and Serena Williams.

4. BOBBI BROWN Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15 ($46, bobbibrowncosmetics.com); 5. MAYBELLINE NEW YORK FIT me!

Matte + Poreless Foundation ($8, maybelline.com); 6. MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Shameless Youthful-Look 24-H Foundation SPF 25 ($46, marc jacobsbeauty.com).

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DALE Y, J EFFRE Y MAYER / WIREIMAG E. FR ANÇOIS , COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT. PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

If 2017 taught us anything about beauty, it’s that companies can no longer ofer one or two or even three brown foundation shades. We need, and are entitled to, a range of hues that match the diverse colors of our melanin. While many brands still have a lot to learn, these three give us tons of options.

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Best Highlighters These awardees took our litness to a whole new level. The shimmery hues work perfectly with our melanin and don’t make us look shiny. They’re both subtle and sensational.

Win-win!

1. FRESH FreshFace Instant Glow Luminizer in Sunset ($38, fresh.com); 2. CHARLOTTE TILBURY Beach Stick in Moon Beach ($45, charlottetilbury .com); 3. FARSÁLI Jelly Beam Illuminator in Glazed ($45, charlottetilbury.com).

Most Innovative Product Launches This past year we were blessed with a first-to-market pure vitamin C dissolvable square and a facial moisturizer that releases 1,000 times its weight in hydration and active ingredients. Amen.

Best Hair Growth Vitamins When a combination of products and massaging doesn’t help stimulate hair growth, hair vitamins are an alternative. This winner is dermatologist-approved, and results start to show in a matter of weeks.

MARY KAY TimeWise Vitamin C Activating Squares ($24 for 12 pack, marykay.com); OLAY Whips moisturizer ($29, olay.com).

NUTRAFOL For Women Dietary Supplement ($88, nutrafol.com).

Best Can’t-Live-Without-It Brow Pencil

Best Mascara That Truly Performs

Impressive brows are easy to obtain with this dual-ended pencil.

Every lash will manifest with just one sweep of its feather-fan brush. We’ve finally met the perfect mascara.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Perfect Brow Pencil ($23, sephora.com).

COVERGIRL Peacock Flare Mascara ($8, target.com).

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 43

BEAUTY : GOTTA HAVE IT

Let here Be Light!

IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR GLOW ON. THESE DAZZLING PICKS WILL MAKE SURE OF IT

CHARLOTTE TILBURY Unisex Healthy Glow Hydrating Tinted Moisturizer ($40, charlottetilbury.com).

TOM FORD Cream Color For Eyes in Platinum ($46, tomford.com).

LANCÔME Custom Highlighting Drops in Champagne Glow ($35, lancome-usa.com).

SEPHORA COLLECTION Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick ($14 each, sephora.com).

CYO MAKEUP Bronzing Shimmer Oil in Gift of Gold ($7, walgreens .com).

—JULEE WILSON, FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR

44 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

AVON True Color Illuminating Stick in Rose Gold ($11, avon.com).

PHOTOG R APHY, B RIAN H EN N . PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN .

I love playing with illuminizers, because our shine knows no limit.

L’ORÉAL PARIS True Match Lumi Shimmerista Highlighting Powder in Sunlight ($15, lorealparisusa.com).

NARS Highlighting Powder in St. Barths ($38, narscosmetics.com).

©2018 L’Oréal USA, Inc.

BEAUTY : NEWS

the COMPACT FIVE FRESH PICKS ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH

BY JULEE WILSON

3 TAKE FLIGHT

IT WAS WRITTEN Finding a signature scent can be as emotionally riveting as reciting a stirring poem. With Floraïku you can do both. Launching this month,thebrand, whose name is ahybrid of the wordsflower and haiku, couples exquisite perfumes with equally splendid poetry by inscribing an original haiku on the back of each bottle. Founders Clara and John Molloy, who also own Memo Paris fragrances, want to provide customers with both a sensational aroma and an enthralling experience. The combo evokes “hope, inspiration, intensity, subtlety—all of Floraïku’s values,” Clara tells ESSENCE. There are nine core scents divided into three categories based on Japanese ceremonies: tea, flower and incense. Two additional bouquets were formulated for “shadowing,” that is, the act of making your core perfume’s smell deeper or lighter. How marvelously mysterious!

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FLORAÏKU fragrances ($350 each, saks.com).

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Fashion Week isn’t only about identifying clothing trends—we also love being inspired by the stunning faces that hit the runways. This spring it’s all about a moody and romantic vibe, which designer Erdem Moralioglu of the fashion house Erdem nailed with both his sartorial selections and limited edition makeup collaboration with Nars.

Strange Flowers, their 13-piece capsule collection, is perfect for creating a fierce smoky eye, rosy cheeks, an illuminating highlight and, of course, a killer pout. There’s a lip powder palette with a primer and two matte and two metallic hues that are stunning whether worn alone or layered for extra depth.

ERDEM FOR NARS Night Garden Eyeshadow Palette and Carnal Carnation Lipstick ($49 and $28, narscosmetics.com).

46 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

MILK MAKEUP Kush Mascara ($24, milkmakeup.com).

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MOTHERLY LOVE

Wellness and lifestyle expert Latham Thomas has teamed up with one of our favorite natural beauty brands to develop products focused on self-care. Thomas believes the line, which includes a lovely body polish and perfume, is “an invitation to mother yourself.” We’ll take it.

MAMA GLOW + GOOD MEDICINE BEAUTY LAB Goddess Glow Blushing Body Cream ($34, goodmedi cinebeautylab.com).

THE FINER THINGS

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Curls has gotten fancy with its latest ofering. The amazing hair care company has harnessed the unique beautifying power of cashmere and caviar. Cashmere extract controls frizz, provides shine and supports the mane’s natural protein. Meanwhile, caviar is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A and D. That trifecta adds moisture and helps prevent hair loss.

CURLS Cashmere & Caviar Hair Bath ($15, curls.biz).

Follow ESSENCE Fashion & Beauty Director Julee Wilson @MISSJULEE.

PERFU M ES: PHOTOG R APHY, B RIAN H EN N . PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN .

MODEL, B R AD WILSON/G E T T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .

CROWDPLEASERS

Believe it or not, cannabis oil, aka CBD, is becoming beauty’s of-the-moment ingredient. Don’t worry: It won’t get you high, but it can do wonders for your lashes. Milk Makeup’s recent CBD-laced mascara conditions and nourishes. Combine that with its thickening heart-shaped fibers and you’ll definitely take your lashes to new heights.

PROMOTION

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THE LATEST PRODUCTS NOW APPEARING IN THE CENTER RING EXPO

BEAUTY & STYLE... MBIB & P&G CELEBRATE HOW #BLACKGIRLSDO IT! P&G’s My Black is Beautiful is at the 2018 ESSENCE Festival™ and we’re ready to celebrate your unique beauty! Join MBIB & the P&G brands you love as we treat you to an experience that only we can bring!

STAY COOL & CONFIDENT As the heat turns up, so does the festival style. Stay cool & confident, while experiencing the best in summer beauty and grooming from Dove, Vaseline®, TRESemmé®, Degree® and Dove Men+Care. See you in NOLA!

OFFICIAL BEAUTY EXPO RETAILER

CHECK OUT THESE BRANDS AT THE ESSENCE® BEAUTY & STYLE EXPO AND SHOP WALMART.COM/BEAUTY

PROMOTION WHOLESOME BEAUTY FOR ALL HAIR TYPES Maui Moisture’s formulas start with aloe juice and coconut water. All shampoo, conditioner and treatments are vegan and free from sulfates, gluten, paraben and silicone.

BODY

FACE

SHEAMOISTURE... BEAUTY WITHOUT LIMITS SheaMoisture® is excited to be a part of this year’s festival! Stop by for consultations, styling, influencer meet & greets and giveaways featuring our Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection.

DISCOVER YOUR SKIN’S NATURAL BALANCE Aveeno® Skin Relief with oat oil and natural Shea butter helps heal and soften dry skin. Aveeno® Positively Radiant®, with Total Soy Complex, reduces the appearance of dark spots and leaves skin glowing.

THE POWER OF NATURE FOR BEAUTIFUL HAIR Palmer’s Natural Fusions™ is a hand-crafted collection that contains nutrient-rich botanical infusions of the top recommended DIY natural ingredients. With two Cocktail Kits of 100% Natural Oils you can curate custom blends that work for your hair type or texture.

BORN IN BROOKLYN, MADE WITH LOVE “In 1993, encouraged by my mother, Carol, I began creating hair and body products in my Brooklyn kitchen. 25 years later, I’m excited to celebrate our momentous anniversary at the Festival.”

Lisa Price – Carol’s Daughter Founder

VISIT ESSENCE.COM/EXPOS FOR MORE INFORMATION!

PROMOTION

FREE DAILY! JULY 6-8, 2018 10AM-6PM ERNEST N. MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER NEW ORLEANS, LA

EXPO

Join us for the best celebration of Black Beauty ever! Featuring live demonstrations by industry experts, DIY tutorials with leading influencers, giveaways, conversations and more.

ESSENCE® FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR

Julee Wilson

STAGE HOST

SOUNDS BY

Kéla Walker

DJ Kristi Sugarcookie

FESTIVAL BEAUTY & STYLE SQUAD

Anthony Cuts

Ashunta Sherif

J. Bolin

Vernon François

@anthonycuts

@ashuntasheriff

@stylistjbolin

@vernonfrancois

Follow the Festival Beauty & Style Squad on social today to begin getting your beauty tips!

Get hair, makeup and expert style secrets LIVE at the Beauty Carnival!

Special ces By… e p Ap aran Nicole Murphy

Misa Hylton

featuring

GAME SHOW

Hosted by Jackie Aina

Dapper Dan

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Chrisette Michele

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Bernadette Thompson

Alonzo Arnold

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Kahh Spence

Naptural85

VENDOR

PROMOTION

In schools to encourage healing.

EXPO

THE LATEST PRODUCTS NOW APPEARING IN THE CENTER RING

As if dealing with his mom’s death wasn’t hard enough, Sean had to adjust to a new home and new school.

It was a lot to handle, so he struggled emotionally and academically. Lee from Communities In Schools helped Sean develop coping skills by inding positive outlets for his feelings. As his attitude improved, his grades followed—going from D’s to B’s. Now, he’s focused on football and a promising future. There are millions of at-risk kids like Sean who need a caring adult to help them stay in school and succeed in life.

See how we help all kids succeed.

CommunitiesInSchools.org

COME GET HOOKED ON HONEY Discover what’s fresh and new from trusted haircare leader Creme of Nature with Pure Honey, an eight piece collection of moisturizing hair care and styling products made just for your hair type and needs.

Stop by to savor sweet new products including Pure Honey Moisturizing Dry Defense Shampoo & Conditioner, Pure Honey Knot Away Leave-In Detangler, and Pure Honey Twisting Cream.

CHECK OUT THESE BRANDS AT THE ESSENCE® BEAUTY & STYLE EXPO AND SHOP WALMART.COM/BEAUTY OFFICIAL BEAUTY EXPO RETAILER

Visit Essence.com/expos for more information!

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ALL TIED UP Wearing head scarves is a beautiful nod to our culture. Nnenna Stella, founder of the The Wrap Life, styled our model in these fun fabric crowns. Follow her step-by-step guide so you can rock one too

MAKEU P, G RISELLE ROSARIO. MANICU RE, SU NSHIN E OUTING . ST YLING , AVON DORSE Y.

BY JULEE WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICA GÉNÉCÉ The Wrap Life “Ruby Woo” turban, $24, thewrap.life.

Eloquii “Layton Parrot Print” top, $65, eloquii.com. Coco Loves Rome “Paislee” earrings, $14, cocoloves rome.com.

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turban MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 53

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A DAY IN THE LIFE:

The Magical Mom

Being a mom is rewarding, beautiful—and busy! Between bus stops and karate classes, parties and lullabies, you just don’t stop, even for beauty. So, make sure your mane stays tame from morning to night with these hair must-haves.

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1. MORNING | EARLY START Your little one is up with the sun, so brew some coffee and set your strands with a curl cream. Perfect for quick wash ‘n go styles, a curl activator like Cantu with Shea Butter reveals frizz-free, bouncy tresses that leave you looking your best all day long.

2. NOON | WORK + PLAY Fitting in a little desk time before pick up time? You need hair that keeps up with your hectic schedule. Ultra-moisturizing, yet lightweight, a little dab of Design Essentials Curl Defining Gelée enhances curls without slowing you down.

3. NIGHT | DAUGHTER DATE End the day with a special night out. Revive curls with a superrich detangler that moisturizes and controls frizz. Just a spritz of Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Combing Crème does all that and adds shine, so you’re ready for dinner—and dessert.

3 Find your favorite brands and shop the best products for your hair type, plus find style inspiration and more at Amazon’s new Textures & Hues shop: amazon.com/textures-hues

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HAIR : WRAPS

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double knot The Wrap Life “Nyala” head wrap, price upon request, thewrap.life.

Swimsuits For All “Mastermind Kandinsky Underwire” swimsuit, $59, swimsuitsforall.com. Coco Loves Rome “Poppy” earrings, $16, and “Connie” necklace, $14, cocolovesrome.com.

56 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

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crown

The Wrap Life “Equinox” head wrap, $28, thewrap .life. Lulla flower detail kimono, $28, lullacollection.com.

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MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 57

HAIR : WRAPS

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POETIC JUSTICE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, ERICA ASH IS READY TO BE A LEADING LADY

BY DANIELLE YOUNG

STE VE WILKIE /B E T

E

rica Ash is the physical embodiment of true, limitless talent. She’s an actress, but she also sings and makes you belly laugh until it aches. And that’s not just from her days on the gone-too-soon series Survivor’s Remorse. Still, the sketch comedy vet gets serious as the lead in BET’s In Contempt, the network’s first procedural drama. It’s about a fierce New York City public defender who never gives up on her clients. “I actually dreamed of myself in a courtroom about a month before I was ofered this role,” she says, smiling. “I’ve been ready for this for a while, so I’m glad that it’s finally ready for me.” Ash, who grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and lived in Tokyo, explains further: “Any journey of an actor, if they’re truly into it, is about building and maintaining an incredible amount of faith and perseverance. Because along with every win, there’s always something that comes to test that win and to test your resolve in the midst of that win.” If this is Ash’s test, she’s passing it with flying colors.

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 61

Marque Richardson and Ashley Blaine Featherson

A scene from season two of Dear White People

BACK ON THE YARD THE MEN OF NETFLIX’S COLLEGIATE DRAMEDY, DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, CHECK IN ABOUT SEASON TWO BY TAIIA SMART YOUNG MARQUE RICHARDSON

DERON HORTON

BRANDON P. BELL

AGE: 32 HOME: Bellflower, CA

AGE: 25 HOME: Houston

AGE: 33

ALTER EGO:

ALTER EGO: Lionel Higgins

Reggie Green

His reaction to seeing how his character changes in the second season: “Playing Reggie is like playing a superhero, because of what he does for me; it’s therapeutic. We see how he deals with the aftermath of the gun being drawn on him, how he copes with PTSD and how his friends interact with him.

Nobody knows what to say. It’s like real life—how do you comfort somebody?”

His love–hate relationship with Lionel: “I love his sincerity, honesty and complexities. You want him to say so many things that he never does. He’s such an outspoken person when he’s writing in his journal, but he can’t say it in person.

Sometimes his voice kind of pisses me of, but that’s what adds his flavor [to the show].”

On growing up in Saudi Arabia: “It kept me from having such a narrow vision about what I thought the world was like. I got to share everybody else’s cultural experiences. There was very little prejudice or discrimination, and it opened me to new ways of learning diferent things.”

MODERN LOVE A NEW OWN DRAMA GOES DEEP ON RELATIONSHIPS Love is a many-splendored thing. Love is all we need. It’s also the subject of the new OWN series created and executive-produced by husband and wife duo Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil.

Having collaborated on Being Mary Jane and, most recently, Black Lightning, they’re turning the lens toward matters of the heart in

62 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Troy Fairbanks

On seeing a new side to “Troybama” after his arrest: “It’s a shattering of illusions and privileged ideals that Troy had grown up with. How does Troy continue when his image has been flipped on its head? How does he measure up to the expectations of others—after never really living up to what he wants to become? We explore the journey of him coming into his own—or at least trying to find his way.”

Remembering his days at his alma mater: “At the time the campaign for USC student president was a pretty big deal. You’d have thought it was a major political campaign. The budget was, like, a million dollars. There were posters and advertisements in the Daily Trojan newspaper.”

Michele Weaver and Will Catlett

Love Is_ (premiering next month).

The pair use their marriage as the template for the dramedy, which focuses on Nuri (Michele Weaver) and Yasir (Will Catlett) as they navigate coupledom, parenthood and Hollywood. As the Akils prove in reality and on-screen, love is definitely what you make it. —Regina R. Robertson

Follow ESSENCE Entertainment Director Cori Murray on Twitter @CORIMURRAY.

TV STILLS, FROM LEFT: SCOTT PATRICK GREEN/NETFLIX; TYLER GOLDEN/NETFLIX. HEAD SHOTS, FROM LEFT: DAV I D LI V I N G S TO N /G E T T Y I M AG E S; R I C H F U RY/G E T T Y I M AG E S; FR A ZER H A R R I S O N /G E T T Y I M AG E S .

COUPLE, MICHAEL DESMOND/© 2018 WARNER BROS./COURTESY OF OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK.

On auditioning for Troy and Lionel for 2014’s Dear White People bigscreen debut: “I argued with my reps because those are not the roles I wanted; they didn’t feel right. From the beginning, it was always Reggie for me. He was described as this Bohemian African rebel situation.

Even down to the clothing, I had it.”

HOME: Dallas ALTER EGO:

ESSENCE FEST July 6–8 New Orleans

SCENE : ENTERTAINMENT

SPRING FESTIVAL GUIDE

GOVERNORS BALL June 1–3 New York City

OUR SOCIAL NETWORK OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC AND MUSIC THIS SEASON

KELELA

BY CORI MURRAY

MUSIC NOTES

BEYONCÉ

DEJ LOAF HANG OUT MUSIC FEST May 18–20 Gulf Shores, AL

TANK AND THE BANGAS

HIGH WATER FESTIVAL April 21–22 North Charleston, SC

NONAME

COACHELLA April 13–15, 20–22 Indio, CA CHLOE X HALLE

LION BABE’s Jillian Hervey

PRINCESS NOKIA SASQUATCH! MUSIC FESTIVAL May 25–27 Quincy, WA

JORJA SMITH

SZA

B

efore summer even peaks, Black female artists on some of your playlists will be gracing music festival stages across the country. We’ll be seeing a few leading up to our very own Essence Fest—where we’ll be rocking to girls’ trip–worthy anthems from Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah,

64 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

BLURRY VISION May 12–13 Oakland

KAMAIYAH

Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Fantasia, Xscape and more. Until then, we’re checking out these events:

ROOTS PICNIC June 2; Philadelphia; Brandy, Rapsody and speaker Angela Rye

BROCCOLI CITY FESTIVAL April 28; Washington, D.C.; Cardi B. and H.E.R.

FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL June 14–17; Dover, DE; SZA and Lizzo

BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL May 4–6; Memphis; Erykah Badu and Valerie June

BET EXPERIENCE June 21–24; Los Angeles; SZA, Ella Mai and Kamaiyah

“I’ve never felt so supported.” That’s what Kelela tweeted last January after her debut album, Take Me Apart, was added to 15 Best Albums of 2017 lists.

Weeks later the Washington, D.C., native was still feeling the love.

“As a Black woman, in anything, honestly, you have to be your own cheerleader,” says Kelela, who’s eclecticsoul sound will be heard at three music festivals. “It’s nice when somebody’s like, ‘Actually, go get that; that’s sick. You did that.’

It does help. It creates more momentum.” Still, she’s wary about the inequalities faced by Black women in music (“The bar is set so much higher for me and my peers who do music like me,” she says), but it doesn’t overshadow her moment in the sun.

Says Kelela, “[To me, success means] connecting with my audience. First and foremost, I am expressing myself honestly. That’s the bottom line.” —C.M.

IBEYI, STEPHANE CARDINALE-CORBIS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES. KELELA, FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES. CHLOE X HALLE, STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE. BEYONCÉ, KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES FOR TIDAL. NONAME, LORNE THOMSON/GETTY IMAGES (2). DEJ LOAF, THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR ROC NATION. TANK & THE BANGAS, MARCUS INGRAM/GETTY IMAGES (3). SZA, DAN MACMEDAN/WIREIMAGE (2). PRINCESS NOKIA, SCOTT DUDELSON/WIREIMAGE. JORJA SMITH, KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES. LION BABE, MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES FOR E! ENTERTAINMENT. KAMAIYAH, FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES.

IBEYI

DisneyWorld.com ©Disney AA-18-63378

SCENE : PATRIK’S PICKS

Having Our Say FIVE BOLD AND AWESOME BOOKS

BY AND ABOUT FEARLESS WOMEN

BY PATRIK HENRY BASS

KEEPING IT REAL Through Decoded, her popular MTV Web series, Franchesca Ramsey doesn’t just push the envelope on race and pop culture—she rips it up and sets it on fire.

She brings that same panache and Franchesca aplomb to the Ramsey insightful read Well, That Escalated Quickly (Grand Central, $27), a spot-on view of survival in a social media world that has few, if any, boundaries.

FOR THE GIRLS One of the joys of reading is discovering new voices, and among the best I’ve come across this year is that of Morgan Jerkins.

Her essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing Morgan (Harper Jerkins Perennial, $15.99), is funny, alarming, illuminating, infuriating, humane and complex—much like life itself, from a woman who knows.

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL Food studies scholar Sara B. Franklin serves up a delicious tribute to a doyenne of the culinary world. In Edna Lewis (The University of North Carolina Press, $28), Franklin casts a wide net with the many colorful people who encountered the legendary creator of The Taste of Country Cooking. The now classic tome was a trailblazing title in the farm-to-table movement. Lewis took southern cooking global but always remained grounded.

LIFE 2.0 TOOL KIT Leave it to Iyanla Vanzant to get to the bottom of what’s holding us back from focusing on our top priorities. In the engaging and empowering Get Over It! (Hay House, Inc., $24.99), the Fix My Life host identifies 42 dominant negative thought patterns that can undermine even the most confident, Iyanla Vanzant on the real.

66 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Follow ESSENCE Editorial Projects Director Patrik Henry Bass on Twitter @PATRIKSPICKS.

BASS , SE AN BU RROWES . CLOCK WISE FROM TOP RIG HT: JOE Y ROSADO; SYLVIE ROSOKOFF; CH RIS FR AWLE Y PHOTO/@ FR AWLE YPHOTO; C ASSIDY CHIN . BOOK STILLS , B RIAN H EN N . PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN .

THE HEALING In her debut novel, The Beauty That Remains (Delacorte Press, $17.99), Ashley Woodfolk delivers a moving tale for young readers that will touch mature audiences as well.

In her assured narrative, three Ashley Woodfolk 16-year-olds from Long Island, New York, are connected through grief. Showing their struggle, Woodfolk provides a path to ease the pain of loss.

R%E%S%P%E%C%T The Songs % The Style % The Moments

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic song and honor one of the most inluential artists of our time in this new Collector’s Edition from ESSENCE

PVSDIBTF your copy OPX from Bmazon.com Š2017 Time Inc. Books. ESSENCE is a trademark of Essence Communications Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

SCENE : BOOKS

JOY, NO LIMITS MIKKI TAYLOR’S NEW BOOK OFFERS A PLAN FOR YOU TO FULFILL YOUR GREATEST AMBITIONS o whether you are a longtime reader of the magazine you’re holding or recent to the party, at some point you have been touched

by Mikki Taylor. If you’ve ever placed an ESSENCE cover in your scrapbook or on your refrigerator, dorm room wall or vision board, chances are our current editor-at-large had a hand in shaping the look, feel and energy of that image.

Taylor says she wrote Editor in Chic: How to Style and Be Your Most Empowered Self (Atria, $26) because she wants “every woman to own her life and master her distinction with the kind of panache that sustains her in every way imaginable.” But she ofers so much more. In this thoroughly instructive and uplifting guide, she aims to provide you with a boost from head to toe, inside and out. Citing her mother as one of her first fearless forces, the author discusses her mom’s work as legendary jazz singer Sarah Vaughan’s “everywoman— secretary, hairstylist, makeup artist and wardrobe stylist,” eventually opening her own salon in Newark, New Jersey.

The transformative space left a profound mark on the future beauty maven, who seamlessly blends personal stories with veteran advice in her new efort. Well respected in the industry, she was on the front lines advocating at beauty companies for many progressive changes on behalf of Black women consumers.

Taylor firmly believes that you are in control of your destiny, and that

S

TAYLOR , DEREK B L AN KS . BOOK , B RIAN H EN N . PROP ST YLIST, MAI TR AN .

68 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

the world you create in your imagination is powerful. You will reread this book several times to get the laserlike precision that Taylor demands you use to suspend fear and surrender to the faith in your journey.

Like Taylor’s debut, Self-Seduction: Your Ultimate Path to Inner and Outer Beauty (One World), Editor in Chic dispenses heaping advice and intersperses positive anecdotes from a range of philosophers and wise women and men. Those who still keep that first sumptuous tome on their cofee tables will appreciate her new ofering. In many ways, it’s a wonderful companion to Taylor’s second ofering, Commander in Chic: Every Woman’s Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady, which was part homage to Michelle Obama and part blueprint for self-actualization no matter your background or circumstances. That work was full of Mikki-isms, which ESSENCE readers will know as Taylor’s signature wit and flair.

Editor in Chic brims with substance that helps us both inform and inspire our life. Each page encourages us to fight our fears and prepare ourselves to step into the future feeling whole and looking great. And Taylor is clear about finding your path: “My mother taught me that to be risk-averse is to be success-averse.” Amen and thank you for that sage advice. —P.H.B.

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80 Years

10 THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

BY TANYA A. CHRISTIAN

AMY ELKINS

1.

LIFT EVERY VOICE

As organizers across the nation fight tirelessly to efect change in a country led by a man who once asked the Black community, “What do you have to lose?” Alicia Garza, a cofounder of Black Lives Matter and the special projects director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, seeks to address that question. She’s the principal of the advocacy group Black Futures Lab, which has recently established the Black Census Project. By August 1, the initiative aims to get input from 200,000 Black Americans on the issues that matter most to us and our communities. The goal is to use the collected data to help with forming public policy that allows us to prosper. “If we’ve learned anything from this past election, it’s that Black folks drive the progressive political power in this country but rarely benefit from the fruits of our labor,” she says of the project. For more information, and to participate in the census, visit blackfutureslab.com.

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 71

ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS

2.

3.

4.

THE KEYS TO THE C-SUITE

INCLUSIVE CLOTHING

A NEW BOSS IN TOWN

New research from the Harvard Business Review has identified three skills that successful Black women employ to make it into the executive ranks at corporations: emotional intelligence, authenticity and agility. The authors found that these women also overcame negative feelings, like self-doubt, and adverse situations, such as intense scrutiny, and leveraged those obstacles to learn and grow.

With Muslim ladies in mind, Macy’s is now ofering the Verona Collection, a fashion line that includes modest sweaters, dresses, pants, tops and religious headwear. The legendary retailer is the first major department store in the United States to sell hijabs. To view the reasonably priced selection and purchase items, visit macys.com.

The Dallas Mavericks has named Cynthia Marshall—the former chief diversity oicer and vice-president of human resources at AT&T—the team’s interim CEO. Her appointment at one of the National Basketball Association’s most valuable franchises is momentous: Marshall is now the first woman of color in the history of the league to assume such a position.

5.

”

A PATH TO HISTORY Travel South USA, in conjunction with Georgia State University and the National Park Service, has launched U.S. Civil Rights Trail, an online road-trip itinerary.

The site guides tourists to 100 Civil Rights Movement landmarks in Washington, D.C., and 14 states. The former Woolworth in Greensboro, North Carolina, where counter sit-ins began, is included.

For more info, go to civilrightstrail.com.

3

6.

”

—Ava DuVernay, addressing attendees at the unveiling of the Evolve Entertainment Fund in Los Angeles

6

5

9.

”

How are we going to manage to get beyond the smallness of our own lives and begin to see ourselves as American citizens broadly and to spark moral imagination about the number of people who are lost, who are being lost, who are sent to be lost?

Can we really afford to just throw people away? I don’t know the answer, but I can just try to pose the question.

”

—Actor/activist Anna Deavere Smith, on bringing light to the school-to-prison pipeline

72 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

SAVING OUR BOYS A report titled Get Out! Black Male Suspensions in California Public Schools analyzed the disciplinary action against Black male students in the 2016–17 school year and concluded that rates are decreasing, yet they are still excessive when compared with those of the overall student population. It is hoped that the findings will spur the creation of a task force to combat the problem.

9

10.

SAY SOMETHING

A POLICY SHIFT

In the U.S., an estimated 49.5 percent of people between the ages of 13 and 18 live with a mental health condition.

One of those teens, Hannah Lucas, and her brother, Charlie, developed the NotOK app. With a quick tap, it gives suferers the ability to alert loved ones of an anxiety attack or other feelings of depression. The tool is now available for iOS and Android.

A bail reform movement is sweeping the nation, and the Philadelphia district attorney’s oice is the latest to join in on the progress. Prosecutors there will no longer seek cash bail for 25 nonviolent ofenses. In Pennsylvania the Black–White ratio for incarcerated individuals is 8.9 to 1, according to a 2016 study by The Sentencing Project. For a list of nonviolent ofenses, visit phillyda.wordpress.com.

For trending topics, follow Tanya A. Christian on Twitter @TANYAACHRISTIAN.

3 . VERONA COLLECTION . 5 . COU RTESY OF TH E INTERNATIONAL CIVIL RIG HTS CENTER & M USEU M . 6 . FR A ZIER HARRISON/G E T T Y IMAG ES . 9. VANIA STOYANOVA .

8.

7.

Real change happens when we take tangible action, and that means giving young women and people of color opportunities in the industry early on so they have the chance to shape its future.

©2018 McDonald’s

My place for... a good morning a smile a snack connecting great taste MY time out community possibilities.

The one place that will always be my place, Mickey D’s.®

ISSUES : SPOTLIGHT

Then and now: Madam C.J. Walker’s estate from the 1920’s versus modern day.

SAVING OUR

LANDMARKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PIECES OF BLACK HISTORY ARE SLOWLY DISAPPEARING BEFORE OUR EYES. THESE THREE WOMEN HAVE STEPPED IN TO SALVAGE THE PLACES THAT REVEAL OUR PAST AND INFORM OUR FUTURE

BY WENDY L. WILSON

PROTECTING A FAMILY’S HERITAGE Tony Award–winning actress Phylicia Rashad is an icon.

Whether it’s from her days playing family matriarch Clair

74 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Huxtable on The Cosby Show or portraying the completely diferent mother hen Diana DuBois on Empire, the versatile actress has left an indelible mark on Hollywood. It is, however, her family’s legacy that connects her to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which recently named her as adviser, and ambassador for the AACHAF. Rashad’s mother, Vivian Ayers-Allen, was born in Chester, South Carolina, and attended the Brainerd Institute school. In fact, so did both of Ayers-Allen’s parents and her grandparents. The Brainerd Institute was started back in 1868 by the Presbyterian Church as a one-room schoolhouse for newly freed elementary school children. By 1935 it had grown to include several buildings as well as a tennis court and chemistry lab, with some classes dedicated to math, science, history and literature. It

FROM LEF T: A’ LELIA BU N DLES/MADAM WALKER FAMILY ARCHIVES; HISTORIC NE W ENGL AN D/DAVID BOHL.

T

he African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) is a $25 million multiyear initiative spearheaded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and funded by partners at the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and others. The goal is to expand our perspective of the Black experience by uncovering and improving specific locations that were once integral to our success and advancement.

Leading the charge are three Black women who have made preservation and conservation their personal passion projects.

was renamed Brainerd Junior College and of my job is knowing that there are young Monica gained a reputation as an excellent establishpeople who have light bulbs constantly Phylicia Rhodes ment for preparing young Black teachers. coming on. I see it when I’m talking to them Rashad The college closed in 1939, and Ayers-Allen about preservation,” says Rhodes. was a member of the last graduating class.

When the property became available in the TAKING THE NONlate 1990’s, Rashad and her equally famous TRADITIONAL APPROACH and talented sister, Debbie Allen, did what When Helena Doley first learned that her so many of us would do upon reaching husband, ambassador Harold E. Doley, Jr., success—they bought the property in had planned to buy the dilapidated former their mother’s honor. estate of Madam C.J. Walker, reportedly “My mother said to me, ‘Well, the Brainerd America’s first self-made woman millionestate has come up for sale, and there’s talk aire, she was less than thrilled. Doley never of somebody putting cheap housing on it. believed she could transform a 34-room Somebody ought to do something.’ And 28,000-square-foot property and the aussomebody did,” says Rashad, who transtere name that comes with it (Villa Lewaro) ferred the property to ADEPT, a 501(c)(3) into a comfortable, livable home for their organization that her mother had started family. “Basic things needed to be done,” Helena Doley for cultural programming in Houston. A says Doley of the home they bought in Pulitzer Prize–nominated powerhouse, playIrving, New York, in 1993. “We had water wright and publisher, Ayers-Allen provided issues. The house was overrun with rodents. an array of activities, including free dance It was not equipped for cable or phone use. classes (courtesy of the Debbie Allen Dance It was a vestige of what it once was with Academy). “My mother was the inspiration magnificent details.” Now Doley describes —PHYLICIA RASHAD to do this. My mother and my own presence the challenge as her greatest joy. in the community of Chester, South Carolina,” says Rashad.

Walker’s family wanted to keep the house Black-owned, which was her intention after her death in 1919. She left the GETTING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE estate to her daughter, A’Lelia, who then bequeathed the Conservation and restoration go hand in hand, and there is no house to the NAACP when she died in 1931. Unfortunately, better example of this than the National Trust for Historic the Great Depression forced the NAACP to sell Villa Lewaro, Preservation’s HOPE Crew (Hands-On Preservation Experience). which was then turned into a convalescent home for the Youth workers and volunteers are matched with skilled preser- aged. Purchasing this property 25 years ago, the Doleys vationists who teach them the proper techniques to restore not only returned it to the hands of an African-American historical cultural sites. HOPE Crew projects spring up all across family but, working with the National Trust for Historic the country, and one woman is in charge of making sure everyPreservation, they also got it designated as a national treathing runs like clockwork. sure in April 2014.

After four years, 700 crew members, 3,000 volunteers “We wanted to make sure that this house remained as a and more than 150 projects, HOPE Crew associate director monument to the tremendous deeds of a person and a peoMonica Rhodes is taking the group into new territory. Rhodes ple who were underestimated and devalued,” says Doley. studied history at the University of Tulsa but discovered her “This house is a testament to that.” Madam, as Doley calls love for preservation when she completed a second master’s the entrepreneur and philanthropist, died of hypertension degree in historic preservation at the University of in the house—a subtle reminder to Black women everyPennsylvania. “As I was writing about African-American hiswhere. She was on her way to Central America to help a tory and places that were significant, the frustrating part for group of friends start a business. Her doctors ordered her me was that a lot of these communities were no longer here,” to stay home to rest. Now when friends, family, visitors or says Rhodes. “I decided to go back to grad school and build even strangers stop by the house, Doley, an educator by a skill set where I’m able to have a more active hand in pre- trade, is amped to give them a quick history lesson. “One of serving places that are here, as opposed to writing about the things that makes Madam’s story so inspirational is that them ten years later once they had been torn down. Now I’m she was passionate about taking others along with her,” able to see the human imprints on communities and tell a says Doley. “She wanted others, especially women, to know little bit of something about the people who built this place they can do it too. We still need to be reminded of her and once lived here.” achievements for our sense of confidence and strength of Her projects run the gamut from restoring buildings located in character and to know it is doable in our own way.” national parks to repainting veterans’ headstones in national cemeteries. Workers ages 18 to 25 receive on-the-job training Wendy L. Wilson is an award-winning journalist and former news from craft experts, gaining real-world knowledge that could ultieditor at ESSENCE. Follow her rants, raves and reviews on Twitter mately guide them into other trades. “The most rewarding part @WendyLWilson_.

FROM TOP: LU IS BARRIOS; TH E ARTHYPE; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT.

My mother was the inspiration to do this.

º

FOR MORE on the National Trust for Historic Preservation, visit savingplaces.org.

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WOMAN , CH B D/G E T T Y IMAG ES . PHOTOG R APHS USED FOR ILLUSTR ATIVE PU RPOSES ON LY.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THE JOB IN THE #METOO ERA, HERE’S HOW EVERYDAY WOMEN CAN RECLAIM THEIR POWER

BY TAMARA E. HOLMES

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 77

MONEY & POWER : SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

E

arly in her career Tana M. Session was an executive assistant to a boss who would constantly joke with her and make crude and sexually explicit comments. “It was in the nineties. I really felt I had no recourse except just to grin and bear it,” says Session, 49, who is now a human resources consultant. When she couldn’t stomach it anymore, she started looking for another job and eventually found one, though she took a pay cut.

Sadly, Session’s story isn’t rare.

According to a 2016 study by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), anywhere between 25 and 85 percent of women have encountered sexual harassment in the workplace.

The difference between then and now is the upswing in the popularity of the #MeToo movement, a campaign created a decade ago by activist Tarana Burke that put stories of sexual assault and harassment in the spotlight. Ever since numerous allegations of lurid behavior from Hollywood bigwigs came to national attention in 2017, many companies have begun to take these claims more seriously.

While #MeToo has largely focused on the rich and powerful in Hollywood, media and government, the truth is, sexual harassment can happen to any one of us—anywhere.

Here’s what you need to know if it occurs at your job.

professional women across the country. Some described being subjected to remarks directly highlighting parts of our bodies that have historically been hypersexualized. Others refrained from voicing complaints because they were afraid they wouldn’t be believed or might be accused of playing the

race card. In cases in which the offender was a Black man, some women were more hesitant to say anything for fear of being labeled a traitor to their own race.

If you find yourself subject to unwanted behavior, first tell the person to stop, says Sherry Sims, founder of Black Career Women’s

Always remember you have the right to call out improper behavior.

UNDERSTANDING THE RACIAL IMPACT

78 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

TOMA ZL /G E T T Y IMAG ES

“Black women tend to experience higher rates of sexual harassment [than any other group],” says Nicole T. Buchanan, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University. “They are more likely to be targeted for more severe forms of [it], and are likely to be economically vulnerable or unable to extract themselves from [the situation] within the organization,” Buchanan says.

To research this issue, Buchanan conducted focus groups with Black

Network, a professional development organization. “Let the [person] know that [the] statement made you feel uncomfortable.”

Sometimes speaking up will nip the behavior in the bud. It worked for Merci L. McKinley, 35. In her early twenties she was in the military when a fellow soldier made quips about how her short stature was perfect for certain sexual acts.

McKinley didn’t laugh. “I just made it perfectly clear: ‘Hey, I’m here to get my job done, and I don’t appreciate the comments that you’re making.

And if it doesn’t stop, then I’m going to elevate it higher,’ ” she says.

Next be sure to document what transpired. “You need to provide specific details of what actions were taken by whoever it is you are alleging is harassing you,” says Annette Newman, an employment,

labor law and civil rights attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That means writing down the time and location of the incident, what was said or done, and your reaction to it. Also include details such as the names of any witnesses, if possible.

If the bad behavior continues, then you should bring the matter to someone else’s attention, says Dee C. Marshall, an executive coach and diversity consultant. Your employer’s sexual harassment policy should explain the procedures, such as whether you should initially go to your manager or to human resources to report a violation. When you do, be ready to produce your evidence, Marshall continues. Also take notes on what happens during your session with human resources and every action the department takes

Just like men, we’re in the workplace to make a living.

We’re not there to be harassed.

RUSL AN DASHINSK Y/G E T T Y IMAG ES

—TANA M. SESSION

pertaining to your allegations.

Unfortunately, many women have found HR to be less than helpful. In fact, a 2017 poll by ABC News and The Washington Post indicates that among women who had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, a whopping 95 percent believed that the accused go unpunished. “You have to gauge if your human resources department is proemployer or pro-employee,” says Sims. If HR doesn’t do anything, take your concerns to a vice-president or someone who oversees the HR department, Sims adds.

KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS If you’ve followed all internal procedures to report a claim and a remedy hasn’t been offered, start

exploring legal options. First file your complaint with the EEOC. Federal protections against sexual harassment fall under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If your state has laws against sexual harassment, put in a claim with the agency that oversees this issue, advises Connie A. Broussard, an employment lawyer in San Diego who investigates workplace sexual harassment.

However, you must act fast. The statute of limitations for a complaint can be as short as three to six months, depending on the case and where it happened, Broussard says.

When filing the claim, you’ll be asked to provide basic information about the incident, such as what actions you believe were discriminatory and when the actions took place. At this point you should be looking for an attorney.

Many ofer a free consultation, and some may even take the case on contingency or partial contingency, which means you would pay either nothing or a small sum unless the attorney wins money for you, Broussard says. You can contact Equal Rights Advocates for free advice on your options.

The EEOC will ofer mediation between you and your employer, but both of you would have to agree to it. (An attorney can help you through the process.) The goal is to resolve the situation quickly.

Perhaps your employer could transfer you or the accused harasser to a diferent department so you would no longer work together. Other possible outcomes could be terminating the accused or negotiating a financial settlement for your emotional sufering.

If mediation fails or is not agreed to, the EEOC would then pursue an investigation. If the commission determines there was indeed a violation, it will give you a Notice of Right to Sue. You need this form to take your employer to court.

However, it may take years to settle a lawsuit, experts warn. Even so, legal action could help you receive damages.

»

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 79

MONEY & POWER : SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

YOUR PERIOD, YOUR MOVE.

From subtle to extreme, harassment comes in many forms.

Remember, your documentation of the incident should be on point.

Any retaliatory actions from your company or steps you’ve taken as a result of the harassment will also be examined in court.

RECLAIMING YOUR POWER Because trauma afects everyone diferently, the emotional or psychological symptoms resulting from sexual harassment can manifest in many ways, says Faith Troupe, Ph.D., a licensed marriage and family therapist associate in Cornelius, North Carolina. The ordeal can impact your ability to fulfill your responsibilities, says Marshall. “It will show up when we draw back—things like fear of speaking up, fear of showing up or fear of sharing space with men. It prevents us from climbing the ladder or [taking advantage of] opportunities for leadership and promotion,” she says.

Victims often downplay what happened to them, and they may not realize how detrimental an incident was until days, months or even years

80 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

later, Troupe says. Another common reaction is self-blame. But it runs counter to the way we respond to other types of ofenses against us, Troupe points out: “We never say to the victim, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have been walking with your wallet in your hand when that person stole it.’ ” Women who experience sexual misconduct should seek support, says Keisha M. Wells, a licensed professional counselor and founder of Transformation Counseling Services in Columbus, Georgia. “Isolation is the breeding ground for torment and sufering,” says Wells. Individual or group therapy, support groups and hot lines can help.

Self-care—in the form of prayer, meditation, proper sleep and nutrition—is also important, Wells says.

Regardless of what workplace or legal strategies you employ, your emotional health should be paramount and you should know you have the right to feel safe at work.

“Just like men, we’re in the workplace to make a living for our family,” Session says. “We’re not there to be harassed.”

PATH TO POWER : YOUNG PHENOM

INDUSTRY DISRUPTER

“All women crave purpose and sisterhood,” says Ward.

WITH THE COWORKING SPACE FEMOLOGY, MEAGAN WARD HAS HELPED USHER IN A NEW ERA OF PROGRESSIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL INCUBATION. THE BEST PART? WOMEN OF COLOR ARE PLACED FRONT AND CENTER BY MARQUITA K. HARRIS eagan Ward was still a young college student when she watched her mother struggle after being laid of from a job, a misfortune that led to the loss of her childhood home. Fortunately, a family friend took in both women as they worked through the rough patch. “I remember my clothes being stufed in garbage bags, getting dressed and making the best out of it,” she says. That ordeal drove the Detroiter to launch a marketing business while she was in school. Along with co-owner Ashleigh Brock, she ultimately opened Femology.

The unique coworking space also functions as an incubator for Detroit’s community of Black women entrepreneurs.

“It’s a hub for fostering collaboration, but also serves as a strategic foundation for building businesses,” Ward says. Here the 28-year-old serialpreneur tells us how she did it and what’s to come.

M

ESSENCE: How did you get into entrepreneurship?

MEAGAN WARD: I launched my first business in my college apartment. I started these companies because my mom had lost her job, her house was going into foreclosure and I almost had to come back home from college. I had to grab the reins like, Okay, you need to help Mom out. You need to provide a way so that you can finish school.

ESSENCE: In addition to working on Femology, you participated in a speaker program with the U.S. Embassy.

How did that come about?

M.W.: I was invited by the folks at the U.S. Embassy to go on a campaign with them [overseas]. They were inspired

by Detroit, Femology and the revolution we have going on here. It went so well, I was also able to speak at a conference for the United Nations and represent the U.S., discussing what women’s empowerment means and how it can be a positive force for global change.

ESSENCE: What was that experience like, and has that led to other opportunities?

M.W.: What I learned is that all women crave purpose and sisterhood. People were so excited about me attending, and the feedback was great [so I was added to a database of preferred speakers for the State Department]. I’ll potentially be partaking in missions that deal with women entrepreneurs and female empowerment globally.

We’re women-focused, meaning everything we do has a woman’s life in mind.

82 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

ESSENCE: What advice do you have for women in the throes of starting a business?

M.W.: Be authentic to yourself; that’s the first thing. As women we want to be fulfilled. That’s why so many of us are creating businesses. We want to live our dream life and to do what we want every day. Own your story. Successes are as important as losses. Losses are just as important as challenges, and all of this factors into your unique story. You never know who it can inspire and impact.

º

J EREMY CR AN FORD

ESSENCE: What bumps did you face along the way to getting Femology going?

M.W.: People would make certain comments like, “Is this legal? Are they discriminating against men?” Of course, we’re not discriminating. We only said that we’re womenfocused, meaning everything we do has a woman’s life in mind. When you go to WeWork [a popular chain of coworking spaces], it’s a generalized concept. When you come here, as soon as you walk through our doors, you’re like, “This is for me. I feel like I’m home.”

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ELIZABETH ALEXANDER

LAUREN ASH

2018

VIVIAN ANDERSON

HALLE and CHLOE BAILEY

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER

LAUREN ASH

VIVIAN ANDERSON FOUNDER, EVERY BLACK GIRL @EVERYBLKGIRL Following the forceful removal of a young Black girl from her classroom, Anderson established an organization to shine a light on the state of our youth. The #everyblackgirl campaign raises awareness of violence and other societal issues impacting our children in schools, the foster-care system and juvenile detention centers.

In 2018, women of color continue to wield their power for the greater good of our community and beyond. On the following pages, check out the change agents, shape-shifters and power players who inspire us and ignite movements

CHLOE and HALLE BAILEY SINGERS AND ACTRESSES @CHLOEXHALLE The energetic siblings have created music for years, but with the release of their much-anticipated debut album, The Kids Are Alright, Beyoncé’s protégés are pushing for major change through their chosen art.

BY TANYA A. CHRISTIAN, CHRISTINA COLEMAN, VANESSA K. DE LUCA AND MARQUITA K. HARRIS

90 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

THIS PAG E, CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: AN DRE W H . WALKER; ELLIOT & ERICK ; A XELLE / G E T T Y IMAG ES; A ARON SMALLS . OPPOSITE PAG E, KRIS CON NOR /G E T T Y IMAG ES .

WELLNESS EXPERT @HELLOLAURENASH With self-care at a premium, the founder of Black Girl in Om brings healing to the masses.

The uniquely targeted podcast she cohosts is dedicated to all things wellness and acts as an ongoing love letter to women of color.

WRITER AND SCHOLAR @PROFESSOREA A noted poet, Alexander was recently appointed president of the Mellon Foundation—the largest fund of its kind in the country. In addition to supporting the nonprofit’s humanities-driven agenda, Alexander has been tasked with bringing more diversity into the fold.

TARANA BURKE ACTIVIST AND #METOO FOUNDER @TARANAJANEEN Long before #MeToo became a movement, the senior director at Girls for Gender Equity coined the phrase as a sign of support for victims of sexual assault. The civil rights activist continues her advocacy to help young women of color beat the odds and thrive.

»

MOYA BAILEY

MOYA BAILEY FEMINIST SCHOLAR, @MOYAZB After realizing that the erasure of Black women was a societal problem, the Northeastern University professor came up with the term misogynoir in 2010. Like Bailey, it addresses race and gender bias.

Through her life’s work, she also explores culture and sexuality.

MAYOR-ELECT OF NEW ORLEANS NOLA voters helped make history when they ushered in Cantrell as their first female mayor. Deeply connected to her community, Cantrell plans to continue revamping the city post-Katrina and has vowed to address inequity among its African-American residents .

LATOYA CANTRELL

NEISHA TWEED BELL

GLYNDA C. CARR and KIMBERLY PEELER-ALLEN

CREATIVE STRATEGIST, FACEBOOK Beyond her role at the tech giant, Bell brings more diverse faces to the industry through various initiatives. The former copywriter is a master collaborator who’s passionate about inclusivity and mentorship in the industry.

GLYNDA C. CARR

CACSMY BRUTUS

KIMBERLY PEELER-ALLEN

BODY POSITIVITY ACTIVIST @MAMACAXX Also known as Mama Caxx, the HaitianAmerican blogger and model promotes self-love to her 137,000 Instagram followers.

The fearless amputee also works to dismantle the stereotypical image of what people with disabilities look like.

CAROLYN WAITERS CARTER AND OTHER CONFEDERATE STATUE REMOVERS Last year brought a wave of renewed interest in Confederate statues, which have been left over from a time in history that celebrated the denigration of Black lives. Leading the way in denouncing these figures were the folks in New Orleans. An overwhelming number of residents of this Black-majority city used their voices to express their outrage.

Through Carter’s actions and those of other protesters in numerous states, some of these racist monuments have been removed.

CACSMY BRUTUS

JAMIRA BURLEY, ERICA FORD and AMBER GOODWIN

SUSAN BURTON

92 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

CAROLYN WAITERS CARTER

AMBER GOODWIN

ACTIVIST AND AUTHOR @SUSANBURTONLA After her 5-year-old son died, Burton went into a downward spiral, eventually being imprisoned on drug charges. She now shares her story in Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women and visits prisons nationwide to inspire women to rise higher.

COFOUNDERS, HIGHER HEIGHTS @HIGHERHEIGHTS The Trump efect has seen an unprecedented number of women running for political oice. To help, this dynamic duo advises female candidates around the country on how to become leaders.

JAMIRA BURLEY

RUTH CARTER ERICA FORD

RUTH CARTER SUSAN BURTON

COSTUME DESIGNER @IAMRUTHECARTER In a cinematic universe known for dressing crime-fighting women in impractical costumes to satisfy the male gaze, Carter’s Black Panther designs provided a fresh perspective. Through the two-time Oscar nominee’s adorned ensembles, rooted in traditional African workmanship, viewers were given a cultural history lesson.

FROM TOP: MAT TH E W MODOONO/NORTH E ASTERN U NIVERSIT Y; FORWARD TOG E TH ER N E W ORLE ANS; IAN J. YOU NG; SHADON NA JACKSON; MARGOT JORDAN; B RYAN B EDDER /G E T T Y IMAG ES; GUS B EN N E T T; JARROD AN DERSON; JACQ U ES SAMSON; BOB B I DIGITAL; KEIPH ER M C KEN NIE /G E T T Y IMAG ES; J COU NTESS/G E T T Y IMAG ES .

NEISHA TWEED BELL

AND THE WOMEN OF THE COMMUNITY JUSTICE REFORM COALITION @CJRC_INFO Under the umbrella of a national advocacy coalition, these women, who are each dynamic in their own right, have come together to confront inequities in the criminal justice system. Advisory board members Burley and Goodwin, along with speakers bureau member Ford, work passionately on training programs and events to reduce gun violence in the Black community.

LATOYA CANTRELL

BRITTNEY COOPER

CRYSTAL CHEATHAM CREATOR, OUR BIBLE APP @CRYSTALCHEATHAM As a lesbian activist, Cheatham understands the need for other LGBTQ Christians to have a safe space. That’s why she created an app that features daily devotionals and promotes community to uplift and reairm those who have felt traditionally marginalized by religion.

CRYSTAL CHEATHAM

BRITTNEY COOPER

SCHOLAR, @PROFESSORCRUNK When she’s not schooling students on racism, feminism and gender representation, the Rutgers University professor examines the politics of race through her authentic style of writing and public speaking. In 2018 she released Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower.

MARI COPENY

FROM TOP: J ESSICA GRIFFIN; RYAN L ASH PHOTOGR APHY; OFFICE OF CONGRESSWOMAN Y VET TE D. CL ARKE; LOUI BREZZELL /MY ’ANGEL PHOTOG R APHY FLINT; TOM WILLIAMS/G E T T Y IMAG ES; SL AVEN VL ASIC/G E T T Y IMAG ES; JOCELYN AUGUSTINO; AMA AL SAID; M EG WACHTER .

YVETTE D. CLARKE NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN @REPYVETTECLARKE The U.S. representative is amplifying the chorus supporting Black women’s physical and mental well-being. In October Clarke introduced a resolution to add Black Women’s Health Week to the National Health Observances roster.

YVETTE D. CLARKE

CLEAN WATER ADVOCATE @LITTLEMISSFLINT The 10-year-old, aka Little Miss Flint, has been an activist in the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. In 2017 the youth ambassador for the Women’s March on Washington teamed up with Pack Your Back and raised more than $10,000 to aid Flint children.

MARI COPENY

CARMEN YULÍN CRUZ BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN NEW JERSEY CONGRESSWOMAN @REPBONNIE At a 2017 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation event, Coleman helped to highlight a poster series for the Do You Know My Name campaign featuring some of the Black women and girls who died in police custody or went missing. The longtime lawmaker continues to address a sad reality: When minority groups lack representation in the media, their stories are often written by others or remain untold altogether.

BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN

CARMEN YULÍN CRUZ

RENI EDDO-LODGE

EDDA COLLINS COLEMAN

EDDA COLLINS COLEMAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST @EDDACOLEMAN As cofounder of The All In Together campaign, Coleman combats the gender gap in political, civic and professional leadership with tools and resources that help women to engage in the process and drive change on the issues we care about most.

MAYOR, SAN JUAN @CARMENYULINCRUZ In late 2017 the Democratic leader called out Donald Trump for his administration’s inaction after devastating hurricanes wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico. She continues to ring the alarm about the seemingly forgotten U.S. territory.

RENI EDDOLODGE

GLORY EDIM

AUTHOR, @RENIRENI The U.K.-born writer released Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race in 2017. It is a celebrated collection of essays that in March won the Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour. Eddo-Lodge’s candid take on gender, race and inclusion has garnered her a global following.

GLORY EDIM FOUNDER, WELL-READ BLACK GIRL @GUIDETOGLO With Edim at the helm, the Instagram community of more than 69,000 lovers of Black literature hosted its first festival to celebrate Black female authors and has carved out a place for fans to share their passion for books.

»

PHAEDRA ELLIS-LAMKINS COFOUNDER, PROMISE @PHAEDRAEL In the age of mass incarceration, EllisLamkins has engineered a way to help reduce the prison population. Through Promise, a de-incarceration start-up and app, local authorities can forgo detaining low-risk individuals pretrial and instead monitor them with the company’s help.

ERICKA HART SEX EDUCATOR, @IHARTERICKA The body positivity advocate is a breast cancer survivor and speaker who uses social media to shine a light on those living with the disease and life after a double mastectomy.

PHAEDRA ELLIS-LAMKINS

ERICKA HART

ANITA HILL

CYNTHIA ERIVO ACTOR AND SINGER–SONGWRITER @CYNTHIAERIVO The Nigerian-British performer is perhaps best known for playing Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway, but the rising star also has a spirit of activism. She used her role in The Rape of Recy Taylor documentary to bring awareness to systemic injustice.

CYNTHIA ERIVO

ANITA HILL

JEMELE HILL JOURNALIST, @JEMELEHILL The former cohost of SC6 is no stranger to controversy. While always candid on matters of race and the way it plays into professional sports, The Undefeated journalist has been particularly vocal about the current administration’s poor race relations.

EVE L. EWING WRITER, @EVEEWING The sociologist and poet, also known as Wikipedia Brown, studies racial inequality in schools.

In September the author released her first book, Electric Arches, which explores Black girlhood and womanhood through poetry, visual art and narrative prose.

EVE L. EWING

JEMELE HILL

BISEAT HORNING, EBELE IFEDIGBO and LANESE MARTIN

ERICA GARNER ACTIVIST POSTHUMOUS RECOGNITION After the murder of her father, Eric Garner, at the hands of the NYPD, the mother became a crusader against police brutality and other racially motivated injustices facing the Black community. She passed away in December 2017.

LANESE MARTIN BISEAT HORNING and EBELE IFEDIGBO

ERICA GARNER

KAREN HUNTER

AMANDA GORMAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZER AND POET, @AMANDASCGORMAN The Harvard freshman holds the title of the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. She uses her gifts to promote literacy and youth activism as the founder of One Pen One Page, an organization helping kids transform the world through words.

94 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

KAREN HUNTER AMANDA GORMAN

COFOUNDERS, THE HOOD INCUBATOR @HOODINCUBATOR Their community-focused nonprofit seeks to ensure that Black and Brown people have access to the legal cannabis industry. Through the trio’s eforts, entrepreneurship is taking on a whole new meaning.

CHANGE AGENT, @KARENHUNTER As the host of an eponymous radio show on Sirius XM Urban View, Hunter rallies listeners around such causes as the removal of the Confederate flag at the statehouse in South Carolina and the restoration of voting rights to previously incarcerated individuals. In March, The Party of Lincoln app creator is participating in a multicity voter registration drive.

FROM TOP: PAU L MORIGI/G E T T Y IMAG ES; FR AN KLIN THOM PSON; DIMITRIOS K AM BOU RIS/G E T T Y IMAG ES; DAVID PAU L MORRIS/G E T T Y IMAG ES; DANIEL BARLOW; H EIDI GUTMAN/G E T T Y IMAG ES; B ROOKE AN DERSON; AN DRE W BU RTON/G E T T Y IMAG ES; MT V/ TRL /G E T T Y IMAG ES; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT.

CHAIR, THE COMMISSION ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ADVANCING EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE The law professor has become a prominent force in the #MeToo movement. Last year she was selected to head the commission to address sexual harassment in Hollywood. As chair, she leads the charge against the mistreatment of women across professions and industries.

BARBARA LEE

SHERRILYN A. IFILL PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR– COUNSEL, NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, @SIFILL_LDF

FROM TOP: DAVE KOTINSK Y/G E T T Y IMAG ES; B ENNE T T R AGLIN/G E T T Y IMAG ES; KIM B ERLY WHITE /GE T T Y IMAG ES; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT; GARY GERSHOFF/ G E T T Y IMAG ES; ELI TU RN ER; A XEL DU PEUX /OPEN SOCIE T Y FOU N DATIONS; B EOWU LF SH EEHAN; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT; REIG NY DAY PHOTOG R APHY.

Whether it’s through her media appearances, scholarly writings, litigation of milestone cases or push for commonsense legislation that creates equity for Blacks, Ifill vigorously fights the ill efects of disenfranchisement among the African-American community.

SHERRILYN A. IFILL

BARBARA LEE

EUNICE LIRIANO

BLAIR IMANI FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EQUALITY FOR HER @BLAIRIMANI As a nonconforming bisexual Muslim activist, Imani started a feminist organization to advocate for women who, like her, don’t fit inside traditional identity boxes.

In February the Black Lives Matter supporter was selected by NBCUniversal as an Erase the Hate Change Maker.

VALEISHA BUTTERFIELD JONES DIVERSITY ADVOCATE, @VALEISHA The recently named global head of women and Black community engagement at Google was the driving force behind the 2017 opening of Howard West—a 12-week coding program for upper-class students majoring in computer science at the D.C.-based HBCU.

BLAIR IMANI

EUNICE LIRIANO

VALEISHA BUTTERFIELD JONES

TANYA LOMBARD

ASSISTANT VICE-PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AT&T Corporate wealth meets social good in the hands of this New Orleans native.

Over the years Lombard has sat on the board of the National Action Network, The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and several other community organizations, ensuring support.

LISA LUCAS

MARIAME KABA

LISA LUCAS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION @LIKALUCA The longtime lover of books is also a staunch proponent of diversity. Since taking her position in 2016, she has been vocal about the organization being more inclusive and passionate about implementing changes that motivate everyone to read.

SABRINA MADISON

ROBIN KELLY ILLINOIS CONGRESSWOMAN @REPROBINKELLY Kelly is a cochair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls and sits on the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce. She also authored a 2015 report on health disparities in America to call attention to underserved communities.

VICE-PRESIDENT, BRIDGE PHILANTHROPIC CENTER @BPCFUND As a partner at one of the largest African-American- and women-owned fund-raising firms in the U.S., Liriano has worked with a number of nonprofits to help them exceed their fiscal goals.

TANYA LOMBARD

MARIAME KABA MODERN-DAY ABOLITIONIST @PRISONCULTURE The educator and activist is out to abolish the American prison industrial complex and to transform the criminal justice system. Kaba established Project NIA, a grassroots organization with a goal of ending youth incarceration.

CALIFORNIA CONGRESSWOMAN @REPBARBARALEE The progressive Democrat has no qualms about calling out Donald Trump’s eforts to arouse hate. But beyond being a member of the resistance, the East Bay representative advocates for racial justice and human rights.

ROBIN KELLY SABRINA MADISON

FOUNDER, PROGRESS CENTER FOR BLACK WOMEN @HEYMISSPROGRESS After a massive fund-raising efort, Madison opened The Progress Center for Black Women in Madison, Wisconsin, to help women of color with professional development, entrepreneurial pursuits and small-business loans.

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A GREAT DAY IN D.C. ON JANUARY 24, 2018, 19 AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN MAYORS GATHERED AT THE HISTORIC HAY-ADAMS HOTEL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR A SPECIAL RECEPTION COHOSTED BY MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER’S OFFICE » PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDRÉ CHUNG

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 97

VIVIAN E. COVINGTON MAYOR OF UNIVERSITY PARK, IL

SADARA BARROW MAYOR OF COLMAR MANOR, MD On why political representation matters: “I want people to see me

with my trials and tribulations and things that I’ve gone through to be able to still stand up and be a mayor. So people who look like me and girls who look like me will know that they can do the same thing.”

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS MAYOR OF ATLANTA On Black women running for office: “We don’t

recognize our own power as women. We organically lead in our communities, we lead in our churches, we lead in our workplace, we lead in our families. Too often we look to other people to lead in a very public way. Don’t be afraid to fail. You’re already leading.”

SADARA BARROW

VIVIAN E. COVINGTON

On honoring the past and future: KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS

KAREN FREEMANWILSON

On how she paved the way: “I ran for

TRACY FARRISH GANT

SHARON WESTON BROOME

TONI N. HARP

On the impact of Black women running American cities: “This is just the

beginning. It indicates that something has changed in America, that women are considered leaders and are trusted to take care of the overall political apparatus of that community.”

TAKISHA D. JAMES MAYOR OF BLADENSBURG, MD

On what it takes to run for office: “You don’t have to have

98 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

[city council] in 1992.... It was a little diferent because I was the first Black councilwoman in my community. My point when I got in was to just stay there so I could be a presence. Like others during that time and before me, we made a way for [women who are] running now.”

TONI N. HARP MAYOR OF NEW HAVEN, CT

SHARON WESTON BROOME MAYOR OF BATON ROUGE, LA political experience to serve people; you have to have a heart to serve people. And you have to have the passion.”

“I think about my mother’s generation, who probably never saw themselves in our shoes. And from my daughter’s generation...to serve in that capacity as validation of my mom’s generation and inspiration for my daughter’s generation, it’s really an honor.”

TRACY FARRISH GANT MAYOR OF EDMONSTON, MD

On how she defines success:

“Women are frequently judged more quickly, more harshly and more wrongly.

And for those of us who have won elections, I want each and every one of us to be successful, not just for our own political careers but for the millions of people we represent.”

so much being Black—it’s being the first. That is so phenomenal. It’s an honor. For young girls who are looking up, I want to make a diference. I want to shine for you. I want to be your political mother.”

KAREN FREEMAN-WILSON MAYOR OF GARY, IN

MURIEL BOWSER

MURIEL BOWSER MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, DC

On why being the first Black mayor of her village is important: “It’s not

On the 2016 presidential election: “The TAKISHA D. JAMES

Trump efect was eye-opening. It showed me I had to get out of my head. Seeing Trump for who he is helped me realize if he can do it, so can I. I kept hearing in my spirit, You have to step up.”

VI LYLES MAYOR OF CHARLOTTE, NC

ACQUANETTA WARREN MAYOR OF FONTANA, CA

The city’s former budget director developed a deep love for the area’s art, culture and people. Now, as its first African-American female mayor, she plans to grow Charlotte through strategic partnerships.

On breaking barriers: “It’s an honor.

VI LYLES

ACQUANETTA WARREN

CATHERINE E. PUGH MAYOR OF BALTIMORE

LOVELY A. WARREN MAYOR OF ROCHESTER, NY

On how she defines “woke”:

“Being woke is to be focused, to be attentive, to recognize your purpose. What matters is that we create a society that is more equal and more just.”

DEANNA R. REED MAYOR OF HARRISONBURG, VA

I always feel like I need to represent and I always try to help and show an example. I am the first female mayor and African-American mayor, so I hold two titles that I’m very proud of.”

On the meaning of “woke”: “It means

CATHERINE E. PUGH

LOVELY A. WARREN

take nothing for granted, that you are a part of the change you want to see.

And staying woke means to wake up and realize that no one else is going to do this for you—you have to get out there and do the work. You have to want to climb that stairway. There’s no sitting on the sidelines for this.”

On what the position means to her:

“There has not been a female mayor in Harrisonburg in more than 20 years. I’m the first Black woman. I’m very proud that I stepped up to do it, but I truly did it for our little Black girls so they could see that they could do it one day.”

TH E MAYORS: MAKEU P, ZIAN NA COATES/KEN BARBOZ A .COM , MONIC A COOK JOHNSON/KENBARBOZ A .COM , L A’ KE A EDWARDS AN D KENYE T TA GREENE.

PETRELLA ROBINSON MAYOR OF NORTH BRENTWOOD, MD

DEIRDRE WATERMAN MAYOR OF PONTIAC, MI On why she ran for office: “I came DEANNA R. REED

DEIRDRE WATERMAN

because I thought I could efect change in our community.... I just wanted to make sure I had left my mark on our community and to be able to give back in a way that I thought I could contribute.”

On the benefit of having a strong network of Black women mayors:

KAREN WEAVER MAYOR OF FLINT, MI

“We’ve always been strong, and we’re getting stronger. We can make a powerful change like our ancestors did. The more women who come out and do what they’re doing, the more we can keep our families together.”

On voting more Black women into political office: “We need to be there.

YVONNE M. SPICER MAYOR OF FRAMINGHAM, MA

PETRELLA ROBINSON

KAREN WEAVER

VICTORIA WOODARDS MAYOR OF TACOMA

On being the first mayor of the newly formed city: “I stand on the

shoulders of all the women who have come before me—my aunties, my grandparents—and celebrate a legacy of greatness. I have a responsibility to use everything I have learned in my career and my personal life to move my city forward.”

It’s time to stop letting other people make decisions for us and about us and our communities. We must take charge to make sure we’re getting the things we need and what we deserve: the opportunity.”

On women saving America:

YVONNE M. SPICER VICTORIA WOODARDS

“Women play a substantial role in moving this country forward. If we’re going to make a diference, we have to put people in oice who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get to work. That’s what we as women have always done.”

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JANET MOCK AUTHOR AND PRODUCER @JANETMOCK For years the prominent activist has been a staunch crusader for the LGBTQ community. In June 2017 the best-selling writer released her second book, Surpassing Certainty, as a sincere guide to achieving self-acceptance.

N EILSON BARNARD/G E T T Y IMAG ES

100 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

SYDNEY MAGRUDER

JUDY REESE MORSE

BALLERINA AND MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE @THEBLACKSWANDIARIES The importance of representation is not lost on this third-generation ballerina. Magruder uses her talent and social media presence to end stigmas about queer women, Black women and dancers and to promote self-love and emotional stability.

DEPUTY MAYOR AND CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, CITY WIDE INITIATIVES, NEW ORLEANS The public servant wants to build a better New Orleans with a specific focus on “equity, justice and fairness.” In her role, Morse oversees policy development and strategic planning for the city’s social innovation, economic development and beyond.

SYDNEY MAGRUDER

JUDY REESE MORSE

FROM TOP: R ACH EL N E VILLE PHOTOG R APHY; LESLIE SPILLMAN; CIN DY ORD/G E T T Y IMAG ES; MIKE COPPOL A /G E T T Y IMAG ES; M E T TE LU N DSBY J ENSEN; JAMIE RU B EIS; COU RTESY OF OHIO U NIVERSIT Y; NOAH G ELFMAN; ERN EST WASHINGTON .

ZERLINA MAXWELL and DANIELLE MOODIE-MILLS THE WOMEN OF SIRIUSXM PROGRESS @SXMPROGRESS Helping listeners to navigate Trump’s America enlightened is the mission for these two progressive pundits. As director of programming, Maxwell has organized a dynamic lineup of new voices and seasoned pros to deliver a bold take on what’s needed for the resistance. As host of #WokeAF, Moodie-Mills tells people what they need to know about the weekly news headlines.

RENÉE A. MIDDLETON DEAN, OHIO UNIVERSITY @RAM_MIDDLETON Her research on racial identity and multicultural competency is the epitome of teacher preparation. Middleton’s advocacy has served as a guide for public-school teachers and school leaders.

TIFFANY MIKELL COFOUNDER, APPOLITION @MIKELLSOLUTION The Chicago techie cofounded the Web-based app Appolition, which allows users to link their credit card to the app and donate spare change to bail out Black detainees. Within the first month of its launch, the app paid for the bail of 14 of them.

ZERLINA MAXWELL

DANIELLE MOODIE-MILLS

HADIYAH MUJHID FOUNDER AND CEO, HBCU.VC @HADIYAHDOTME After more than a decade of experience as a software engineer, the cofounder of the entrepreneurial empowerment organization Black Founders launched HBCU.vc to teach scholars at HBCUs the basics of start-up investing. The program also offers valuable insight on breaking into the tech industry.

HADIYAH MUJHID

DEMETRIA OBILOR DEMETRIA OBILOR

RENÉE A. MIDDLETON

TIFFANY MIKELL

MAYA PENN

JOURNALIST @DEMETRIAOBILOR A traic reporter in Dallas, Obilor made headlines late last year for calling out a racist body shamer.

In an environment where Black professionals are often expected to grin and bear it, Obilor’s public response was a lesson in how to handle hate-filled criticism.

MAYA PENN FOUNDER, MAYA’S IDEAS @MAYASIDEASSHOP The 18-year-old entrepreneur, philanthropist and artist has become a role model for her peers. A budding designer, Penn is also the CEO of her own ecofriendly fashion company, Maya’s Ideas, which donates proceeds from sales to global charities.

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NOËLLE SANTOS

AMBER J. PHILLIPS and JAZMINE WALKER COHOSTS, THE BLACK JOY MIXTAPE PODCAST @BLACKJOYMIXTAPE When it comes to Black women, no subject is of-limits to these unabashed commentators, who boldly and comedically address everything from reproductive rights to the bonds of sisterhood.

JAZMINE WALKER and AMBER J. PHILLIPS

NOËLLE SANTOS

FOUNDER, THE LIT. BAR @BOSSYNBOOKISH After Barnes & Noble closed its Bronx, New York, location in 2017, 1.4 million people were left without a convenient spot to buy general-interest books.

That’s when Santos stepped in and raised more than $150,000 via crowdfunding to open The Lit. Bar. The independent bookstore is scheduled to receive its first customers this spring.

RUBY PINTO ACTIVIST, @RUBYREDRADIO Along with Chicago’s For the People Artists Collective, the young community activist developed Do Not Resist? 100 Years of Chicago Police Violence, a citywide exhibit that allows people to learn about Chicago’s history of police brutality.

CHERISSE SCOTT RUBY PINTO

CHERISSE SCOTT

U.S.V.I. CONGRESSWOMAN @STACEYPLASKETT

Intent on keeping the plight of the citizens of the U.S. Virgin Islands front and center following hurricanes Irma and Maria, Plaskett took the emotional stories of her constituents to Congress, mainstream media and anybody willing and able to lend a helping hand.

STACEY PLASKETT

AMANDA SEALES

RIHANNA ENTERTAINER, @RIHANNA Last year the pop star and businesswoman shook up the cosmetics industry with the release of her Fenty Beauty line.

Well received for the quality of the products, it was also celebrated for its range of shades for women of color.

DOREEN ST. FÉLIX WRITER, @DSTFELIX She is known for her wit and ability to tie contemporary topics to deeper discussions about race and womanhood.

The accomplished journalist has penned articles about everything from the concept albums of Janelle Monáe to the radical legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks.

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RIHANNA

KEEANGAYAMAHTTA TAYLOR

DOREEN ST. FÉLIX

AMANDA SEALES ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN @AMANDASEALES The Truth campaign spokesperson is arguably one of the most outspoken Black women on the Internet.

Never mind her recurring role on HBO’s Insecure: Seales’s controversial opinions and ability to deliver receipts in a timely fashion are what keep fans returning for more.

KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PRINCETON UNIVERSITY @KEEANGAYAMAHTTA Through her writing and research, injustices predicated on race, structural inequality in incarceration, discriminatory housing policies, pervasive police violence and chronic unemployment are explored. In 2017 the notable author edited How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective.

F R O M TO P : M A R I S S A B R I S K E R ; C Y N T H I A C I C C O N E ; S I E R R A R O M EO ; D E M A R C U S B OW S E R ; H O U S E P H OTO G R A P H Y; C FL ANIGAN/G E T T Y IMAG ES; K ARWAI TANG/G E T T Y IMAG ES; COU RTESY OF PRINCE TON U NIVERSIT Y; ALE X ASH E.

STACEY PLASKETT

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ADVOCATE, @SISTERREACH A woman’s right to choose is an entitlement Scott does not take for granted. The founder and CEO of SisterReach, an organization that teaches sex education to young women of color, is committed to sharing the realities of reproductive health care with disenfranchised communities.

ROBIN THEDE HOST, THE RUNDOWN WITH ROB IN THEDE, @ROBINTHEDE The comedian and writer has a brilliant weekly news satire show on BET. There the lone Black woman in the lineup of late-night hosts tackles topics that impact the African-American community with wry wit and cutting-edge humor the former head writer of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore is known for.

MIMI VALDÉS

MULTIMEDIA EXECUTIVE @MIMIVALDES Through films like Roxane Roxane and Hidden Figures and other media projects, the former magazine editor showcases the diverse experiences of women of color.

ROBIN THEDE

MIMI VALDÉS

LENA WAITHE

ACTRESS AND WRITER @LENAWAITHE When the Chi-Town native saw the stories of our community being lost in politically charged headlines, she created a show to explore our struggles. It’s what the Emmy Award winner and 2018 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honoree has built her career on—using her talent to bring issues afecting Black Americans to the forefront of mainstream consciousness.

FROM TOP: LEON B EN N E T T/G E T T Y IMAG ES; MICHAEL STE WART/G E T T Y IMAG ES; MICHAEL LOCCISANO/G E T T Y IMAG ES; J ESSIC A MORRISE Y PHOTOG R APHY; PATRICK N EREE; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT; LEON B EN N E T T/G E T T Y IMAG ES; E THAN MILLER /G E T T Y IMAG ES; RICH FU RY/G E T T Y IMAG ES; AU B RIE PICK .

LATHAM THOMAS WELLNESS GURU, @GLOWMAVEN Known to many as the GlowMaven, Thomas published the inspirational wellness guide Own Your Glow in 2017.

The Mama Glow founder is also a much sought-after doula who works hard to shine a light on the ancient traditions that inform wellness practices.

LENA WAITHE

LATHAM THOMAS

CRISSLE WEST

VILISSA THOMPSON ADVOCATE, @VILISSATHOMPSON In 2016 Thompson shared the Black Disabled Woman Syllabus, conceived for individuals seeking to understand this unique community. As the creator of the #DisabilityTooWhite social media movement, Thompson continues to carry the torch for a demographic often left out of public discourse.

COHOST, THE READ PODCAST @CRISSLES Since The Read podcast launched in 2013, West, alongside cohost Kid Fury, has entertained a growing audience while educating them on the ins and outs of pop culture, politics and dating through an unapologetically Black lens.

CRISSLE WEST

EBONI K. WILLIAMS

VILISSA THOMPSON

TV COHOST, FOX NEWS @EBONIKWILLIAMS On a conservative news network, Williams spotlights African-Americans.

The assertive analyst, attorney and author made headlines after opposing Trump’s Charlottesville response and for “schooling” one of his loyal supporters on the contributions of Congressman John Lewis.

NINA TURNER PRESIDENT, OUR REVOLUTION @NINATURNER When it comes to workers’ rights, this Ohio politician has a few demands.

Taking to the streets, social media and television, Turner speaks out against the injustices big corporations inflict on their employees and has pledged to fight for economic equity and sustainable prosperity for all Americans.

EBONI K. WILLIAMS

NINA TURNER

JAMIA WILSON

GABRIELLE UNION ACTRESS AND AUTHOR @ITSGABRIELLEU Last year the actress released a bestselling book, We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True. In it she continued her longtime crusade of speaking out against sexual assault and its lingering efects.

JAMIA WILSON GABRIELLE UNION

FEMINIST ACTIVIST, @JAMIAW In 2017 Wilson took on the role of executive director and publisher at the Feminist Press at CUNY. Outside of her position at the literary publisher, the social justice fighter contributed to the release of Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World, which highlighted stories of the 2017 Women’s March.

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THE

EXIT

SCANDAL’S FINALE MAY BE HERE, BUT KERRY WASHINGTON IS JUST GETTING STARTED. AS SHE REVS UP HER PRODUCTION COMPANY, ALONG WITH HER COMMITMENT AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF TIME’S UP, THIS WOKE WOMAN SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN

BY REBECCA CARROLL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KWAKU ALSTON | STYLING BY JOSEPH CASSELL

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 105

Opening page: Kerr y Washington wears a Faith Connexion jacket, Ben Taverniti Unravel Project dress, Jennifer Fisher earrings, Eriness knuckles, Sara Weinstock midi ring (on right hand), Graziela Gems swirl ring, Movado watch (on lef t hand) and Christian Louboutin boots.

T

This page: On Kerry: Johanna Ortiz dress and Neil Lane earrings and ring.

here’s something magnificent about Kerry Washington. Yes, she is stunningly beautiful, thoughtful and wise, talented and independent, but she’s also fiercely private. For an actress best known for playing one of the most visible and beloved characters on network television for the past six years, and in an era when everyone from Oprah to the 45th President of the United States regularly—if at times uncomfortably—lays their souls bare on Twitter, that’s no small feat. A Bronx, New York, native rooted in the values of education, political engagement and activism, Washington, 41, has built up momentum with her compelling yet grounded performances in films such as Django Unchained and Confirmation, which she also executive-produced, and, of course, ABC’s Scandal.

During her seven-season run as Olivia Pope, Washington has gotten married (to Nnamdi Asomugha) and welcomed two children, Isabelle and Caleb. She has also launched a production company, Simpson Street, which has several projects in development, including a film adaptation of the novel The Mothers by Brit Bennett.

Washington is free now to paint on a whole new blank canvas, just as the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements crack open the industry around her. It’s as if Kerry Washington timed it all perfectly.

ESSENCE: In the 2000 independent film Our Song, you play a very particular kind of young Black girl—a pre–Black Girl Magic Black girl—and I wonder what your memories are of that role but also, more specifically, that girl.

KERRY WASHINGTON: Oh, that’s so interesting. What makes you contextualize that character as pre–Black Girl Magic? Because I don’t think there’s such a thing as pre–Black Girl Magic. I mean, there’s such a thing as pre the hashtag, but I think we both agree: Black Girl Magic is from the beginning of time. Do you mean, before she had a community to identify with in that way?

ESSENCE: Yes, absolutely. I mean, certainly, if I were living in, yes, this hashtag moment, or had had a Storm Reid as Meg in A Wrinkle in Time, it would have made for a diferent young Black girl experience.

WASHINGTON: I feel like I lived in a world in which my mother created a microcosm of all the things you’re talking about. When my mother read A Wrinkle in Time to me when I was a little girl, it was just when I had chicken pox and I had to drop out of gymnastics camp. And I guess because it was coming from my mother, I did imagine myself as Meg, because I lived in a house where my mother subscribed to ESSENCE. My mother would drive to another state to buy the Cabbage Patch Kids that were Black and Brown so that they looked like me and my Puerto Rican cousins. That was the world I grew up in. There was no Black woman directing a $100 million film of A Wrinkle in Time, but there was a Black mother instilling the idea that I could be the protagonist of whatever story my imagination allowed for in my little apartment in the Bronx.

ESSENCE: You’ve always been very particular about the work you choose. But it feels as if there’s a kind of sea change happening that is resulting in not just thoughtful scripts and roles but also very politically and culturally savvy kinds of stories. The sheer influx of books by women of color that are being adapted— you and Reese Witherspoon are doing Celeste Ng’s book Little Fires Everywhere.

Do you think you’d have thought to do the same a decade ago?

WASHINGTON: Well, it was Reese’s idea to do Celeste’s book. Reese had it first and sent it to me and said,…“You know, we’re friends and we had been kind of

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106 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

On Kerr y: Balmain dress, Jennifer Fisher hoops and “Overlap Pink y ” ring, Neil Lane ring (on right hand) and Giuseppe Zanotti boots. Other ring, subject ’s own.

Hair, Takisha Sturdivant at Exclusive Artists using Neutrogena. Hairstylist assistant, Diana Lucia. Makeup, Carola Gonzalez at Forward Artists using Neutrogena. Manicure, Emi Kudo at Opus Beauty using Chanel Le Vernis. Set Design, Walter Barnett at Opus Beauty.

For clothing details, see Where to Buy.

looking for something to do together,” and was like, “I found it.” And I was so curious. Like, what was the thing Reese read and thought was right for me?

Then I read it and was blown away. I was actually talking to Gabrielle Union, and Gab was like, “Are you playing so-and-so in the book?” And I said, “Yeah.”

And she said, “I didn’t know she was Black.” And I was like, “She is now!”

ESSENCE: I love it. I feel like the reason that the culture of Hollywood seems smarter lately is because women—not just those supporting #MeToo and Time’s Up—are saying, “We’re not here to complain. We’re here to create.”

WASHINGTON: I agree wholeheartedly. And a big part of that is actually resisting this idea of [us] being siphoned of and only allowing one [of us] in the room. I have noticed in the last three years or so, we’re just reaching out to each other more. That’s been one of the most powerful parts, for me, of being involved with the Time’s Up movement. It has changed the ways we operate. It changes what awards shows and parties feel like. We are becoming stronger as communities, as Black women, as larger circles of women of color, larger circles of women in Hollywood, larger circles of just people in Hollywood who give a s--t.

ESSENCE: I feel like it’s a sweet little “ef you” to what’s happening in the White House. Not just in Hollywood, but there are pockets of us who are doing everything we can to show up and show out in creative ways to preserve what we hold dear about America.

WASHINGTON: I just want us to show up and show out for the next election the way we show up and show out for Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder and Black Panther. I don’t even know if we’ve understood our purchasing power. And I think we need to start to exercise our democratic power with the same kind of vibrancy and commitment. I feel like my role as a storyteller is to keep tapping into the humanity that connects us so that we actually care about each other, that we give a damn about each other, so that we pay attention when liberties are being stripped away from us, that we understand that we matter.

ESSENCE: Let’s talk about Scandal for a minute. How are you processing the end of such a phenomenal era?

WASHINGTON: I’m probably just at the beginning of it, although it’s pretty great. Going into the final year knowing that it was our final year really allowed us to process at every step along the way. We’ve been talking about “This is the last,” whatever it is, for a year now—“This is our last Halloween together.” We’ve been living in the awareness, and what that has allowed us [to do] is to really approach the ending with a sense of reverence and gratitude for what we’ve been able to share with one another and with our community as gladiators and fans.

ESSENCE: Do your kids see you on TV or the big screen, or does that not come into play?

WASHINGTON: Yeah, they do. They do, because I’m not like Rapunzel: My kids don’t live in a tower with no TV. They drive by billboards on Sunset [Boulevard in L.A.] with my face on them. That happened.

ESSENCE: Which is kind of bananas, right, for a little kid? Or maybe it isn’t. I don’t know.

WASHINGTON: I’m not going to attempt to know what it is for them, to be honest, because they’re going to have their own journeys processing it and what it means and what the experience was for them. I try to uphold the values of hard work

I just want us to show up and show out for the next election the way we show up and show out for Scandal and Black Panther.”

ESSENCE: In a recent interview you said that the character Olivia Pope had given you the courage to have kids. What does that mean?

WASHINGTON: That’s what happens when you do an interview and it gets reduced to clickbait. What I said was that I feel like whenever I play a character, I feel she comes into my life to teach me something. I’ve never had the privilege of playing a character for this long, but of the many things Olivia Pope has given me is this sense that anything’s possible, that there’s always a way through, All cylinders, people. Let’s go. I think it’s one of the reasons why I started a production company. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve done a lot of things that have required courage, but definitely I think being a parent is an adventure, and it’s one that I embarked on in this window of time in my life.

and striving for excellence and generosity in the workplace, and being responsible and accountable in the workplace, and being kind in the workplace. I don’t do what I do because I want or like to be famous. I do what I do because I really love storytelling.

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Rebecca Carroll (@rebel19) is a writer and an editor of special projects at WNYC.

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ORGANIZERS IN ALABAMA, A CONTROVERSIAL SENATE ELECTION FORGED A HISTORIC OUTCOME

BY DONNA M. OWENS

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T

o understand why voting has long been a matter of life and death for Black folks in Alabama, consider the trajectory of Esther Calhoun. “Mama Esther” was raised on a 300-acre plantation in the Black Belt, a swath of nearly 20 counties originally named for its dark, fertile soil in fields once tilled by slaves. Centuries later the region remains largely Black and poor. “As a child I remember pulling a sack across the cotton fields,” says Calhoun, 55, whose parents and grandparents were sharecroppers. “We farmed using a mule.”

Today Calhoun is president of the Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice, a grassroots community organization confronting environmental and economic injustice. Her neighbors have been seeking to stop coal ash from being dumped in a landfill in Uniontown, a small rural community in the west-central part of the state. Once fearful about speaking out, the mother of three believes nothing can be taken for granted, whether it’s environmental equality or voting rights, another facet of the organization’s work. “I dare not give up,” she says.

“Why do we have to be so satisfied?” Calhoun is among the African-American women across Alabama whose collective eforts—from knocking on doors and making phone calls to raising millions of dollars—helped seal a major victory for

THE MOBILIZERS

E

U.S. Senator Doug Jones in a special election that garnered national attention. The Democrat won the seat vacated

by Jef Sessions, the Trump administration’s attorney general; it was an upset in a “red” state where Republicans hadn’t lost a seat in 25 years. “Black women in Alabama were the ‘secret sauce’ for Doug Jones winning the Senate race, by voting 98 percent for him over [Republican candidate] Roy Moore,” says Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, which has chapters in Alabama. “[We] led the way by organizing efective grassroots campaigns that turned out Black voters in rural and urban communities statewide, and raising funds to support civil rights and social justice organizations.”

According to The Chisholm Effect: Black Women in American Politics 2018, a report released in February by Higher Heights Leadership Fund and the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, data from TargetSmart showed Black women came out to vote at the highest rate of all race and gender groups in the special election. Some 48.2 percent of Black women voted, compared with 41.3 percent of White men, 39.6 percent of Black men and 36.9 percent of White women.

During the special election, Black women showed up at ballot boxes across the state in droves. We women voted at the highest rate of all race and gender groups.

Some 48.2 percent of Black women voted, compared with 41.3 percent of White men, 39.6 percent of Black men and 36.9 percent of White women. Check out just a few of the women who helped get voters to the polls.

Felecia L. Lucky

Jazlyn Fuller

Sheryl ThreadgillMatthews

DeJuana L. Thompson

Ebony Washington

Esther Calhoun

Sheila Tyson

Terri Sewell

MOB ILIZERS , COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT (7 ). C ALHOU N , E ARTHJ USTICE. TOU RÉ, JACKSON AN D FORTIER , KC BAILE Y ARRVC S . VOTE PIN , C AB R AL _ AUGUST0 8 3/G E T T Y.

AN EMPOWERED COMMUNITY LaTosha Brown is a longtime political strategist and organizer whose eforts proved pivotal in the Alabama results. In 2016 she cofounded the Black Voters Matter Fund with fellow activist Clif Albright. The nonprofit supports voter mobilization, primarily in Black and marginalized communities. It funds, strengthens and augments already existing infrastructure in Black communities that may have been underinvested in or underfunded.

“The goal is to build power in our communities,” says Brown, 47, born in New Jersey and raised in Mobile. The onetime statewide candidate has two decades of political experience. Traveling by car, Brown and Albright traversed the state’s back roads and byways, raising money to help grow support for participation in the election and future ones.

Launching the Alabama Grassroots Mobilization Project, the duo brought in nearly $200,000 in just eight days to assist typically ignored counties. The two awarded micro-grants to community-based groups—the NAACP in Macon County, for instance—to get out the vote. About 32 grassroots organizations, most led by African-American women, benefited from grants of $1,000 to $10,000, which provided

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Faya Rose Touré (center) and her daughters, Ainka Jackson (left) and Malika Sanders Fortier

112 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

Sanders clan, who hopes to win her father’s seat in the Alabama legislature after he retires, is part of a wave of Black women seeking elected oice here.

“So many people sacrificed to help make America a democracy,” says the wife and mother of six. “That promise has not yet been fulfilled.”

INTERGENERATIONAL FOOT SOLDIERS Across Alabama there are countless unsung Black sheroes leading grassroots groups whose missions often meld community uplift and voting.

Sheryl Threadgill-Matthews, a social worker, cofounded BAMA Kids, Inc., back in 1993, which serves toddlers to teens by ofering tutoring, mentoring, exposure to the arts and life skills, including voter education and advocacy. As one of eight students who integrated the all-White school system in Wilcox County in 1967, the lifelong voting advocate is training the next generation. In the recent election children knocked on doors, made calls and handed out nonpartisan flyers. “I tell kids how politics impacts so much of their everyday lives, from their driver’s license to the old textbooks they have at school,” says Threadgill-Matthews, 65, a great-grandmother whose minister father knew and worked with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “The kids understand voting. We’re gathering young people and pouring hope and ambition into them.”

Felecia L. Lucky is president of the Black Belt Community Foundation in Selma, which addresses health care, education and economic and community development. “My mother is a teacher, and my father was part of the Civil Rights Movement as a member of SNCC [Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee],” says the Livingston native.

“On Saturday mornings we had to get up to do voter registration.” Hailing from a family of Tuskegee University graduates, the M.B.A. holder traveled the globe in a former job but knew there were serious issues to tackle in her own backyard. “So many of these systems—poverty and substandard education and housing—have been created to oppress us. We must fix it, and it takes all of us to move forward. If we [allow] these systems [to remain], the work of our ancestors [would be] in vain.”

DeJuana L. Thompson created Woke Vote, a program designed to educate, mobilize and turn out the African-American community during the special election. Targeting millennials and faith-based voters, the program had an independent outreach strategy that raised more than $4 million from donors and made 100,000 contacts on HBCU campuses, churches and elsewhere. “Many of us feel it’s time to build our own structures and institutional pathways,” says Thompson, 35, who has held posts with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and been a stafer on the campaigns of Senator Cory Booker and former President Barack Obama. Still, “movements cannot be centered around a candidate or a campaign,” says the partner in the Washington, D.C., consulting

FLIP SCH U LKE /CORB IS/CORB IS VIA G E T T Y IMAG ES

stipends for workers, transportation assistance, printed materials and more.

“Black women in the South depend on our relationships for our very existence and survival and are stronger for it,” says Ainka Jackson, 39, a lawyer and the executive director of The Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth & Reconciliation; her group received a grant. “Our relationships aren’t political. They’re based in love and trust, which makes it harder to infiltrate and corrupt.” Jackson is an alumna of Spelman College and Vanderbilt Law School. Her parents, Hank Sanders and Faya Rose Touré, were active in the Civil Rights Movement.

Sanders is the first Black state senator from the Alabama Black Belt since Reconstruction. Touré is reported to be the state’s first African-American female judge. “A lot of poor people stopped voting,” says Touré, 73. “The White oicials throw out a carrot. And even Black oicials have not always served their interests.” In response she founded the Vote or Die campaign in Alabama and leads direct action work for the Saving OurSelves movement. Touré has staged voting rallies and stood on corners as a “human billboard,” she says. “We’ll ask nightclub owners to make an announcement. Anything to get people to vote.”

It wasn’t so long ago that AfricanAmericans couldn’t cast their ballots in the deep South amid the era of segregation and Jim Crow laws. The heart of Dixie helped shape the Civil Rights Movement with seminal events the nation and world watched. “After Emancipation, the minute they got their freedom, Black people immediately set about building institutions and trying to vote,” says Melanye Price, Ph.D., an associate professor of Africana studies and political science at Rutgers University. “During Reconstruction Black women used to accompany their men to the polls with rifles to protect them. And Black women participated in sufrage eforts.”

The Voting Rights Act, signed into law in 1965, was a triumph, though it wasn’t the end of the struggle for equality.

“There’s unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement,” says Malika Sanders Fortier. The lawyer and activist from the

Clockwise from top left: Voters making their voices heard, thanks to the Voting Rights Act. On the day of the special election, activist Letetia Daniels Jackson drove a van around town with a Vote as if Your Life Depends on It poster on display. After waiting in long lines, voters finally arrive at the Beulah Church polling station to cast their ballots. Buttons for Republican candidate Roy Moore, who was defeated by Democrat Doug Jones.

part of voter mobilization eforts, too. Sheila Tyson is a Birmingham city councillor and convener of the Alabama Coalition on Black Civic Participation. “I’ve been registering voters since I was 6 years old,” she says. Congresswoman Terri Sewell, the first Black woman ever to serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation, is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law. (She was classmates with Michelle Obama during undergrad and Barack Obama in law school before the couple met.) Sewell is known for her “organic” get-out-the-vote eforts—from National Urban League events to fish fries to fraternity–sorority gatherings. “I was glued to the hip with Doug Jones,” she says about being on the campaign trail, noting, however, that the election went beyond his candidacy.

Black women are the and of America.

For years we have fed, nursed, prayed, sung, organized, built…. I think of us as quilters.

FROM TOP: COU RTESY OF LE TE TIA DANIELS JACKSON; J IM WATSON/AFP/G E T T Y IMAG ES; JOE R AEDLE /G E T T Y IMAG ES .

—ACTIVIST LATOSHA BROWN

firm Think Rubix, which crafted the Woke Vote electoral strategy. “We’re creating something that will live beyond....

When you invest in Black women and people of color strategically and intentionally, anything is possible.” Waikinya Clanton, director of African-American and Women’s Outreach for the DNC, notes, “Without a doubt, Black women stand firmly at the core of our Democratic Party. After last year’s elections, the fact that we are a force to be reckoned with at the ballot box shouldn’t be a secret to anyone.” Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, a national super PAC, is a testament to this. The New York City resident helped mobilize voting victories in both Virginia and Alabama: “We had six oices across Alabama. We had 1,300 canvassers [and did] mailings and phone calls. We knocked on 500,000 doors.” Other national Black-led groups, among them Color of Change and The Collective Pac, raised funds and promoted turnout for the election via radio spots and digital campaigns directed at Black voters.

For Jazlyn Fuller, a native Californian who earned a Tuskegee degree, a new day may be rising in Alabama politics. “I believe my generation has the power, tools and resources we need,” says Fuller, 26, who had a hand in rallying voters.

“Patriarchy has been in power for centuries. Black women possess the nurturing, steadfastness and fierceness to lead.”

Ebony Washington, 39, another Tuskegee graduate, served as co-coordinator of the Alabama chapter for the Women’s March. She also founded Indivisible Alabama, which uses grassroots activism and direct action to facilitate change.

“It’s easy to use Alabama as the country’s whipping child, but the same problems we must solve here to have a more perfect union exist everywhere,” she says. “Alabama is America.” The state’s African-American elected oicials were

“What’s at stake is our very survival.”

So what’s next? An open letter focusing on accountability went out to Jones and cosignees such as activist Letetia Daniels Jackson, urging the new senator to hire Black aides and address issues like mass incarceration and health care; he’s reportedly set up meetings in response. Meanwhile, three Black women–led networks (the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, Black Women’s Roundtable and Black Voters Matter Fund Capacity Institute) have united to continue the fight. “The real story behind the Alabama win is that Black women in the rural South have never stopped organizing and working in the region in spite of challenging circumstances,” says LaTosha Brown.

“Black women are the conscience and soul of America,” Brown continues. “For years we have fed, nursed, prayed, sung, organized, built.… I think of us as quilters. We take the fragments of beautiful pieces of what is in a society and stitch it all together with whatever thread we have. It’s organizing. We are organizers.”

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Donna M. Owens is a Baltimore multiplatform journalist specializing in politics and health.

MAY 2018 ESSENCE .COM 113

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UNLEASH YOUR GREATNESS THIS MAY BE THE BEST TIME IN HISTORY TO BE A BLACK WOMAN. IN CELEBRATION OF OUR ANNIVERSARY MONTH, WE’VE SINGLED OUT 48 ACTIONS THAT CAN LEAD US TO HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

PLU M E CRE ATIVE /G E T T Y IMAG ES

BY CHARREAH K. JACKSON AND TRACY E. HOPKINS

1-4 SAY CHEESE.

A nice smile makes a great first impression and an even better selfie. It also helps keep you alive. Taking care of your teeth and gums is vital to health. Research shows that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke can be linked to the inflammation and infections that oral bacteria can cause. To improve your oral health, brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, replace your toothbrush every three to four months or sooner if bristles are frayed (add a quarterly reminder on your calendar) and schedule dental checkups and cleanings twice a year.

5

LOL.

A good giggle can help improve your immune system, relieve pain, alleviate stress and boost your mood. So laugh out loud while watching Girls Trip on DVD for the umpteenth time or a comedy show starring a Black woman (hey, Amanda Seales).

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LOVE & LIFE : SELF-CARE PLEDGE

6

SET IT DOWN.

The Good Book says to “write the vision and make it plain.” To wake up to a life that brings you joy is to get clear on what you desire and where you are headed. Commit to writing 100 goals—big and small—that you want to achieve, and develop your life plan, starting with your vision for the next year and the decade to come. Be sure to keep track in a planner or journal. We are crushing on Karlyn Percil’s Success Planner.

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7

Heart attack symptoms in women can present diferently than in men. While chest pain and discomfort are the most common warnings for both sexes, women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain. If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to the nearest hospital right away.

Total cholesterol HDL (the good cholesterol) Blood pressure Blood sugar Body mass index (BMI)

Your life story is being written every day. Schedule time to recap your journey with photos, video and journaling, and end each month with a report card of highs, lows and lessons learned. 10. Then look to your relatives this summer to capture your lineage and record an oral history for generations to come. Knowing your family’s health past can also preserve your future.

TURN YOUR PAIN INTO PURPOSE. Sometimes it’s the stories we hold closest that have the most power. The Reverend Dr. LaKeesha Walrond flipped her experience of childhood sexual abuse into a children’s book series, Let’s Talk About It. The first book, My Body Is Special, helps parents and children discuss safety and boundaries. “When you share your story, the strength and courage that it took for you to survive and thrive becomes a possibility for others,” says Walrond, executive pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church in New York City, where she serves alongside her husband, Michael. To empower sexual abuse survivors, she ofers several steps: 12. Recognize and remind yourself that it was not your fault.

13. Release your shame.

14. Don’t be afraid to tell your story and connect with a community and other survivors.

We are not alone in this ight. Together we are stronger than our deepest hurt and our broadest pain. —L KEESHA WALROND A

15

SEE YOUR BODY AS A TEMPLE.

“There’s no greater relationship than the one you can have with your body,” shares certified personal trainer Nicole Hill Orisich, 46.

“Be kind to it and give your body a chance to show you just how powerful it is.”

After transforming hers, the former life coach is committed to helping women of a certain age reach their fitness goals. “I didn’t start going to the gym consistently until I was in my late thirties. And when I did, the cardio machines were the only equipment I used.” One day Orisich was watching TV and saw a woman her age who had reshaped her body radically through weight training.

“I soon learned how vital weight training was for increasing bone density, and how much a woman could strengthen her physique if she knew how.” She is excited to open Pretty Hard Body, a boutique weight-training studio in Harlem, this summer and dispel the myth that pumping iron is just for men.

116 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

16 PULL YOURSELF UP. Can’t make it to the gym on the regular?

Consider getting a pull-up bar for your home and adding it your routine.

FROM TOP: TH E NOU N PROJ ECT; JAM ES RE YNOLDS; STE VECOLEIMAG ES/G E T T Y IMAG ES .

11

Staying happy means staying healthy. Heart disease remains the number one killer of women in the U.S. To lessen your risk, the American Heart Association recommends you monitor these five key areas:

9 PRESERVE YOUR HISTORY.

LEARN THE SIGNS.

Walrond’s joy shines through in her series of children’s books.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS.

17 LEVERAGE THE LEGACY OF YOUR LOVED ONES.

For a daughter, nothing quite compares to a father’s love. And when Kimberly Wilson lost her dad, 74, to bladder cancer, it was life-changing. “Not being able to talk, joke, hug or seek advice from him was devastating. Being a woman without her father felt foreign to me,” says Wilson. The loss prompted Wilson, a vice-president at Disney and ESPN Media Networks, to work with her mother and sister to create the Chicago-based Dream a Dream (D.A.D.) Foundation. The organization serves youth 7 to 18 years old in the areas of sports, music and entrepreneurship. “We were raised to give back, so this foundation is a continuation and amplification of [my dad and] that lesson,” says Wilson. Channeling grief to help others ensures those we love live on.

18. ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.

By Valorie Burton It was a few days before my birthday when I prayed out loud just in case God had not heard my request the 220 other times or had forgotten just how old I was: I’m going to be 40. I’d like to be happily married, but in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t even have a good prospect. And I’m still hoping to be a mom, but the doctor basically told me that though I look young, my eggs are getting old, so if you could fix this situation soon, I’d be so happy. Almost as soon as the last sentence was uttered, I sensed a response: Valorie, there’s nothing to fix. I stood dumbfounded. Although my life was good, I’d convinced myself I could not truly be happy until every last dream was fulfilled, including my vision of a happy marriage and motherhood. It was a vision I could not shake. But a profound shift happened that morning. The message was this:

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Valorie Burton with her husband, Jef, and their son, Alexander

Stop waiting to be happy until you get what you want.

Be happy while you are waiting for what you want.

Suddenly, I felt compelled to find my happy. As a life coach, I know the power of asking the right questions. Below are a few of the ones that helped me and can help you claim more of your own joy.

20. AM I WILLING TO RISK DISAPPOINTMENT? Happiness is not the absence of negative emotion. To pursue the things that bring joy—love, purpose, forgiveness—you must often deal with fear, disappointment or insecurity. An authentic life is found on the other side of your discomfort. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Set a goal that excites you, even if it scares you.

21. WHO COULD I BECOME IF FEAR DIDN’T STOP ME?

E VERY THING LOVELY PHOTOG R APHY

Sometimes the best question to answer is the one that causes you the most fear. Imagine your worst fear

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and picture yourself making it through. It is a powerful mental exercise to choose who you will be in the face of your fears.

22. WHAT CAN I DO TO BE A LITTLE BIT BRAVER TODAY? The most successful women are not fearless. They are courageous. And it’s not just the big, bold moves. It’s the little ones—like speaking up in a meeting or saying no to a request because you are already overscheduled. Each day, do something that requires you to be a little bit braver, and with each act, you’ll find yourself just a little bit happier.

23. WHICH BOUNDARY IS IT TIME TO SET? When a behavior or situation is not okay with you, you have a decision to make: Request a change or make a change. Both take clarity and courage.

24. LOOKING BACK TEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL I WISH I HAD DONE? Regret drains your happiness.

Whether a relationship or career decision, a health or financial choice, what would your future self wish you had done in this season of your life?

Whatever your answer, do that.

LET THE VISION UNFOLD.

I stopped holding my happiness hostage to my circumstances and decided to be happy right then. It was freeing.

And amazingly, the vision I’d hoped for, the one that included a happy marriage and motherhood, began to unfold not as the source of my happiness but as a by-product of it. I reconnected with a high school classmate who saw one of my book posters in the Atlanta airport. He was a divorced dad with two daughters who had the names I had hoped to call my kids.

Today we’re married and have adopted a son, Alexander, together to round out our family.

Valorie Burton is the best-selling author of a dozen books, including Brave Enough to Succeed and Happy Women Live Better. Access her free happiness meditations at valorieburton.com.

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26 GET YOUR REST.

We know you’re a badass. But taking time to relax and recharge your batteries is necessary. Respite can come in the form of 27. turning of your phone and tuning out social media, 28. soaking in a hot bath with salt and lavender oil or taking a power nap.

Meditation is also efective. Research has shown that 29. setting time aside to disengage, sit in silence and take a mental break improves the “folding” of the cortex and boosts our ability to process information.

30

STAY VIGILANT ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.

African-Americans have the highest colorectal (colon) cancer incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups in the United States. Anthea Noel, R.N., popularly known as Nurse Noel, discovered she had colorectal cancer when she was 25. “Hemorrhoids were the catalyst that urged me to seek help. The pathology report revealed a carcinoma, and I was devastated,” she says. Fortunately, in Noel’s case the cancer was detected early, with zero chance of returning. In addition to family history, modifiable lifestyle factors like smoking, heavy drinking and a diet high in red and processed meats also increase your risk. Now 43, Nurse Noel is a vegetarian and committed to helping others extend their lives. She advises sisters to heed the symptoms of the illness she beat: persistent abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, a change in bowel habits or bloating. “Early detection saves lives and turns tragedy into triumph,” she says.

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31 HONOR YOUR YONI.

Dr. Every Woman will see you now.

Wendy Goodall McDonald, M.D., is committed to every Black woman owning the power of your sexuality.

Here are the top habits ofered by this ob-gyn at Women’s Health Consulting in Chicago and author of It Smells Just Like Popcorn: The Modern Woman’s A to V Guide to Her Vagina and Beyond.

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KEEP HER CLEAN.

Vaginal abnormalities and reproductive cancers can be detected with regular checkups. So see your gynecologist at least once a year for an annual exam, which includes a periodic Pap test to detect cervical cancer, a pelvic exam to look for fibroids or masses on the ovaries and screening for STDs.

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#NoGloveNoLove TO AVOID SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND UNPLANNED PREGNANCY, MAKE SURE YOUR PARTNER USES A CONDOM EVERY TIME YOU HAVE SEX.

YOUR 35 EXPLORE BEAUTIFUL BODY.

Don’t be ashamed to pleasure yourself and find your own G-spot. Just remember to keep your hands and your sex toys clean. I once had a patient who did not discover her clitoris until she was in her mid-forties.

It’s never too late to learn something new about you.

here are men around the world who ind you incredibly attractive and want to be in your presence.

—DIANN VALENTINE EXPAND YOUR POSSIBILITIES.

Valentine (center right) with the ladies of Bravo’s To Rome for Love

118 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

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To become diferent, sometimes you will have to do things diferently. Earlier this year Diann Valentine guided five Black women through the Italian dating scene for the Bravo show To Rome for Love. “I’m not saying Black women can’t find love in the U.S.—they can, and I did. There are plenty of Black women who are finding love,” the celebrated wedding designer says. “But for those who aren’t, I wanted to empower them to know there are men around the world who find you incredibly attractive and want to be in your presence.”

FROM TOP: CH RIS ROG ERS; B R AVO M EDIA /PHILIPPE ANTON ELLO.

It’s okay to cleanse and wash the outside skin daily, however, douching or internally cleansing can throw of the natural pH balance.

Disrupting that balance can increase the vagina’s susceptibility—rather than resistance—to infections.

CHERISH HER.

RECLAIM YOUR CONFIDENCE. In 2010 Donna Washington was told her headaches were being caused by a benign brain tumor. During surgery to remove the mass, the doctor realized the growth was malignant and cancerous cells had entered the brain. After aggressive radiation, Washington was grateful to be in remission. Unfortunately, her hair follicles had not survived. “You look in the mirror and think, Who is this person?” she says. She tried an expensive hair treatment that didn’t work and settled for wigs that were diicult to clip. The pain was compounded by her young son asking, “When are you not going to be sick, and when is your hair growing back?” Then her New Jersey stylist told her about Bologna, Italy–based Cesare Ragazzi Laboratories, which provides custom hair replacement systems using 3D printing. A mold of her scalp was created, and a few months later she had a system that she could swim and sweat in, and keep on for months at a time. “Get dressed—I’m taking you to dinner,” is what her husband of 25 years, Andre, said when she got home that night in 2016 with her new hair in place. “I felt like myself again,” she says. “I kept trying until I found what worked for me.”

38 GET YOUR LIFE.

While you can’t control risk factors for heart disease like age, race and family history, the American Heart Association reports even modest changes to your diet and lifestyle can improve your heart health and lower your risk by as much as 80 percent. To lessen your risk, 39. drink alcohol in moderation; 40. minimize your sodium intake and make healthier food choices; and 41. for five days a week, get at least 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking and stretching exercises.

FROM TOP: CESARE R AGA ZZI (2); DANIELLE GU ENTH ER .

43

42

37

After beating cancer, Washington rediscovered her beauty.

DROP SOME BALLS.

Taking of our capes is essential for the vitality of Black women after generations of being the backbone of this country and conditioned to sacrificing for others. Leadership expert Tifany Dufu, author of Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less, realized she wasn’t superwoman when she found herself crying in the bathroom with breast milk on her shirt after having her first child and returning to her high-powered job.

In the years since, she’s learned to embrace life’s mess and shares her strategy in her book. In the Dufu household—along with her husband, Kojo, and kids, Kofi and Ekua—lives Mel, their management Excel list. It includes a column for each family member and all household needs, “everything from haircuts and laundry to changing oil in the car and watering the plants,” she adds. “You realize there’s too much to be done for all of you to accomplish.

Therefore, we are clear on what won’t be getting done.”

46

NURTURE YOUR CIRCLE.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to keep good people close. “We surround ourselves with people who want us to be our best selves,” Dufu says. 44. Send a thank-you note to ten people who make your world better, and 45. share this article with a friend.

47 CHOOSE YOUR NOS.

Before

It was great for Dufu to learn that her daughter, Ekua, 8, was excelling in piano last year. The excitement halted when the teacher said that the youngster could go further if Dufu attended classes. “I kindly explained to him that during the lesson, I’m working to earn the money for her lesson,” she says. “Knowing the value and time I give to my daughter helped me not feel guilty.”

Dufu and her family in their New York City home

COUNT YOUR WINS.

Last summer Dufu and her husband celebrated their 20th anniversary with a party of their friends and family who supported them on the journey. “I started of doing the vast majority of household labor and caregiving in our relationship and it wasn’t working,” she says. “I had to renegotiate the terms of our relationship in a big way and had a husband who was willing to do that work.” Savor your progress!

48

FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS.

“At the end of each of our lives, for our eulogy you aren’t looking for people to say, ‘Well, she got a lot of things checked of her checklist every day,’ ” Dufu states. “You want people to say that you made the world a better place.”

Follow ESSENCE Senior Editor, Lifestyle & Relationships Charreah K. Jackson on Instagram @CHARREAH, and look for more stories in our Self-Care series to come.

LOVE & LIFE : FOOD CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA There’s more to Low Country

The low-country boil is a Charleston classic.

YOUR TASTE BUDS CAN BE AN EXCELLENT GUIDE TO NEW LOCALES. LET YOUR FORK TAKE YOU TO EXCITING PLACES NEAR AND FAR, INCLUDING THE CARIBBEAN, EUROPE AND AFRICA BY BRIDGETTE BARTLETT ROYALL

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ne of the easiest—and most satisfying—ways to explore a destination is to dine like a local. “Ask locals where they eat, and expand your palate by trying new foods and spirits,” says ESSENCE executive assistant and resident foodie Lynda Peterson, who has passport stamps from Barbuda, Morocco and Spain.

Get ready to add these four spots known for their culinary flair to your travel bucket list.

NEVIS, WEST INDIES Often referred to as the Caribbean’s best-kept secret, Nevis has only around 12,000 residents, yet tasty delights abound. The sister island to St. Kitts is home to six diferent locally produced hot pepper sauces, and you can tour the kitchens that make them by appointment.

Forty-four varieties of mango are grown in this unspoiled region, and the juicy fruit is widely added to dishes. There’s even a Nevis Mango & Food Festival (July 5–8), which attracts international food connoisseurs. Nevisian chefs are pros at farm- and sea-totable dining. They often incorporate fresh mahi-mahi, grouper, lobster and snapper into flavorful creations. Hermitage Plantation Inn features a weekly West Indian bufet, complete with roasted pig, in its Great House, the oldest wooden structure in the Caribbean. Also consider goat water, which is a spicy stew made with goat meat, breadfruit, tomato, onion, herbs, pawpaw, spices and flour.

120 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

BOLOGNA, ITALY Fresh pasta is a given in Italy, and Peterson raves about how this historic city surpassed her expectations: “My boyfriend and I went to Trattoria Anna Maria specifically to try [the restaurant’s] tortellini en brodo.

The classic Italian soup had clear savory broth with soft pillows of tortellini stufed with mortadella. Every bite and slurp was heaven.” The duo also took a cooking class at the home of Carmelita Caruana, founder of Cook Italy. “First we shopped local markets,” says Peterson. “We stopped in to sample cheeses and pastry bites and even had a fresh olive oil tasting. Back at Carmelita’s, we made pasta, cooked my first guinea hen and constructed a poached dessert. The meal was fantastic, and we brought the lessons home.”

ETHIOPIA Virtually all popular foods in this East African country are eaten sans utensils. This is great, as the fare is not meant to be consumed alone. Most meals are served on a communal platter known as a gebeta. Injera, a large, circular and soft flat bread, and berbere, a seasoning made of red chili peppers, onion, garlic and other spices, are the foundation of many recipes. Vegetarians will delight in dishes like shiro wat (a chickpeabased dip), misir wat (a lentil stew) and salata (a tomato-based salad). Meat eaters will enjoy key wat (a beef stew) and doro wat (a chicken stew), often served with a hard-boiled egg. It’s been debated whether cofee originated here, so taking a sip is a must. Buna, the traditional blend, is readily available and usually served in espresso cups. Enjoy!

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: B HOFACK 2 /G E T T Y IMAG ES; JORDAN BAN KS/G E T T Y IMAG ES; NATALIIA MYSAK /G E T T Y IMAG ES; ZOOM ZOOM/G E T T Y IMAG ES; ERIC ISSAC/G E T T Y IMAG ES; TOBY ADAMSON/G E T T Y IMAG ES; BU PPHA WUT TIFERY/E YEEM/G E T T Y IMAG ES; SE AN PAVON E /G E T T Y IMAG ES .

HAVE APPETITE, WILL TRAVEL

cuisine than authentic shrimp and grits. Try a bowl of she-crab soup, considered by some to be the city’s quintessential dish. Usually made with sherry, the creamy concoction is named for the female crab eggs that provide its unique taste. Hush puppies, Hoppin’ John (a rice and black-eyed pea or field pea combo) and low-country boil (a colorful medley of spices, seafood, corn on the cob, potatoes and sausage) are also must-eats. Get a taste of the area’s Gullah culture with perlo. This one-pot meal is composed of rice and meat or seafood. (Vegetables are often added.) For more on the Black Charleston culinary scene, visit sitesandinsightstours.com.

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BEST IN BLACK BEAUTY AWARDS 2018

76 WAYS TO SLAY

Kerry Washington END,

ON SCANDAL’S NEW BEGINNINGS & WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS

99 MORE WOMEN OF COLOR STANDING UP FOR US JOIN OUR SELF-CARE NGE CHALLE 115 p.

GET ER MM SU READY! BOLD COLORS

HOT WHITES HEAD WRAPS WITH A TWIST

ON THE COVER Photography by Kwaku Alston.

Stylist, Joseph Cassell at Starworks Artists. Hairstylist, Takisha Sturdivant at Exclusive Artists using Neutrogena.

Hairstylist assistant, Diana Lucia.

Makeup artist, Carola Gonzalez at Forward Artists using Neutrogena.

Manicurist, Emi Kudo at Opus Beauty using Chanel Le Vernis. Set designer, Walter Barnett at Opus Beauty.

COVER On Kerry Washington: Ben Taverniti Unravel Project dress, $749, barneys .com. Jennifer Fisher hoops, $795, jenniferfisherjewelry.com. Graziela Gems swirl ring, price upon request, grazielagems.com. Ring, subject’s own.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IN LIVING COLOR Page 28: Chromat bustier, price upon request, by custom order, chromat.co

122 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

eriness.com. Sara Weinstock midi ring, $960, saraweinstock.com. On left hand: Graziela Gems swirl ring, price upon request, grazielagems .com. Movado watch by custom order, $1,495, 917-934-4963.

Christian Louboutin boots, price upon request, christianlouboutin .com. Ring, subject’s own.

Pages 106–107: Johanna Ortiz dress, $2,295, johannaortiz.co for stores. Neil Lane earrings, price upon request, and ring, price upon request, Neil Lane Jewelry, Los Angeles, 310-275-5015.

Page 108: Balmain dress, price upon request, balmain.com.

Jennifer Fisher hoops, $350, jenniferfisherjewelry.com. On left hand: Jennifer Fisher ring, $245, similar styles at jenniferfisher jewelry.com. On right hand: Neil Lane ring, price upon request, neillanejewelery.com for more info.

Giuseppe Zanotti boots, $1,250, giuseppezanotti.com. Ring, subject’s own.

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15

THE EXIT INTERVIEW Pages 104–105: Faith Connexion jacket, $2,550, faithconnexion.com.

Ben Taverniti Unravel Project dress, $749, barneys.com.

Jennifer Fisher earrings, $795, jenniferfisherjewelry .com. On right hand: Eriness knuckles, price upon request,

YACHIN PARHAM

Page 5: Balmain vinyl dress, price upon request, balmain.com. Rinaldy Yunardi beret, price upon request, rinaldyyunardi.com for info. Jennifer Fisher hoops, $350, jenniferfisher jewelry.com. Jennifer Fisher ring, $245, similar styles at jenniferfisher jewelry.com. Ring, subject’s own.

Page 8: Chromat bustier, price upon request, by custom order, chromat.co for info. Universal Standard dress, $80, universalstandard.com. Gabi Fresh X Swimsuits For All bikini, $71, swimsuits forall.com. Mignonne Gavigan earrings, $225, mignonnegavigan.com.

for info. Universal Standard dress, $80, universalstandard.com. Gabi Fresh X Swimsuits For All bikini, $71, swimsuitsforall.com. Mignonne Gavigan earrings, $225, mignonne gavigan.com.

Page 29: Margarita Álvarez jacket, price upon request, designermargarita .com. Onion top, $50, whitneymero .com. Christian Siriano trousers, $780, farfetch.com. R.J. Graziano earrings, $35, rjgraziano.com. Alexis Bittar bracelet, $85, and hinge bracelets, $265 each, alexisbittar.com.

Page 30: Onion dress, $175, whitney mero.com. R.J. Graziano earrings, $35, rjgraziano.com. Kenneth Jay Lane bracelet, $300, and amethyst bracelet, $310, kennethjaylane.com.

Brian Atwood sandals, $425, brian atwood.com.

Page 31: Christian Siriano dress, $1,400, farfetch.com. Kenneth Jay Lane earrings, $100, kennethjaylane .com.

Page 32: Christian Siriano top, $720, farfetch.com. Eloquii skirt, $111, eloquii.com. R.J. Graziano earrings, $35, rjgraziano.com.

Kenneth Jay Lane brooch, $150, kennethjaylane.com.

Manolo Blahnik sandals, $725, Manolo Blahnik, NYC, 212-582-3007.

Page 33: Marc Jacobs jacket, price upon request, marcjacobs.com.

Universal Standard shirt, $50, universal standard.com. Love Collins sunglasses, $15, lovecollins.com.

SHOWCASE

TO A DV E R T I S E C O N TAC T 1 . 8 0 0 . 9 3 8 . 4 6 6 0

M AY 2 0 1 8

TO A DV E R T I S E C O N TAC T 1 . 8 0 0 . 9 3 8 . 4 6 6 0

SHOWCASE

M AY 2 0 1 8

SHOWCASE

TO A DV E R T I S E C O N TAC T 1 . 8 0 0 . 9 3 8 . 4 6 6 0

M AY 2 0 1 8

GOOD CREDIT.

HOROSCOPE

GOOD JOBS. GOOD REFERENCES.

OVERVIEW Let me create the scene: Tuesday, May 15, you awaken with a burst of energy, ready and willing to do things diferently. The new moon rises in Taurus, ofering opportunities to manifest change, particularly a shift in the quality of life. Simultaneously, Uranus exits the aggressive sign of Aries and enters the steady march of Taurus too. The two celestial bodies join like Wonder Twins to alter our perception of humanity: If we want better, we must do better. Confrontation can be quashed by patiently building a harmonious community.

We are becoming more aware of what matters most.

TAURUS BUT THE LANDLORD DENIED THEM THE APARTMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE. AND THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY. It’s against the law for landlords to deny your application, give you the run around, charge you more rent, or steer you away from a rental complex or neighborhood because of your race.

If you suspect housing discrimination, file a complaint with HUD or your local fair housing center, so we can investigate it.

To file a complaint, go to

hud.gov/fairhousing or call 1-800-669-9777

April 20 to May 20 Happy solar return, diva. We love your penchant for tasty treats and your habit of pursuing quality over quantity.

So keep on expecting nothing but the best. You’re out to prove that money is not the root of all evil. You want to make it, spend it and invest it to ensure a better life. Travel, go back to school or immerse yourself in another culture.

Marvel at your glorious options and live out loud.

GEMINI May 21 to June 20 You have been thinking about how to resurrect your dreams and aspirations. Even though you yearn for individual success, you’re being taught to include the expertise of a partner who has the required know-how. Work together and share valuable information that could catapult your career to new heights.

Meditate, emerge with a master plan, then watch the competition squirm.

FAIR HOUSING IS YOUR RIGHT. USE IT.

June 21 to July 22 Warning: Snacking on decadent foods during girls’ night out while listening to your friends’ woes could add five unwanted pounds to your hips if you’re

126 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

LEO July 23 to August 22 You’ve been successful at juggling every aspect of your life without falling apart. Congratulations. Your sanity may be saved in two ways: being methodical about executing plans and enjoying the comforts of home by curling up in your favorite chair to rejuvenate. Take a moment to process each step so that you might appreciate the accolades coming your way. Be kind to yourself; you have a lot going on.

VIRGO August 23 to September 22 This month is all about adventure.

Treat yourself to a well-deserved excursion. Be spontaneous, remember a few childhood delights and/or lose yourself in the exhilaration of having fun. Remind others that the magic in receiving love is giving it. Instead of taking care of everyone, give smiles, advice and tender hugs. But know that it’s your duty to keep some of that happy for yourself.

PHILECE ROB ERTS

CANCER

not careful. Although you’re sincere about being helpful, your vibe is quite serious. You’ve had to balance your mate’s needs with those of your pals, which has left you screaming internally, Does anyone think about my day?

Practice self-care and ration how much you give to others.

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LIBRA September 23 to October 22 May finds you poppin’ your collar and accepting a newfound surge of self-respect. You’ve been confronting deep-seated issues that have stunted your growth in the past, and now you’re ready to tackle new challenges.

Ask for assistance from your partner— business or personal—in reaching your goals. Use your charm to find support and ditch the sarcasm. It has a way of putting too much salt in a dish.

SCORPIO October 23 to November 21 There’s a subtle diference between passion and devotion. Passion’s flame burns toward a goal, whereas devotion gets what it wants with a steady yet cool aim. Your need to control a project takes a back seat to being a quiet presence. You may have to talk a colleague of the ledge instead of taking the fall yourself. Consider the less dramatic way to ride or die.

SAGITTARIUS November 22 to December 21 You have lots of energy and are quick to move on to the next thing.

Now’s the time to be productive.

But rather than just staying busy, surrender to a strategy so you can witness the progress in climbing your mountain. You may even be surprised at your earning potential when you take things one step at a time.

CAPRICORN December 22 to January 19 If you’re not comfortable in your private space, then you’ll feel lost and vulnerable. You’re sensitive, so concentrate on your personal foundation to feel secure.

Redecorate, buy more flowers, fix that annoying leak—do anything that allows you to walk through your door full of pride. When the world beats you up, make sure you come home to love, inspiration and solace.

AQUARIUS January 20 to February 18 Others may try to muzzle you this month in an attempt to silence the rebel in you even as you seek the truth.

Are they questioning your belief systems? Perhaps your need to broaden spiritual pursuits has you searching for the integrity within others. Use your intuition to decipher what’s real. The information may be right in front of you. Be careful not to overthink the process.

PISCES February 19 to March 20 There’s a celebration looming on the horizon. Exercising discipline in your career has recently led to a boost in confidence, which could quickly turn into cold cash. It’s easier for a Pisces woman to revel in a daydream than settle into the harsh reality of everyday living. Achieving a balance between the two will soon generate the rewards you deserve. You finally feel as if you belong on this planet.

ARIES March 21 to April 19 Being impulsive is your usual style, but May’s energy has you speaking your desires into existence instead of running into a wall. Make sure your activities are worthy of your time by approaching your next project eagerly and gathering details to be better prepared. Get ready for action by sharpening your mind and your focus.

º

Horoscope by astrological intuit Sonja Marie (wordlifeastrology.com).

Copyright © 2018 by Essence Communications, Inc. (ISSN-0014-0880) (GST 126301159) Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40110178. ESSENCE is published monthly, except January and August, by Essence Communications Inc., 225 Liberty St., New York NY 10281. Return undeliverable Canada address to Postal Stn A, P.O. Box 4015, Toronto ONT M5W 2T2. Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.

Cover and contents may not be reproduced in part or in whole without prior written permission. Magazine available on microfilm and CD-ROM from ProQuest Information and Learning, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor MI 48106. ESSENCE® is the registered trademark of Essence Communications Inc. Periodicals postage paid at New York NY and additional mailing offices. U.S. subscriptions: $22 for one year. Allow six weeks for change of address. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Articles in ESSENCE are in Index to Periodical Articles by and About Blacks (G.K. Hall & Co.). POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ESSENCE, P.O. Box 62120, Tampa FL 33662-2120. Along with new address, please send old address as printed on last label. SUBSCRIBERS: Occasionally we provide our customer list to companies whose products might interest you. If you do not wish to receive these mailings, send your request and a copy of your mailing label to us at ESSENCE *Mailing Preferences,* P.O. Box 62120, Tampa FL 33662-2120. If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. Your bank may provide updates to the card information we have on file. You may opt out of this service at any time.

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CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Whether 2 DOWN is playing an officer of the law or a villain, we will always think of him as The Best Man.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF BLACK HISTORY, POP CULTURE AND ESSENCE TRIVIA Puzzle by Jan Buckner Walker of Kids Across/ Parents Down. The Kids Across Parents Down family activity book series is available on amazon.com.

ACROSS

DOWN 19. Either, neither or both:

1. Those who use any opportu-

12. Power to them: Popular

Today show news anchor who says Anita Baker inspired her classy cut 4. When it comes to movies, it’s the funny stuf 8. Ever-present fashion consultant (even when you’re home alone) 9. Commerce department bureau: _____ Business Development Agency (MBDA for short) 12. Compact format previously popular in music circles 13. Copeland, with the perfect pirouette, who graced ESSENCE’s September 2015 cover 14. After Halle’s home state crowned her Miss _____ in 1986, she was first runner-up to Miss USA 15. Most Steve Harvey fans tune in to this band to hear his drive-time show (abbr.)

16. A net win: Goal-oriented Ashleigh Johnson helped to put our _____ team on the top medal stand in Rio (2 wds) 18. Hollywood’s industry term for the female of the moment who possesses an undefinable star quality: __ girl

Though many get them twisted, “Muslim” (which refers to a religion) and “_____” (which refers to a nationality) are not interchangeable terms 20. Wonderful wool: Himalayaninspired and handwoven, the Pashmina _____ is a status symbol that’s been imitated for the masses 22. Director Amma Asante’s 2013 movie about a slave girl who went to be raised by her White dad’s aristocratic family (or a beautiful and charming guest at the ball) 23. Fresh of the Vine: Canadianborn singer Ruth B’s 2016 hit, based on Peter Pan: “_____ Boy” 24. Initiative that makes a deliberate diference in the workplace 27. An outing, an outing companion or an indication of expiration on a product label 28. Daughter of the King: Cole, whose unforgettable performance with her famous dad in 1991 after his passing originated the virtual duet

nity to abuse the snooze button seldom arrive on it 2. A chocolate lover’s dream: Sanaa’s main man in The Perfect Guy with the captivating chestnut eyes was also one of our favorite Boyz n the Hood 3. Did you know? Leftover cofee grounds, placed in a container with holes in its top, will eliminate _ _ _ __ from your refrigerator or car 5. Straight outta Detroit: With a name that’s as sweet as a song, she’s a Black American Girl 6. Focker father-in-law: Robert, who famously had an on-again, of-again relationship with supermodel Naomi Campbell in the 1990’s 7. An impatient gardener might do it to a green tomato 10. Music without voices 11. Necessary garment: Nobody leaves it behind on a cold winter night

chant for those who are on the front lines in the fight for equal rights and justice: “The people united can never be _ _ _ _ _” 13. From Ava to Zendaya: Bringing 24 Across to its doll dynasty, this toymaker, with headquarters in El Segundo, California, birthed two Black Barbies who proudly rock locs 16. Floor show: It followed the Cupid Shuffle, baby 17. Trump-ette sounds: After being fired three times in her quest for an apprenticeship, she served a brief stint in the White House as assistant to the President and director of communications for the Oice of Public Liaison before returning to her reality TV roots 21. Incomparable R&B vocalist who will “Always and Forever” be loved by his fans 25. Tat’s nickname (or what was in a quill’s well) 26. The main thing you need to do while a portrait artist does the real work

128 ESSENCE .COM MAY 2018

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