WHAT TO WEAR NOW!
40 SPRING TRENDS
LONG LIVE
BLACK PANTHER!
Chadwick Boseman AND THE CAST TAKE US TO ANOTHER WORLD
BLACK
WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD MEET 2018’S HONOREES AND 21 MORE TO WATCH
VISIT ESSENCE.COM MARCH 2018
You can take the superpowers away, but you still gotta have a warrior spirit�
Black Women Are Changing Hollywood The journey from the first audition to the first award is challenging. Yet, women of color continue to overcome its obstacles with elegance and grace, while supporting one another with unwavering sisterhood. Ford is honored to support ESSENCE® Black Women in Hollywood. They truly inspire us to go further.
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MARCH
V VOLUME 48 | NUMBER 10
CO CONTENTS S
74
WATCH THE THRONE As the world prepares to bow down to Wakanda, writer Karen Good Marable caught up with the regal cast and crew of the highly anticipated film Black Panther
82 BLACK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD
TAKAHIRO OGAWA
Our annual ode to the best in the movie biz celebrates the talents of Danai Gurira, Tiffany Haddish, Tessa Thompson and Lena Waithe
90
SPRING FEVER This season fashion flirts with exquisite flowers, delicate fabrics and fun fringe
96 THE NEW RULE OF LAW Meet seven legal luminaries #TakingTheLead in pushing for positive judicial change and justice for our community By Donna M. Owens
Cover Photography by Dennis Leupold On model: Marc Jacobs “One shoulder balloon” blouse, “Harem” pants, turban, bag and embellished flats, Jenny Bird “Ariel” earring and “Serra” ring and Nora Kogan “Love Block” ring. For all styling information and clothing details, see Where to Buy.
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 5
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CONTENTS Style 19 | SPRING ME UP!
What’s in
vogue this season
28 | DOPE STUFF ON MY DESK Cute werk-out essentials
30 | DESIGNER TO WATCH Shoemaker Tori Soudan crafts opulent footwear
32 | STYLE YOUR GUY
Actorsinger Trevor Jackson gives his take on fashion and women
32
Grown-ish’s Trevor Jackson is jumping to higher heights in TV, cinema and music.
Beauty&Hair 35 | TREND WATCH
Rock the hottest runway looks
On Jackson:
Todd Snyder + Champion “Track” jacket, Colmar Originals “Originals by Originals” T-shirt, Dyne “Ingles” pants, Fitbit “Charge 2” watch, Mr Ettika “Front Row,” “Stuck in Limbo” and “Harper” bracelets and New Balance “1300” sneakers. Earrings, subject’s own.
38 | GLAM DIARY
Digital exec Amber Rasberry enlightens us on simplicity and perfume
40 | GOTTA HAVE IT Inexpensive luxuries
42 | THE COMPACT Five updates from the world of glamour
45 | THE EDGE OF GLORY Best practices for a stylish yet damage-free hairline
Love&Life
56 | SPOTLIGHT
Scene 51 | WONDER WOMEN
Black Lightning’s superhero sisters take on crime and prime time
Four ladies who went to the Web to showcase their creativity
101 | THE LOVE SHE PRAYED FOR A former Destiny’s Child member sought a higher power to find her husband
58 | PATRIK’S PICKS
Dive into relationships and the past
52 | ENTERTAINMENT On-screen talents who are creating projects for others Black women are an integral force behind Time’s Up
35
Electric eye shadows are all the rage on the runways.
This author believes faith is key to fulfillment
Lisa Nichols offers an action plan to embrace your sexy body and mind
Issues 63 | TEN THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
106 | SPIRITUALITY Reap the rewards of valuing yourself
Money&Power 67 | HIT THE RESET BUTTON
108 | FOOD
Boost your well-being with a colorful diet
Follow a step-by-step plan to eliminate the burden of debt
70 | I DID IT MY WAY
Fresh from the Black Panther set, this production designer details her path to purpose and progress
8 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
104 | GRAB YOUR GOOD LIFE
In Every Issue 10 12 112 114 116
| | | | |
Let’s Talk What’s on Your Mind Where to Buy Horoscope Crossword Puzzle
FROM TOP: ITAYSHA JORDAN; COU RTESY OF B R AN D.
54 | HAVING OUR SAY
60 | BOOKS
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LET’S TALK : A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
WAKANDA, THE PLACE WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
F
rom the moment my hubby and I stepped onto the purple carpet for the L.A. premiere of Black Panther, I had no doubt I was about to enter a world I didn’t know if I was quite ready for. Since I can’t drop any spoilers here, just trust me that by the time the credits roll, you will know that director Ryan Coogler and the cast and crew have delivered a visual, emotional and cerebral gift that will take you days, weeks, maybe even months from which to recover. But back to the carpet... The Dora Milaje stood watch as fans waited for the stars to come out—and did they ever! It was a who’s who of Black Hollywood: Angela, Lupita, Danai, Issa, Yara, The joy and pride Michael B., King Chadwick and so many more. And in the room was folks from the Marvel universe represented as well to show their support. palpable.” After we went through security, surrendered our MORE WAYS TO ENJOY ESSENCE phones (to prevent pirating), grabbed our mezzanine seats and cracked open the free popcorn tub, the hubby YES, GIRL! PODCAST and I settled in. (And we were there super early because We’ve married two things we love: there was no CPT allowed, or they would have given your tickets to podcasts and interviews with someone else.) bold, brilliant, beautiful women of Slowly but surely, seats began to fill—with celebs hugging and color. ESSENCE’s Yes, Girl! podcast—hosted by staffers Cori Murray, greeting one another as if it were the annual family reunion. Our West Charli Penn and Yolanda Sangweni—is an Coast editor, Regina Robertson, and her guest sat next to us, and the four audio gabfest with celebs and influencers such of us turned spotting people into a game: We see you Laurence Fishburne, as Gabrielle Union, Tiffany Haddish, Erykah John Singleton, Martin Lawrence, Amber Riley, Josh Gad, Tessa Thompson, Badu and Symone D. Sanders. Subscribe on Lena Waithe, Storm Reid, Ava DuVernay, Don Cheadle and—this blew me Apple Podcasts. away—David Hasselhoff. There were more stars I am sure I missed, but I was happy to be there and represent you in the room. ESSENCE FESTIVAL 2018! Before the movie began, Coogler, who introduced the cast, received Searching for the ultimate squad a standing ovation from the entire audience. And then there were goals trip for your crew? Look no shouts and praise hands for each of the stars, and especially for Angela further than the 2018 Essence Fest. We’re transBassett’s yellow-fringed pants! forming this year’s Festival—taking place July 5–8 We ended the night at the cast after-party; the joy and pride in the in New Orleans—into a dream destination that room was palpable. As I clicked my high heels and twirled a few times, I includes something for everyone, with a weekend realized that we deserve more cinematic moments like this. We all do. full of music, food, fashion, empowerment and Let’s make sure that Black Panther shatters every box office record. more. From the free daytime activities to our Do it to demonstrate our strength in numbers. Do it for the culture. ticketed nightly concerts featuring Janet Jackson Stay in touch, and Xscape, among others, you won’t want to miss a moment. Learn more at EssenceFestival.com.
10 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
LOOK FOR THESE ICONS TO DISCOVER DIGITAL CONTENT: ESSENCE.COM
VIDEO
MICHAEL ROWE
VANESSA K. DE LUCA Editor-in-Chief
Twitter: @Vanessa_KDeLuca Instagram: @vanessa_kdeluca E-mail: Vanessa@essence.com
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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 DECEMBER/JANUARY ISSUE: “@Essence, I think people need to see how it’s done [‘Kofi’]. #SexiestManAlive @kofisiriboe #BlackIsBeautiful #BlackMagic.” —@TiffyLachica
“Kudos, ESSENCE, for honoring this beautiful woman [‘Queen Maxine’]. Who can stand with the best of them? Only Maxine Waters. Love her.”
GIFTING WHILE BLACK “It’s so great seeing Auntie Maxine on the cover! Queen, we thank you for your leadership, hard work and dedication.”
Did you take cues from “Your #BuyBlack Gift Guide”? You went to Twitter and sounded h made the commitoff on whether you had m ment to buy presents from Bllack-owned businesses ov the holiday season. over
—@EveryStylishG
—@BurrisMarian1
NO
28%
YES
AGE-OLD DILEMMA AG
We picked three favorites from the posts you shared on Instagram using our hashtags #ESSENCEStyle, #ESSENCETravels and #ESSENCEEats
#ESSENCEStyle: Greeting 2018 with pleasure in Boston —@cassanie
THE MOST LIKED QUOTE ON OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE
#ESSENCEEats: A Kansas City breakfast? Cinnamon roll waffles —@stay_snatched
#ESSENCETravels: Nesting in Indonesia —@nassaugal_to_the_world
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. E-mail us at letters@essence.com
12 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
“Your Debt-Proof Holiday Shopping Plan” contained excellent strategies for spending wisely on purchases at that time of year. But it is so hard to resist the allure—especially in the same issue—of those primo-priced baubles showcased as gift ideas in your annual guide. I imagine it’s no easy solution for editors either (juggling ornaments in the air at the same time). —Mary Levai Upper Montclair, New Jersey
INSTAG R AM , FROM LEF T: C ASSAN DRE L ATORTU E /@ C ASSANIE; COU RTESY OF STAY SNATCH ED; BALI SWINGS .
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PRO P ST YLIST, C HAN EL K EN N EB RE W
From top: Staud “Shirley” bag, $208, staud.clothing. Off-White c/o Jimmy Choo “Claire” heels, price upon request, jimmychoo.com. Zana Bayne “Choker” cuff, $95, shop.zanabayne.com.
SPRING ME UP! FROM TRANSPARENT DETAILS TO RADIANT COLORS, OUR FAVORITE RUNWAY TRENDS ARE WINNING THIS SEASON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN HENN FASHION EDITOR: JOIEE THORPE
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 19
STYLE : SPRING STUNNERS UNNE UN NE ERS
FRINGE FACTOR
TOPSHOP “Rainbow Fringe” bag, $58, us.topshop.com.
REASON TO BE PRETTY “Cassiopeia Tassel” choker, $85, reasonto bepretty.com.
SHASHI “Mia Tassel Fan” earrings, $42, shopbop.com.
CHANNEL YOUR INNER DIVA FASHION EDITOR: JOIEE THORPE
ASOS “Asymmetrical Fringe” dress, $72, asos.com.
Diane von Furstenberg Spring/Summer 2018
BOOHOO “Esme Metallic Fringed Mini” skirt, $2 2 25, us.boohoo.com. BRIAN ATWOOD “Pepper” heels, $985, brianatwood.com.
20 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
LOUISE ET CIE “Julea Bracelet” bag, $178, louiseetcie.com.
»
MODEL, COU RTESY OF DIAN E VON FU RSTEN B ERG . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .
CARAVANA ““Bulkabal Fringed” dress, $728, farfetch.com.
STYLE : SPRING STUNNERS
ULTRA VIOLET
LAFONT “Nec Plus Ultra” sunglasses, $399, viziooptic.com.
THERE’S NO SHRINKING IN PANTONE’S COLOR OF THE YEAR. SHINE ON! FASHION DIRECTOR: JULEE WILSON
MIRACLESUIT “Oceanus” one-piece, $152, miraclesuit .com.
ADMK “Vibrant 3-Bezel” ring, $64, admk jewelry.com.
Mary Katrantzou Spring/Summer 2018
LATITU “City” backpack, $350, latitu.com. NINA “Britt” clutch, $55, ninashoes.com. MOLTON ROWN BRO N ang-Ylang Yla g g ody Bo y Wash,, $30,, molton own.com. bro co
22 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
FURLA “Bouganville Serenissima” slides, $275, furla.com.
»
MODEL, VICTOR VIRGILE /GAM MA- R APHO VIA G E T T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .
DAVID MEISTER floral dress, $695, davidmeister .com.
R E C I P E S C R A F T E D TO TA S T E AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK
1970’ssstyle sunniies
STYL ST YL LE : S SP PR RIIN NG G ST TU UNN N ER E S
FENDI FENDI “Tropi “Tr opical cal S Shine” sungla sun glasse ssess , $500, $50 0, fendi. fen di.com com..
T LIST
THES TH ESE E MI MICR CROT OTRE REND NDS S WILL KEEP YOU ON POINT BY AVO AVON N DORS DORSEY EY
Acne Studios Spring/ Summer 2018
2
oversize hoop earrings DINOSAUR DINOSA UR DES D SIGNS “Rock “R kS Swirl i l Pebble P H Hoop” ” earrin ings, $280, $280 dino osaurdesigns.com.
4
A NEW DAY “Kona Glitter” mules, $23, target.com.
CULT GAIA “Ark Mini Bamboo” clutch, $130, net-a-porter.com. t t
5 dark denim KSENIA SCHNAIDER “Reworked Denim Trench” coat, $1,218, kseniaschnaider.com.
»
24 ESSENCE .COM COM MARCH 2018
MODEL, ESTROP/G ET T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF BR AN DS .
3
basketweave bags
sequin shoes
6
STYLE ST S TYL YLE E : SP SPRING PR RIIING NG S NG STUNNERS T NN TU NER RS
the new lace
GUESS “Dakota” dress, $128, shop.guess.com.
Fausto Pu P gl gli g lisii Spring/ 018 18 Summerr 20
7
cr pp pped d orals s flo ls
artsy designer tees
chic shorts
PRADA “Printed Cotton-Jersey” T-shirt, $440, net-a-porter.com.
ACE & JIG 4, “Hughes” shorts, $224, aceandjig.com.
9 26 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
10
pretty p y in pink SIMPLY STYLED “Women’s Reversible” tote, $15, sears.com.
MODEL, VICTOR VIRGILE /GAM MA- R APHO VIA G E T T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .
8
LUS LOTHING “Overlap leevelesss Crop top, p $46,, ques com ques.com. shoptiques
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FEEL the CLEAN. SEE the GLOW. Body washes that draw out impurities and draw in hydration for naturally glowing skin. A cleanser’s just a cleanser. Unless, it’s Olay.
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Customize one of these awesome anti-slip yoga mats with whatever your spirit desires. Namaste.
7
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Check out the Dope Stuff on My Desk video series at ESSENCE.com.
8
DOPE STUFF ON MY DESK BY JULEE WILSON 1. LUCKY HONEY “The Honey Sock” socks, $24, lucky honey.nyc. 2. FITBIT “Ionic” watch, $300, fitbit.com.
3. SECRET DEODORANT Freshies mini antiperspirant, $5 each, walmart.com. 4. CHANEL Chance Eau Vive Body Oil Spray, $45, chanel.com.
28 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
5. PALMER’S Coconut Oil Formula Anti-Oxidant Firming Lotion, $7, walmart.com. 6. STELLA M CCARTNEY Stella Peony Perfume, $90, 100 ml, sephora.com.
7. REEBOK “Guresu 1.0” sneakers, $80, reebok.com.
9. BOBBI BROWN Extra Glow Palette, $49, bobbibrowncosmetics.com.
8. GEM-WATER Wellness Bottle by VitaJuwel, $78, gem-water.com.
10. SUGARMAT Healing Heart Saint Helena mat, $109, sugarmat.com.
PHOTOG R APHY, TAK AHIRO OGAWA . PRO P ST YLIST, C HAN EL K EN N EB RE W.
HIT THE GYM WITH A FOCUS ON BODY, MIND—AND STYLE (BECAUSE THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM TO WERK WHEN YOU’RE WORKING OUT!)
STYLE : DESIGNER TO WATCH
TORI SOUDAN THIS BALTIMORE-BASED DESIGNER’S SHOES ARE CRAFTED IN THE SAME ITALIAN FACTORY AS MANOLO BLAHNIK’S, AND HER PIECES ARE JUST JU ST A AS S STUNNING STUN ST UNNI NING NG BY JULEE JUL EE WILSON WIL L SON S
ESSENCE: Describe the Tori Soudan Collection for anyone unfamiliar with your creations. TORI SOUDAN: Rich textures and luxurious materials are a common thread that runs throughout my line. For example, my signature laser design pattern can be seen on the Shirley Laser pumps and the Menia booties. I mix surfaces and dimension and manipulate reflection. ESSENCE: There aren’t many Black women in the luxury shoe game. This makes your presence very important. T.S.: My aesthetic has a cultural imprint and it influences me creatively. I also hope that being in this space inspires others to take a leap and pursue their aspirations.
ESSE ENCE: What are your must-have b auty products? be For more T.S.: I love Mischo Beauty nail T on Tori Soudan polishes and MAC Cosmetics Retro and her designs, p M Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Dance check out torisoudan.com. W With Me. ESSE ENCE: E What are your favorite f as h i on houses? fash T.S.:: Barbara Bates, Tae Ashida and Joelle W Wendy Fontaine of I Am Kréyol.
Selecttions o ffrom o the Tori Soud o dan d n ection n Collec on
S SEN SS ENC E N CE .COM NC .C C COM OM O M MARC AR AR RC 018 01 118 8 30 ESSENCE C H 20
MAC Retro Ret ro R o Matte Liquid Lipco Lip Li L pco olour in Dance W Me, $21, With macco mac co m ccosmetics.com.
MISCHO BEAUTY Nail Lacquer in American Hustle and Diana, $17 each, mi chobeaut mis uty.co om. uty o .
SOU DAN , EDINA DODSON . PRODUC TS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .
ESSENCE: You started out as a clothing designer. What sparked your shift to footwear? T.S.: I come from three generations of dressmakers. But an experience as a student at Spelman College piqued my interest in shoes. I traveled to Italy and attended a shoemaking demonstration while studying in Paris. I became fascinated by the craftsmanship in Italianmade footgear.
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© J&JCI 2017
Try these sporty ideas for the men in your life.
S YLE STYL ST E : ME MEN’ N’S S TR TREN ENDS DS D S
R GUY TREVOR JACKSON SCHOOLS US ON LIFE AND HOW TO ROCK MODERN SPORTSWEAR
HERON PRESTON tie-dye twill cap, $145, heronpreston.com.
BY AVON DORSEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ITAYSHA JORDAN HIS APPROACH TO FASHION: “What works for me is always comfort, but I also like to go outside the box—mixing things people would not expect but then when it comes together, it’s pretty dope.” HIS ADVICE FOR WOMEN ON UPGRADING THEIR MAN’S WARDROBE: “Pick out the socks, and he will take care of the rest.”
ASOS “Knitted Co-ord” jacket, $48, asos.com.
FILA Fila “MB” sneakers, $100, fila.com.
WHAT THE 21-YEAR-OLD HAS LEARNED FROM BLACK WOMEN: “The Black women in my life are resilient, strong, nurturing and more powerful than they know.”
º
THE VERY WARM “Reynold” reversible metallic windbreaker, $295, theverywarm.com. BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB “BB Surreal Stickball” shirt, $50, bbcicecream.com. DIESEL “P-Boxer” shorts, $128, diesel.com for stores. MONTBLANC “TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic” watch, price available upon request, montblanc.com. MR. ETTIKA “About Those Vibes” bracelet, $50, and “Mystic Memories” bracelet, $50, mrettika .com. BALLY socks, $30, bally.com for stores. NIKE “SF Air Force 1 Mid” sneakers, $160, nike.com. Earring, Jackson’s own.
32 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
FILA “Neoprene” hand weights, $9–$10 each, kohls.com. Basketball, stylist’s own.
OFF-WHITE C/O VIRGIL ABLOH “Industrial” key chains, $272 each, off---white.com.
ST YLING , AVON DORSE Y. G ROOM ER , MIYAKO J/KEN BARBOZ A .COM . MANICU RE, SU NSHIN E OUTING .
ON THE NEW SUPERFLY FILM, GROWN-ISH AND HIS MUSIC PROJECTS: “It’s a privilege and a challenge to portray such an iconic role as Priest in Superfly. On Grown-ish I play Aaron Jackson, who is all about politics, the culture and furthering the equality of his people. I titled my new album Rough Drafts Pt. 1 because we are always a work in progress.”
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MIRE YA ACIERTO/G E T T Y IMAG ES
BEAUTY
TREND WATCH BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR GLAM ROUTINE THIS SPRING WITH VIBRANT COLORS AND SHOWSTOPPING SHINE BY SIRAAD DIRSHE
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 35
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BEAUTY : RUNWAY REPORT
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36 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
lids
C LO C K W I S E F R O M TO P C E N T E R : F I R S T V I E W. C O M ; B E R T R A N D G UAY/A F P/G E T T Y I M AG E S ; R U N WAY M A N H AT TA N / MONDADORI PHOTO; VICTOR VIRGILE/GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES (2); RUNWAY MANHATTAN/MONDADORI PHOTO; MIRE YA ACIERTO/GETT Y IMAGES; ANDREAS SOL ARO/AFP/GETT Y IMAGES . PRODUCTS , COURTESY OF BR ANDS .
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MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Le Marc Liquid Lip Crayon in Flaming-oh! ($26, sephora.com).
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GIVENCHY Gloss Interdit Vinyl ($30, sephora.com). LAURA GELLER Color Luster Lip Gloss Hi-Def Top Coat ($19, laurageller.com).
BEAUTY : GLAM DIARY
DRUNK ELEPHANT T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90, sephora.com).
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Amber Rasberry
@razz2theb
THIS TRAILBLAZING ENTERTAINMENT EXEC HELPED LAUNCH THE LAUGH OUT LOUD! NETWORK AND IS INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONTENT CREATORS. UNSURPRISINGLY, HER APPROACH TO BEAUTY IS JUST AS MOTIVATING BY SIRAAD DIRSHE
L’ORÉAL PARIS Collagen Moisture Filler Day/Night Cream ($11, lorealparisusa.com).
Rasberry rejuvenates at the Blue Oak Camp in Clear Oaks, California.
“It’s been an amazing year, and I’ve learned I cannot do it alone. During the hectic time [of starting Kevin Hart’s digital comedy streaming service], my parents, sister and friends made calls, sent texts and led their own social media campaign to support the [project].”
K.I.S.: KEEP IT SIMPLE “My beauty philosophy is, ‘Do what makes you feel good.’ Some days I’m a designer shoe and red lipstick girl, and other days I rock lip balm and Adidas. But regardless of the day or the look, I always wear perfume.”
SELF-ASSURANCE IS KEY FARMACY Sle l ep Tight Firming ght Balm ($48, Nig macybeauty.com). farm
38 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Tahoe ($47, narscosmetics.com).
“I am inspired by the confidence I see in my mother. There’s an ease when you are comfortable in your skin, a space of being present. That is what defines real beauty.”
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP RIG HT: CHIK A CH U KU DEB ELU; B RIAN WONG; B W BANKS; COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT. PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF BR AN DS .
Hollywood
YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH
BEAUTY : GOTTA HAVE IT
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the COMPACT FIVE FRESH PICKS ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH
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BY JULEE WILSON
L E T T H ER E B E LIGH T
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Whatt if Wha if we we told told yo you u your most your m ost lu lumin minous ous skin ski n coul could d be be only only a few few drops dro ps awa away? y? Goo Good d news news:: Lancôm Lan côme e has has deve develop loped ed a stunni stu nning ng coll collect ection ion of emul emul-sion sio n drop dropss that that ca can n turn turn yo your ur founda fou ndatio tion, n, moi moistu sturiz rizer er or bod body y oil oil into int o a ve vesse ssell of of liqu liquid id lus luster ter.. Actr Actress ess Lupita Lup ita Ny Nyong ong’o ’o apt aptly ly ser serves ves as th the e official offic ial fa face ce of the hi highl ghligh ighter ters, s, whi which ch range ran ge in col color or fro from m a de deep ep bro bronze nze to a light lig ht cha champa mpagne gne.. “I “I alwa always ys lik like e to to show show off Lupita Lup ita’s ’s ski skin. n. The dr drops ops gi give ve a real real gl glow ow and add de dewin winess ess,” ,” cel celebr ebrity ity ma makeu keup p arti artist st Nic Nick k Barose Bar ose te tells lls ES ESSEN SENCE. CE. “P “Powd owder er hig highli hlight ghter er can someti som etimes mes tu turn rn fro frosty sty an and d meta metalli llic, c, whi which ch rea reads ds like lik e make makeup, up, wh where ereas as thi thiss liqu liquid id for formul mula, a, whe when n used used sparin spa ringly gly an and d appl applied ied on to top p of of chee cheekbo kbones nes,, mimi mimics cs thatt natu tha natural ral ra radia diance nce co comin ming g thro through ugh fr from om und undern erneat eath h the sk skin. in.”” Get Get cre creati ative ve wit with h thes these e vers versati atile le cos cosmet metics ics—t —they hey can al also so be use used d as as an an eye eye sha shadow dow or a blu blush. sh. Ti Time me to glo glow. w. LANCÔME PARIS Tei Teint nt Ido Idole le Cus Custom tom Hi Highl ghligh ightin ting g Drop Dropss ($35 ($3 5 each each,, lanc lancome ome-us -usa.c a.com) om)..
DREAM CREAM
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MARCH RCH 20 2018 18 42 ESS ESSENCE ESSENC ENCE E .COM COM MA COM
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HI WILDFLOWER Botanical Matte Lipstick in Hawaii Sun ($27, hiwildflower.com).
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STUNNIN NG SKIN
It’s no surprise tha at Vaseline products are likely the first things we reach for when w our skin needs some extra TLC. And now the brand has debuted its most luxurious offe ering to date. The 100 percent pu ure cocoa and shea butter moistu urizer has four times more emollie ents than any other lotion by the company. VASELINE Intensiv ve Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter ($6, targe et.com).
NEW FLAME Love letters are some of the purest expressions of emotion, and they are treats we can reread time and time again. The same feeling of warmth and affection is what Nya Kam, founder of Love Notes, hopes to stir whenever you light one of her soy wax candles. The hand-poured collection is composed of custom-blended fragrances that will definitely ignite y your senses and dh heart. t. LOVE NOTES No. 5 Soy S Wax Jar Candle ($2 25, ogonewyork.com m).
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Follow w ESSENCE Fashion & Be eauty Director or Julee Wilson @MISSJ @MISSJULEE.
H I G H L I G H T E R D R O P S : P H OTO G R A P H Y, K E V I N S W E E N Y. PROP STYLIST, CHANEL KENNEBREW. MODEL, CINDY ORD/ G E T T Y IMAG ES . PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS .
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THE LOOK
Diversify your lipstick stock this season with a lip-smacking orange hue. Fuchsias and brightt reds aren’t going anywhere, but we’re certain this bold sunset-inspired lippy by one of our favorite nontoxic beauty lines will create one powerful pout.
PROMOTION
ESSENCE® SENSORY WONDERLAND
OUT & ABOUT SEEN ON THE SCENE
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Clockwise from left top to bottom: 1. #SquadGoals in BOOM, a room with interactive LED-lit drums. 2. Attendees got behind the wheel of The 2018 Toyota Camry to experience a multi-sensory audio visual journey in the DROOL room. 3. DJ Suzi Analogue kicked off the day with a dope set. 4. The THROB room featured a pulsing life-size heart that encouraged guests to create instagrammable moments. 5. The 2018 Toyota Camry. 6. Chrome pipe graphics and engine sounds lured attendees into the PULSE room. 7. Roc Nation artist, Young Paris, brought Afro-Beats to Brooklyn during his set. 8. Dreamville Recording artist, Ari Lennox, joins her crowd of fans joins her crowd of fans after her stellar closing performance. 9. Dynamic DJ Duo Lion Babe.
Photo credit: Mel D. Cole; Nader Hilmi
ESSENCE® partnered with Toyota to create “Sensory Wonderland” an experiential playground rooted in the theme of Afrofuturism – the culmination of black culture, technology, liberation and pure imagination. Held in Brooklyn, New York on December 9th – the event brought the 6 pillars of the newly redesigned 2018 Toyota Camry to life. Guests entered “instagrammable” themed rooms (Hunger, Boom, Lust, Throb, Pulse and Drool) and enjoyed DJ sets and performances by Suzi Analogue, Sharaya J, Lion Babe, Young Paris and Ari Lennox.
H A I R . N A I ’ VA S H A J O H N S O N U S I N G O R I B E H A I R C A R E / E XC LU S I V E A RT I S T S . M A K E U P, A M B E R A M O S / T H EO N LY. AG E N C Y. MANICURE, SUNSHINE OUTING. STYLING, AVON DORSEY. FOR CLOTHING AND ACCESSORY DETAILS, SEE WHERE TO BUY.
HAIR The EDGE of GLORY
Having a gorgeous hairline has deep cultural roots, yet properly caring for it often takes a back seat. Here’s a rundown on the tools, products and techniques— even massage—that are vital for maintaining healthy locks BY SIRAAD DIRSHE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ITAYSHA JORDAN
T
aming and creatively styling the tendrils along our hairline is a popular Black tradition. The art of meticulously laying down our softest strands with the same attention to detail that brilliant painters give their masterpieces seemingly first emerged in the early seventies. In the 40 years since, the ritual has made its way to Hollywood, with stars like Yara Shahidi and Rihanna sporting their waves of baby hair on the red carpet. The tools and techniques used for this practice have remained the same, according to celebrity hairstylist Nai’vasha Johnson, whose clients specifically request to have their “baby hairs poppin’.” Says Johnson, “I like to use a rattail comb or a toothbrush—like a legit toothbrush. Sometimes you have to go back to what worked to begin with, and that toothbrush is epic.”
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 45
HAIR : EDGES
TRESS DISTRESS What happens when we don’t slick down our baby hairs in a healthy way? Our hairline is delicate and easily subject to thinning or hair loss. It’s typically “the first area to be affected when you’re going through stress,” says Gina Conwell, owner of Desired Extensions. The online boutique provides hair extensions for women battling cancer and suffering from alopecia. Another source of stress is the tension caused by damaging hairstyles. According to Michelle Henry, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City, the small bumps that sometimes appear at the root of a tight new do are the ultimate sign of edge trouble. “It’s inflammation, and that is your follicles screaming out,” she says. After this you will usually begin to notice gradual thinning. When they’re worn for too long or done too tightly, our protective go-tos (braids and cornrows, for example) can also weaken wispy strands along the hairline. “You’ll start to see the slowing down of hair growth [too] and then eventually the scalp becomes very shiny,” Henry says. “It’s a sign of scarring.”
»
46 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
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HAIR : EDGES
BACK TO BASICS “If you catch [thinning] early, you can reverse it,” Henry says. The best course of action? Opt for stress-free styles, like looser braids, and focus on care. From digestible supplements that reduce inflammation to growth-stimulating shampoos and conditioners, products promising flourishing edges abound. Yet some of best advice can also be the most practical: Massage your scalp and hairline daily and cleanse them regularly. Removing debris and encouraging circulation will help to ensure you have ample strands to curl, shape and style as you wish.
Nai’vasha Johnson (@naivashaintl), who crafted the dos in this story, is one of the most sought-after celebrity hairstylists. Her clientele includes Yara Shahidi, Uzo Aduba, Wanda Sykes and John Legend.
SHARMOOZ LOS ANGELES The Snood Th Boutique Scarf ($38, sharmooz .com). CURLS Blueberry l b Bliss l Curll Control Paste ($9, target.com).
EDEN BODY WORKS Coconut Shea Control Edge Glaze ($9, edenbodyworks.com).
STYLING MUST-HAVES
BRIOGEO Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo o ($42, sephora.com).
PRODUCTS , COU RTESY OF B R AN DS
DOLLBABY D BEAUTY Edgi Brush E (($10 each, ch, dollbab by co.com m).
Dermatologists and hairstylists alike agree that hair health is paramount for rocking fly edges. A key is using the right products. To revitalize tresses, try items infused with detoxifying ingredients, like charcoal, which exfoliate and cleanse the scalp, and cherry blossom. A perfect-size brush, control gels and a silk scarf can also help ensure that those strands stay put. Check out a few products we’ve picked for you.
DARK AND LOVELY Edge Sleeker ($6, amazon .com). com)
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AVEDA Prramāsana Ex xfoliating Sc calp Brush ($2 25, Aveda).
KIEHL’S Hair Restructuring Concentrate ($20, kiehls.com).
OGX X Heavenly Hydration Cherry Blossom Sha ampoo and Conditiioner ($9 each, ulta a.com). . MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 49
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WOM EN , MARC HOM/ TH E C W. INSE T, E ARL G IBSON III/G E T T Y IMAG ES .
Nafessa Williams (far left) and China Anne McClain; (inset) Black Lightning creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil.
WONDER WOMEN ON BLACK LIGHTNING, NAFESSA WILLIAMS AND CHINA ANNE MCCLAIN WIN AS SISTER STREET SOLDIERS BY BRITNI DANIELLE
O
ne of the first Black superheroes from a major comic book has been resurrected for the screen by married creative duo Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. The CW’s Black Lightning, starring Cress Williams, centers on a father who uses his superhuman powers to protect his embattled community from The One Hundred, a vicious street gang, and the police, who regularly terrorize the city’s Black residents. Sound familiar? But Black Lightning is more than just a story about a vigilante. The superhero’s daughters—Anissa, aka Thunder (Nafessa Williams), and Jennifer, aka Lightning (China Anne McClain)—are at the heart of it all and powerful in their own right. “Although the show’s called Black Lightning, I wanted it to be clear from the very beginning that this was going to be an egalitarian process and women’s voices would always run through it,” says cocreator Salim Akil. “I couldn’t write a story without these women being strong and opinionated.”
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 51
SCENE : ENTERTAINMENT
THESE HEAVYWEIGHTS ARE SCORING BIG WINS BY CREATING THEIR OWN CONTENT BY REGINA R. ROBERTSON Viola Davis and Julius Tennon JuVee Productions
Kerry Washington Simpson Street Productions
Jordan Peele Monkeypaw Productions
Six years ago, as Viola Davis’s career was nearly in full swing, the now Oscar winner teamed up with her husband and fellow actor, Julius Tennon, to launch JuVee Productions (yes, the “Ju” is for Julius and the “Vee” is for Viola) to offer a platform for Black creatives and all people of color. We want to provide an opportunity for people to say, ‘This is who I am; this is what I want to do and how I want to do it.’
”
—JULIUS TENNON
WHAT’S WHAT S IN THE WORKS I ALMOST FO FORGOT ABOUT YO Based on YOU Te Terry McMillan’s 20 best seller, 2016 th he flick will feature D Davis in the lead ro Malcolm D. role. Le is slated Lee to o direct.
GIRLS LIKE US The big-screen film adaptation of Rachel Lloyd’s d critically acclaimed book is about the victims of human trafficking.
In 2012, five years before the release of the Oscar-nominated Get Out, Jordan Peele formed Monkeypaw Productions. “The name comes from a 1902 short story about the dangers of getting what you want and the price of unforeseen consequences,” he says. In the last year we’ve focused more aggressively on development.
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WHAT’S IN THE WORKS
THE LAST O.G. Tracy Morgan is back! He costars with the ever-hilarious Tiffany Haddish in this TBS sitcom created by Peele. It premieres April 3.
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY Helmed by Underground’s Misha Green, the HBO show follows a Black family in Jim Crow America dealing with human and supernatural monsters. BLACK DON’T CRACK This upcoming ABC series highlights three sorority sisters of a certain age. (Think the Black version of The Golden Girls.) Larry Wilmore will co–executiveproduce, and Regina Hicks is writing.
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BLACK KLANSMAN John David Washington, Laura Harrier and Corey Hawkins will appear in the thriller, a creative collabo with Spike Lee.
Though she’ll soon be retired from handling business as Olivia Pope, Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street (named for the Bronx street her mom grew up on) has got a huge arsenal lined up. Says Washington, “My hope is to continue producing unique and entertaining stories that affirm the human condition.” I’m interested in the kinds of projects I want to watch.
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WHAT’S IN THE WORKS
FIVE POI POINTS NTS A di i l series i for f digital Facebook, this story follows five high school students who experience a life-changing event from different points of view. From left: director Thomas Carter, Nathaniel J. Potvin and Raymond Cham, Jr.
CITY OF SAINTS & THIEVES Simpson Street joins forces with Will Packer for this motion picture, based on the mystery novel. Insecure’s Melina Matsoukas will direct. GOLDIE VANCE Rashida Jones is adapting and directing this film. It’s based on the comic books about precocious 16-yearold Goldie, who aspires to become the in-house detecc tive at her parents’ historic hotel in Miami.
FIRST COLUMN, FROM TOP: JASON LAVERIS/FILMMAGIC; STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE; GREG DOHERTY/GETTY IMAGES. BOOKS COURTESY OF PUBLISHERS. SECOND COLUMN, FROM TOP: JAMIE M C CARTHY/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF TBS; MANNY CARABEL/GETTY IMAGES; NICHOLAS HUNT/GETTY IMAGES; TAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGIC; WALTER M C BRIDE/ WIREIMAGE; MIREYA ACIERTO/GETTY IMAGES. THIRD COLUMN, FROM TOP: JASON LAVERIS/FILMMAGIC; CHARLEY GALLAY/GETTY IMAGES FOR MARRIOTT HOTELS; BARRY KING/ GETTY IMAGES; ARAYA DIAZ/WIREIMAGE; J. COUNTESS/GETTY IMAGES; LEON BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR ESSENCE; COURTESY OF BOOM! STUDIOS; STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE.
HOLLYWOOD’S NEWA-GAME
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SCENE : SPECIAL
HAVING OUR SAY TIME’S UP FOUNDING MEMBER AND ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY NINA SHAW TALKS ABOUT THE ONGOING PUSH FOR EQUALITY AT WORK BY REGINA NA R. R ROBERTSO ROBERTSON
POWER MOVES
Nina Shaw
ES SSENCE: How can men participate in Time’s Up? SH HAW: They are important allies in th e fight for parity and gender equality. eq We will only achieve it if men me join us. We all benefit if everyone on is in the room.
United in black, women took their advocacy to the red carpet at the Golden Globes.
ES SSENCE: What can we do individua allly to make a difference?
D
uring this year’s Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood, dressed in all black, spoke out about Time’s Up, the women-led initiative advocating for equity and safety in the workplace across industries. (The campaign’s Legal Defense Fund, which stood at $19.1 million at press time, continues to grow.) Producer Shonda Rhimes, actress Tracee Ellis Ross and lawyer Nina Shaw are among the prominent players on the front lines. A few weeks following the official launch of Time’s Up (January 1), Shaw discussed the mission, the part Black women will play and how we all can effect change.
ESSENCE: Since its start, the campaign has become the talk of Tinseltown. Were you surprised?
54 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
We want to see change that makes abuse something of the past. NINA SHAW: We were pleased that there was so much support. It indicates the tremendous need and desire for solutions that make it possible for all of us to move ahead. ESSENCE: What is the relationship between Me Too and Time’s Up? SHAW: Like all activists we at Time’s Up stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We owe a tremendous debt to Tarana Burke, who created the Me Too movement to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault. While we are separate, we are aligned in wanting to see change that makes abuse something of the past.
SHAW: We need to talk to one another honestly—at home, our places of worship and the workplace—about the impact of sexual harassment. We can stop engaging in behaviors we know are wrong, and call people out when we hear or see bad behavior. We must also acknowledge that, as people of color, we have an obligation to support one another. Regina R. Robertson (@reginarobertson) is ESSENCE’s West Coast editor.
Applications for legal aid through the Time’s Up fund can be submitted at nwlc.org.
TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: VENTURELLI/WIREIMAGE; DAVID CROTTY/PATRICK M C MULLAN VIA GETTY IMAGES; GEORGE PIMENTEL/WIREIMAGE; AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/ FILMMAGIC; STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE; STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE. BOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT: STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES; GEORGE PIMENTEL/WIREIMAGE; AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES. SHAW, EARL GIBSON III/GETTY IMAGES.
E ESSENCE: What is s the role of Black w women in this campaign? SHAW: We have historically been S fi fierce e advocates for ourselves and lea aders in all civil rights movements. We continue to do so as part of Time’s Up p. For example, Anita Hill, whose lea adership is so vital, chairs The Co ommission for the Elimination of Se exual Harassment and Advancing Eq quity in the Workplace.
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GITALLY EAKING MEET ME ET F FOU OUR O R BLACK WOMEN USING W ES TO CONTROL THEIR WEB WE B SE SERI RIE E O RATIVES IN HOLLYWOOD OWN OW N NA NARR RR B ELA BY ELAYNE YNE FL LUKER
RACHAEL HOLDER Creator, writer and director
I Love Bekka & Lucy stage13.com, season one
DIARRA KILPATRICK Creator, writer and executive producer
American Koko abc.com, seasons one and two
CHANELLE APONTE PEARSON Director
195 Lewis 195lewis.com, season one Tired of not seeing Black, queer women navigate building careers and exploring polyamorous relationships reflected on-screen, Rae Leone Allen and Yaani Supreme
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AMANDA SEALES Creator, writer and executive producer
Get Your Life blavity.com, seasons one and two Amanda Seales describes her smart and hilarious show—which documents her move from New York City to Los Angeles—as “a scripted comedy about a Black woman’s very unscripted life.” It also features a hefty dose of dating woes because, the actress says, “the romantic side of things is annoyingly predictable at this point.” Part of the current problem? Men who expect Tiffany DuBois (her character on HBO’s Golden Globe– nominated phenom, Insecure) to show up instead of Seales, the unapologetic truth teller, who says she can spot a “f--k boy” within 24 hours. “The most positive outcomes happen by just letting the truth be known in a tactful way.” Seales also hosts a weekly podcast, Small Doses, which “brings potent truths for everyday use.”
dreamed up, developed and produced 195 Lewis. Producer Chanelle Aponte Pearson was tapped for her first stint as a director. “As a queer woman of color who consumes media, I’m always yearning for content that helps me feel seen, connected and less alone. I wanted to be part of something that could do the same for others,” says Pearson.
Follow ESSENCE Entertainment Director Cori Murray on Twitter @CORIMURRAY.
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: SMITH DAVIS STU DIO; ELTON AN DERSON; JOMO FR AY; STAG E 13 .
In her bold comedy, Diarra Kilpatrick stars as agent Akousa Millard, codenamed Koko, who investigates sticky racial situations for the Everyone’s a Little Racist (E.A.R.) Agency. “I was 100 percent influenced by the time we were in,” Kilpatrick says of making the YouTube hit with a $3,000 budget. “Obama was still president and people were asking, ‘Are we in a postracial America?’ That was laughable…. So I thought, What if that were possible? What if these problems were fixable? That seemed like a lot of fun, and I just kind of dove in.”
By wisely casting one of her friends, Gina Rodriguez (before she became a Golden Globe winner), in the original version of her series, Rachael Holder was able to use it as a “walking résumé.” Fast-forward to the show’s current form—starring Jessica Parker Kennedy and Tanisha Long—and it’s now airing on Warner Bros.’s digital platform, Stage 13. “I was waiting for someone to give me a job. But it just wasn’t working out,” says Holder. “I needed to stop waiting for permission and just create the work.”
GREAT COKE TASTE WITHOUT SUGAR? YUP. ®
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SCENE : PATRIK’S PICKS
The GOOD READS THIS MONTH’S EXCIT TING PAGE-TURNERS ARE E PERFECT FOR ROMA ANCE AND HISTORY BUFFS S BY PATRIK HENRY BASS
THE GOOD LIFE Journalist Mark Whitaker’s exhaustive and compelling Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance (Simon & Schuster, $30) is a tour de force. In it, the former Mark Newsweek editor Whitaker takes us back to Black Pittsburgh, a onetime mecca for Negro excellence whose global impact remains.
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WIDEMAN’S WISE TALES Ima agine if you were privy to oc conversations between fa amed abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Jo ohn Brown. That’s the trreat that aw waits you in Jo ohn Edgar Wideman’s W John Edgar sttirring Wideman American A Histories (Scribner, $26). The da azzling literary effort bends th he boundaries of the story fo orm with winning results. LITTLE L ITT ROCK LEADER Som me images we will never f g for get. For me, seeing M el ba Pattillo Beals of t the Little Rock Nine being h ara assed by a crowd of Whites while trying to integratte Central High School still haunts. In her memoir, I Will Not Fear (Revell, $16.99), she provides a powerful testimony of courage, faith and Melba Pa attillo Beals persistence. Follow ESSENCE Editorial Projects Director Patrik Henry Bass on Twitter @PATRIKSPICKS.
BASS , SE AN BU RROWES . CLOCK WISE FROM TOP RIG HT: JONATHAN J IM ÉN E Z; J E AN CH RISTIAN BOU RC ART; FR AN K FROST; J EN NIFER S . ALTMAN; AN DRE A SCH ER . BOOK STILLS: PHOTOG R APHY, KE VIN SWEENY. PROP ST YLIST, C HAN EL K EN N EB RE W.
L’AMOUR, L’AMOUR “What the world needs now is love, sweet love,” and in The Wedding Date (Berkley, $15), Jasmine Guillory serves it up in delicious doses. If you enjoy Hallmark Channel movies, this book is right up your alley. Jasmine Although Drew Guillory meets Alexa on an elevator, nothing about their journey is conventional. Kudos to Guillory, whose lively dialogue is matched by her multifaceted characters.
BR ROWNSTONE BLUES Ac confession: My love for Bro ooklyn knows no bounds. So when a copy of Halsey Strreet (Little A, $24 4.95) arrived, I instantly felt a connection. Aftter I dove into o Naima Coster’s debut Naima nov vel, that connecCoster tion n grew deeper. Thiis moving yarn gives us enc chanting heroine Penelope Gra and. She’s dealing with her sud ddenly gentrified neighborhood, which presents unw welcome surprises.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mom always used to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inspire a generation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Gabby Douglas, Olympic champion gymnast
Inspiring interviews with and photographs of groundbreaking women The companion book to the extraordinary TIME.com project includes profiles of more than 40 women who have challenged convention and are setting a new course for the world.
AVA I L A B L E W H E R E V E R B O O K S A R E S O L D A N D F R O M T I M E I N C S H O P.C O M
To explore the full series, visit TIME.com/Firsts ÂŞ 5JNF *OD #PPLT 5*.& JT B SFHJTUFSFE USBEFNBSL PG 5JNF *OD SFHJTUFSFE JO UIF 6 4 BOE PUIFS DPVOUSJFT
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In her latest work, the author of SKIRTS in the Boardroom (Wiley, 2008) has once again tailored her advice to women. She attributes her increased audience to her growing faith and to finding her voice. “The more I shared what God was showing me, the more others were drawn to a fresh message that spoke to an unspoken aspect of God’s vision for our lives,” she
I’m more passionate than ever about helping women upgrade their faith and unleash their wealth. —MARSHAWN EVANS DANIELS on to become a top baton twirler, for which sight is critical. She thought she’d met her soul mate, but after discovering the man was cheating, she canceled the nuptials six days before her wedding. In her darkest moments, she says, she tapped into her inner resource and called on her Higher Power. For this motivational speaker, believing in one’s potential, self-worth and greater possibilities is key to achieving goals and making a difference. Indeed, she feels strongly that finding a deeper significance provides an unshakable foundation for fulfilling your mission.
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says. “Today I’m more passionate than ever about helping women—and men—upgrade their faith and unleash their wealth. God wants us to maximize our gifts and talents and use them to change the world just like the Proverbs 31 woman.” I’ll admit I’m a skeptic about self-help guides, but Believe Bigger is something special. Daniels’s five reinvention steps are all doable. She thinks faith and fear are divinely designed to coexist, because fear is meant to activate your faith. “You may not know what the future holds, but you know who holds the future,” says Daniels. Wise words from a woman who refuses to let no hold her back. —P.H.B.
PHOTOG R APHY, KE VIN SWEEN E Y. PROP ST YLIST, CHAN EL KEN N EB RE W.
Pulmonary hypertension puts unbearable stress on the heart.
ou can’t knock Marshawn Evans Daniels’s hustle. The erstwhile employment-law attorney launched a thriving sports and marketing agency (without a background in sports), was third runner-up in a Miss America pageant and tours the international lecture circuit. Things may look easy for the proud Texan, but she’s had her struggles. Once improperly categorized as a “problem child,” Daniels eventually graduated from Georgetown University Law Center after raising more than $200,000 in scholarship funds. So how does she do it? In Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose, she shares the secrets to her success and spiritual fulfillment. Throughout the pages, Daniels, who calls herself a “reinvention strategist,” takes you through the highs and lows of a life she credits to her following her divine path: Born legally blind in her left eye, she went
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SSU S Tiffany Mikell
Kortney Ziegler
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THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
PHON E, KORTN E Y ZIEG LER . MIKELL, NOAH G ELFMAN . ZIEG LER , RYAN PFLUG ER .
BY TANYA A. CHRISTIAN
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AN APP THAT GIVES BACK
Across the nation cities like Chicago have made serious efforts to reform the bail system, but even with noteworthy advancements, Blacks are detained in jail at nearly five times the rate of Whites, according to a report by the Justice Policy Institute. Inspired by the work of organizations such as National Bail Out, Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs Tiffany Mikell and Kortney Ziegler, Ph.D., created an app that makes it easy to aid the bail relief movement. Through a Web-based giving platform called Appolition, donors—also known as Appolitionists—can link their credit card to the site, and with each purchase Appolition will round up the amount to the nearest dollar. Spare change goes to a bail fund. Since launching this past November, Appolition has raised more than $40,000. Ziegler tells ESSENCE, “It’s been really incredible to see so many different people— from elders to [the] young, college students to celebrities—be excited about this app and the cause.”
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 63
ISSUES : TRENDING TOPICS
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HOLDING ON TO HISTORY
CAMPUS CHANGEMAKERS
KNOWING YOUR WORTH
African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a $25 million fundraising initiative led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will conserve historic sites that tell the story of our nation through the Black experience. The fund will also support research on how preservation impacts our urban communities. Visit savingplaces.org for more info.
A University of Pennsylvania student group has made fighting for social justice an extracurricular enterprise. Beyond Arrest: Re-Thinking Systematic Oppression (BARS), in partnership with Graterford State Correctional Institution, plans to sponsor a literacy workshop in which students, over the course of this semester, will edit the commutation letters of men serving life sentences.
A study from Washington University in St. Louis titled Promoting Resilience Among African American Girls: Racial Identity As a Protective Factor shows a direct link between the educational success of young Black girls and a healthy racial identity. Researchers found that when adolescent females view their Blackness favorably, they are more likely to be academically curious.
PAYING HOMAGE
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Harassment is a secret problem that can be pushed into the shadows by nondisclosure agreements that keep things in the dark. We need to shine a light.
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—Anita Hill, addressing attendees, at the National Women’s Law Center’s #MeToo event
FINANCIAL GAINS A report by the United Negro College Fund has confirmed that HBCUs are an integral part of the American landscape. The first study of its kind, HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities found that these schools generate more than $14.8 billion annually in revenue for their surrounding communities.
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Erin Jackson Maame Biney
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NEW RULES
SHIFTING FOCUS
BREAKING BARRIERS
The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts is calling on the state—whose capital was dubbed the “most unwelcoming city for African-Americans” in a Boston Globe article—to evaluate development contracts over $100,000 differently. A revised policy would make diversity count for more than 25 percent of the criteria for awarding bids on land owned by the state’s port authority.
Leading up to the monumental special election this past December, the Alabama Institute for Social Justice (AISJ) announced that it was now aiming to mobilize marginalized groups and create political and social equality. AISJ will do this through a number of initiatives, which include training people in advocacy and leadership.
For the first time in Olympic history, two Black women will represent America in speed skating. Maame Biney, 18, a Ghana native, and “newbie” ice skater Erin Jackson, 25, of Ocala, Florida, snagged spots on the shortand long-track teams, respectively, after achieving personal bests in December during U.S. qualifiers for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
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For trending topics, follow Tanya Christian on Twitter @TANYAACHRISTIAN.
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Before the 2006 fire that destroyed the interior of Chicago’s Pilgrim Baptist Church, the famous landmark provided a stage for some of the nation’s greatest gospel singers. Now Don Jackson, CEO of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, is turning the South Side sanctuary into The National Museum of Gospel Music. It’s expected to open in 2020.
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POWER
HIT the RESET BUTTON THESE FIVE ESSENTIAL STEPS WILL HELP YOU KEEP SHORT-TERM DEBT FROM BECOMING A LONG-TERM HASSLE BY TAMARA E. HOLMES
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 67
MONEY & POWER : DEBT MANAGEMENT
I
f your dreams of attaining wealth have been sidelined by your debt load, you’re not alone. The average single Black woman with a college degree is $11,000 in debt, according to a study from Duke University and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Married Black women aren’t faring much better, with the typical thirtysomething with a college degree owing $20,000. While some debt can be attributed to the student loans you’ve incurred, lingering credit card balances may also be to blame. Perhaps if you didn’t have to meet those burdensome obligations, you could increase your retirement savings, give more to charities you believe in or pay for that dream vacation. “When you don’t have debt, you have financial freedom,” says Dana Branham, a Lexington, Kentucky–based financial adviser with Lasting Legacy Wealth Management. When we’re not intentional about our spending, miscellaneous purchases quickly turn into an overwhelming mountain of debt. However, by changing our mind-set and behavior, we can avoid this vicious cycle. Here are five steps to help you be debt-free once and for all. STEP 1: DO THE PREP WORK When you’re ready to tackle your debt, “figure out why you’re in debt in the first place,” says Kara Stevens, founder of The Frugal Feminista (thefrugal feminista.com), a personal finance Web site. Sometimes it’s because of circumstances you can’t control, such as a layoff or an illness. If so, once you get out of debt focus on amassing more savings to tide you over if another challenging situation arises. But if you’re struggling because of poor financial choices, you must adjust your attitude. Follow these guidelines at the onset of your debt-reduction plan: Drop the shame. “A lot of times we feel guilty about the debt we’ve created over the years, but that won’t get us anywhere,” says Kristin Sutton, a licensed professional counselor and founder of the Debt Free Black Girl blog (debtfree blackgirl.com). Instead, acknowledge the past, forgive yourself and vow to create a better financial future. Disrupt negativity. Take time to discover your core beliefs about money, says Sutton. When you have a negative thought, look for evidence to cancel it out. For example, if you think, I’m in debt because I’m not good with money, remind yourself of a time when you saved for an important financial goal. Create an emergency fund. It may sound counterintuitive, but taking the
68 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
time to accumulate a small stash of cash before tackling your debt can help you get out of debt faster. When the unexpected happens, without a small emergency fund at hand you may have to reach for a credit card to cover expenses, wiping out any progress you’ve made. “Have some type of savings in place, even if it’s $500 to $1,000,” Sutton says.
card issuer can match their competitors’ interest rates, since that will mean it makes financial sense for you to continue to do business with them.
STEP 2: REDUCE INTEREST
STEP 3: USE WHAT YOU HAVE
You may be able to get a lower interest rate simply by asking for it, says Avery Breyer, author of How to Be Debt Free. “Credit card issuers are in the business of making money, and if you switch to a competitor’s product, they’ll lose out on potential profits,” Breyer says. Research interest rates for other credit cards and collect those introductory offers you receive in the mail. Breyer suggests when you find options that have lower rates than your current card, give your card company a call and bring up these three things:
Most of us already have extra money we can add to our payments. “It’s in the salon chairs. It’s in nail shops. It’s at the bar. It’s in the mall. It’s at the restaurants we go to. It could even be in our closet with stuff we don’t wear,” Branham says. Track your spending for a couple of months, and look for places to cut back and put toward your credit card bills. Then consider these other ways to bring in more income:
Stress your loyalty. If you’ve been a customer for several years, state that. It costs issuers money to advertise and bring on new clients, so it’s worth it for them to work to keep longtime consumers happy. Ask for what you want. Tell them what other card companies are offering you. Find out if your credit
Give an ultimatum. “Make it clear that you’ll switch credit card companies if they don’t lower your rate to something more competitive with the other offers you’re seeing,” Breyer says.
Turn full-time skills into a side hustle. Whatever function you’re being paid to perform at your 9-to-5 could be a skill you’re able to offer to others to bring in additional funds. That’s what Candice Latham, 28, founder of the personal finance blog youngyetwise.com, did as she sought to dig herself out from under more than $38,000 in student loans and $4,000 in credit card debt. Latham worked as a layout artist at an ad agency, so she started doing graphic design work on the side.
Get temporary part-time employment. Some people are reluctant to pick up a second job, but putting your financial goals first for a specific period can help you reach your goal faster, Latham says. Take six months to work a part-time gig and put your earnings toward the debt. Set up an online marketplace. Sell electronics and other items you no longer use and allocate the profits toward debt reduction. Sign up with poshmark.com to market your clothing, go to swappa.com to get rid of your old iPhone and other tech products, or hawk your wares at a more general site such as eBay or bonanza.com.
Getting out of the red isn’t as difficult as you might think.
STEP 4: REFINE YOUR STRATEGY Tackling your debt once and for all requires a detailed blueprint. Take stock of all the bills you have, says Stevens. Calculate the total amount you owe, as well as your other financial obligations, and consider the following tips:
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Budget your debt. “If you don’t know how much money you have left at the end of the month after all your bills are paid, you’re just guessing how much you can put toward your debt,” Latham says. Once you determine your disposable income, put a majority toward the deficit. Focus on one item at a time. Aim to pay down one major debt and make minimum payments on the rest. The avalanche method of resolving debt focuses on the note with the highest interest rate first, while the snowball method concentrates on paying off the smallest bill first. Taking the avalanche route will save you more money in interest over time, and choosing the snowball option might give you a motivational boost if you can settle those balances sooner. Use whichever approach resonates with you, Branham says. Once you’ve closed out that first bill, move on to the next. Make it a group affair. Who says you have to do it alone? Latham created a challenge in which she got together nine of her blog subscribers, and they set out to see who could pay off the most debt in 11 weeks. Latham ended
up paying off $4,500 and the group repaid $39,500 in total. Replicate that by gathering a few like-minded friends and creating a private Facebook group. To make the challenge more exciting, each participant can donate a small amount, such as $10, and the winner gets the pot of cash at the end, Latham adds.
STEP 5: RESET YOUR SPENDING HABITS Settling your debts is a waste of time if you’re not going to institute the proper practices that will keep you debt-free. Automating your payments can help you make sure that your bills are paid on time so you don’t rack up late fees, Stevens says. Here’s how you can remain on track: Remove financial distractions. Social media often highlights material possessions and consumption. That’s the last thing you want on your mind when you’re trying to control your spending. If certain friends are always showcasing their latest designer purchases, hide their feeds on Facebook or take a social media break while you focus on your obligation, Stevens suggests. Also, make sure you’re not being enticed via e-mail by unsubscribing from newsletters and sales alerts sent by your favorite retailers.
Learn to say no to loved ones. It’s important that we set boundaries, especially when we’re in reduction mode. We may be tempted by family and friends to go out and spend or they may ask to borrow money, but we must keep our goal of being debt-free top of mind, Stevens says. “You have to be able to limit your interactions with them. You still love them, but when it comes to finances, no, you can’t go shopping, but if you enjoy spending time with them, you can provide alternatives for it.” Expect to have setbacks. Many times we get discouraged when we make ambitious goals for ourselves and don’t hit them. However, when you go overbudget or feel yourself start to get frustrated, “readjust your goals,” Sutton says. Ask yourself, What caused me to get off track? What can I do better next month? “We beat ourselves up and then we throw in the towel too soon. We’re going to keep failing our way to success,” Sutton says. Paying off debt takes time, patience and determination. However, bear in mind the benefits: It will free up funds for more rewarding pursuits and possibly eliminate a great deal of stress. Don’t consider it a sacrifice, says Latham: “You’re doing something that your future self is going to thank you for.”
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 69
MONEY & POWER : I DID IT MY WAY HER PATH
truly important to me. Then I just pursued it like it was nobody’s business. I was a set decorator before I started production designing. I made the switch when a director said, “You should design. You have a good vision.” I put together a Web site [to let everyone know I was doing production design] and a college friend saw my post about it on Facebook. She was a producer working on small horror films and had asked if I wanted to join. I jumped at the chance. That was my first job.
DESIGNING WOMAN HANNAH BEACHLER, THE VISIONARY BEHIND THE WORLD OF BLACK PANTHER, GIVES US A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES OF HER OWN CAREER BY JIHAN THOMPSON
I
f you’ve seen Fruitvale Station, Moonlight or Beyoncé’s magnum opus, “Lemonade,” then you’ve seen Hannah Beachler’s work. From the opening credits to the final shot, she creates unforgettable worlds. As a production designer, Beachler has one of the most underappreciated jobs in film. But make no mistake: Her role is crucial. “It’s my job to make the director’s vision come to life,” she says. However, her route to success has hardly been a straight shot. Here Beachler takes us through the winding roads that led to her enviable position.
ESSENCE: Did something click for you when you heard that? BEACHLER: I began researching production designers and set decorators, and I realized that this part of filmmaking was
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Works on music videos and horror films
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ESSENCE: How did you transition from the horror genre to dramas like Fruitvale Station? Does Fruitvale BEACHLER: I did whatever I could, from Station and commercials to music videos, because Moonlight. Then Beyoncé calls I needed to learn as much as possible. I submitted my info to talent agencies in L.A., and everyone [basically] said, “Hell, no.” It was a tough time—I didn’t always know where my next meal was coming from. Then one day Wynn Thomas [a Black production designer well known in the industry with countless Spike Lee films to his credit] called me [out of the blue]. I was sitting in my car, and he gave me this 30-minute uplifting, butt-kicking pep talk. He said, “Pick yourself up and continue.” Three weeks later I got a phone call from an agency, which wanted to bring me on. My first project was Fruitvale Station. ESSENCE: And then Beyoncé called? BEACHLER: Fruitvale Station performed well, and then I moved on to other projects, including a Nike commercial that aired during the Olympics. Afterward I did Moonlight. Ready for a break, I returned to New Orleans, but then a woman called to ask me if I would be interested in working on a music video for a pop star. Tired, I told her I wasn’t available. Then I realized I actually did have the time, but figured it was too late. The next week the team called back and inquired again. This time I didn’t turn it down. When I arrived, there was Beyoncé. And it was for “Lemonade.” Right after I finished the project, Ryan Coogler contacted me about Black Panther. ESSENCE: What advice do you have for women who are creating their own path? BEACHLER: Specialize. Know what you want. No matter what field or industry you’re going into, if there is a goal, then specializing will make it easier to navigate how to get there. It took me a long time to figure that out. I always knew I wanted to be in the art department, which made it easier to make connections and network. And don’t be afraid to stand out. If there’s one of you, you can bet there’s at least a thousand more. Think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to do something you’re not used to.
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Jihan Thompson is a writer and entrepreneur based in Chicago.
B E ACH LER , CH RIS B RIT T. ALL ICONS , TH E NOU N PROJ ECT.
ESSENCE: Have you always been interested in the arts? HANNAH BEACHLER: My mom took me to the theater when I was very young. I went to school for fashion design, but I realized it wasn’t for me. At the time I was in the music scene and I had friends who were in bands. A friend asked me to help with a music video. I’d get the stuff we needed and set it up. I did a couple of underground movies too. I was doing the work of a production designer, but I didn’t know that’s what it was called. I thought I wanted to be a director, so after college I enrolled in film school in Dayton. During my senior year, my professor said, “Your films aren’t really that great, but your art direction is fantastic.”
Enrolls in film school after studying fashion
JULY 5-8 4 DAYS OF MUSIC, CULTURE, EMPOWERMENT, AND ENTERTAINMENT.
GRAB YOUR SQUAD AND PLAN YOUR TRIP! EVENING CO C
S AT THE SUPERDOME • FRI – SUN | JULY 6–8, 2018
JANET JACKSON
DOUG E FRESH
THE ROOTS MARY J BLIGE
ERYKAH BADU
JILL SCOTT
FANTASIA MIGUEL
SNOOP DOGG
D-NICE GUY
WRECKX-N-EFFECT
XSCAPE
BLACKSTREET
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THRONE Now that Wakanda has risen, Black Panther’s cast and creatives expound on why this African fantasy feels very real BY KAREN GOOD MARABLE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DENNIS LEUPOLD • STYLING BY ADE SAMUEL
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Lupita Nyongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;o
Forest Whitaker
Angela Bassett
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The idea of creating a scenario where you’re seeing very powerful, empowered Africans ıs really thrilling to me, something my heart, soul and spirit yearned to see.
—DANAI GURIRA
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here is no end to the opulence inside this private casino in Busan, South Korea. Think gilded fish-scale walls, a marble staircase and beaded bloodred lamps. Still, Black Panther actors Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira somehow put the scenery to shame. The three stunners have taken their respective places inside and are waiting for the word: Nyong’o hops from leg to leg in a sleek green gown like a boxer warming up before a flight. Gurira confers with her fight coach. Boseman, suited in black on black, stands alone, with trenchant eyes and looking super foine. “Stay focused! High energy! We need to get this!” yells director Ryan Coogler, who’s huddled behind a camera wearing a rolled-up skull cap and a T-shirt with the image of the late Notorious B.I.G. His Oakland accent is so thick and familiar, I am at once surprised and calmed. Whatever happens on this Atlanta film set, we gon’ be all right. Coogler shouts “Action!” and Gurira shape-shifts into Okoye, general of the Dora Milaje, the elite all-female military unit protecting the African nation of Wakanda. This moment belongs to her. In a sparkling red gown, the warrior snatches off her wig and throws it at a bad guy. She then twirls a long spear above her head before using it to smack another bad guy in the face. After a few takes, the cast and crew wrap the scene and then break into applause. Coogler gives Gurira a grip. High fives, fist bumps and pounds abound. This soulful familiarity is a comfort considering this is Marvel Studios’ first film centering on a Black superhero since the Blade trilogy. (“No pressure,” says Michael B. Jordan with a laugh. He plays Black Panther’s nemesis Erik Killmonger. “Just a $200 million movie.”) Created in 1966 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the Black Panther comic books tell the story of T’Challa, prince of the fictional African nation of Wakanda who also doubles as a superhero. The character, played by Boseman, made its debut on the big screen in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. In that film, King T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father, is killed. In this story, T’Challa returns to his homeland to step into his father’s shoes and perhaps avenge his death. What is so marvelous about Black Panther is the staggering assembly of prestigious behind-the-scenes Black talent: Marvel executive producer Nate Moore, who shepherded the project; director and cowriter Coogler, who with only two films (Fruitvale Station, Creed) has already earned a reputation for telling big stories with intimacy and grace; cowriter Joe Robert Cole, who notably wrote The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story; production designer Hannah Beachler, who created the looks of Moonlight, Lemonade and Fruitvale Station; and the Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter (Malcolm X, Amistad). The cast is also an embarrassment of riches, with Boseman (as Black Panther); Nyong’o (as spy Nakia and T’Challa’s love interest); Angela Bassett (as Queen Ramonda, T’Challa’s stepmother); Forest Whitaker (as elder spiritual guide Zuri); Letitia Wright (as Shuri, a genius scientist and T’Challa’s younger sister); and Daniel Kaluuya (as W’Kabi, a warrior and T’Challa’s oldest friend). The now
Oscar-nominated actor described making the film as a “life-changing experience. I could just be myself, and everyone gets it.” Folks haven’t been this excited about Africa in a film since Zamunda in 1988’s Coming to America. Black Twitter created the hashtag #BlackPantherSoLit in 2016. Black Panther trailers and images were released slowly throughout 2017, causing such a commotion—Isaach De Bankolé with a plate in his lip?!? A shirtless Michael B. Jordan with tribal marks on his body?!? Sales for the film’s opening night broke a record for first-day advance sales of a Marvel film. Every image has been compelling, representative, Afrofuturistic—even subversive. Promotional trailers featured the music of grenade–throwing emcees, including Gil Scott Heron, Kendrick Lamar (who produced and curated the film’s sound track) and Long Beach, California, rapper Vince Staples, whose song “BagBak” plays the looped line “Show me my respect. And bow down.” That layered lyric is exactly the point. Here, in the midst of another civil rights movement during what many deem as a White supremacist presidency; at a time when Black folks can be seen bleeding out on television, dying at the hands of trigger-happy policemen; and at a time when Black folks still have to shout to be heard, what better time for Black Panther…and, for that matter, television shows that depict Black superheroes, such as Luke Cage and Black Lightning? What better time to fall headfirst into an Africa reimagined and let lush images heal the million tiny cuts from microaggressions? What better time to envision an uncolonized Africa, an Africa from before before before? We really do need another hero.
When Moore approached Coogler to direct Black Panther, the producer had no idea the assignment was,
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in a sense, preordained. The story is now legend: When Coogler was 8 years old, he walked into Dr. Comics & Mr. Games in his hometown of Oakland, and asked the clerk if the store had “anybody who looks like me.” The clerk introduced him to Black Panther. A thorough knowledge of the character, Moore says, is what landed the director the job: “Ryan was interested in T’Challa, who’s both the king of a nation that he has to protect and a superhero, and how that dichotomy pulls him in two different directions very often.” While Marvel wanted the film to feel like a James Bond–style geopolitical thriller, Coogler wanted to explore the fact that Wakanda had never been colonized. “I had really been studying the effects of colonization and the African diaspora, specifically as it relates to African-Americans and Africans, and what I hit on was this concept of what it means to be African,” he says. “I pitched that to the studio as a main theme of exploration, and they were totally interested, which is, to their credit, really cool.” Wakanda wears the mask. The African nation fronts as a small, provincial country, thanks to a force field that conceals the land’s true identity as the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. Wakanda’s most precious resource is vibranium, a mineral that can absorb sound waves and is woven into Black Panther’s suit. The country has witnessed the instability caused by the plundering of resources by outsiders, such as cobalt and diamonds in the Congo and rubber trees in the Amazon. Isolation safeguards Wakanda da ffrom invaders who have come me as a resu result of trade agreements, so o the country ountr can focus on building technology hnolo instead of fighting wars. instea
“The idea of creating a scenario where you’re seeing very powerful, empowered Africans is really thrilling to me, something my heart, soul and spirit yearned to see,” says Gurira. The Zimbabwean actress and playwright tackled colonization in her 2012 play, The Convert. “What would the African world have been without that imposition?” she asks. Bringing to vivid life that beauty, that agency, is perhaps the most thrilling aspect of Black Panther. Production designer Beachler spent a month traveling up and down the coast of South Africa so she could re-create the comics’ iconic settings, such as Necropolis (known in the film as City of the Dead) and Warrior Falls, where the men fight in the King’s Challenge. Beachler also studied tribes who resisted colonization, such as the Dogon people. “We’re trying to figure out how people act,” she says. “Because your spirit is going to be different if you were never oppressed.” The looks Ruth Carter crafted for Black Panther are structured and vibrant, incorporating Wakanda’s red dirt, barefoot culture. Of note are the Dora Milaje uniforms, which were actually informed by author and Black Panther comics writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. In past editions, the women’s costumes left little to the imagination. Here the bodies are covered and protected. “Comics get away with a lot,” says Carter. “You can put on a bathing suit top and a skimpy bottom and dive through glass and nothing ever changes.” This respect of the feminine is central to this film’s rendering of Wakanda. While the country cannot be described as matriarchal because it has a king, its people worship Bast, the panther goddess. The fiercest warriors in the land, the Dora Milaje, recall the real-life Dahomey warriors of Benin. The mind behind the country’s technological advancement is Shuri. “We can have really strong Black women who don’t have to be damsels in distress, who are independent and powerful, who can also fall in love at the same time,” says Boseman. “The truth about traditional African society is that it is not archaic; it is contemporary,” says Nyong’o, who is Kenyan. “For me, as an African in this film, to walk on set and to see these incredible costumes and hairdos, these are the things I grew up seeing, but they’ve just been elevated to a fantastical place. We’re going to experience the richness of the continent, because the continent is what has informed us of what Wakanda could be.”
When Angela Bassett received the call from Coogler asking if she would play T’Challa’s stepmother, Queen Ramonda, she had never heard of the character. “But a queen is
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For me, as an African in this film, to walk on set and to see these incredible costumes and hairdos, these are the things I grew up seeing, but they’ve just been n elevated to a fantastical place. —LUPITA NYONG’O
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Letitia Wright
Daniel Kaluuya
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Danai Gurira
Michael B. Jordan
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Shakespeare would say, ‘It’s too tough a knot for me to untie.’ A real tangled knot of why we’re proud and looking forward to this film. Because it’s not just entertainment. —ANGELA BASSETT
a queen is a queen of a Black nation,” Bassett says, laughing. a good story must be told. “We’re not The Golden Globe winner was clear that, despite her storied afraid of those real-world comparisons career, being cast as royalty is rare for a Black woman in or conversations, because it’s imporHollywood. “Just to have an opportunity to portray that tant,” Moore adds. “We’re also not a image—me, a little Black girl from the Florida projects,” she documentary, you know what I mean? says. “Playing a queen was just unattainable, unavailable. Even We want people to escape.” (Or as in a fictitious world, a Black woman cannot be a queen,” she Ruth Carter so brilliantly puts it, scoffs. “Why can’t I be?” “Escape and find yourself.”) Nyong’o, So be it. The mere glimpse of Bassett as Queen Ramonda however, opts to take this idea one sporting silver locs or wearing her considerable crown is step further: “It’s not that I’m escapakin to the floor dropping out of an already thrilling ride. ing into the world of Wakanda. It’s This imagery represents a powerful counter-narrative to actually aspirational.” the literal and psychological violence Black people—particularly She’s speaking about the glory of the women and girls throughout the diaspora—endure daily. So continent and the richness of Wakanda, when we behold Okoye guiding an aircraft with the heat yes, but also perhaps about the fact that of her palms; when we see T’Challa and Shuri cross their we are all in a sense super. Black Panther arms at their heart as a form of greeting (which is the is rooted in myth and ritual, like stories actual sign language for “love”); when we hear Okoye of the Ebo flying to freedom. This power scream, “Wakanda forever!” something quickens inside us, isn’t just found in the comic books; it ready to be born. “Shakespeare would say, ‘It’s too tough a potentially exists inside our DNA. knot for me to untie,’ ” says Bassett. “A real tangled knot of “Heightened abilities come from the why we’re proud and looking forward to this film. Because higher levels of spirituality, higher levels it’s not just entertainment.” of technology,” Boseman says. “Like The cast is aware of the enormity of the moment. “We you can take the superpowers away, but understand the responsibility,” says British newcomer you still gotta have a warrior spirit. The Wright. “That it can shift mind-sets. I can be a Black superwarrior has to remain.” hero. I can be a scientist. I’m a queen. I’m a young prince. It’s not about me. It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than all of us.” Boseman: Grooming, Saisha Beecham/Cloutier Remix. Nyong’o: Hair, Vernon François/Artists & Co. Makeup, Nick Barose/Exclusive Whitaker, who was a producer on Fruitvale Artists. Bassett: Hair, Randy Stodghill/Opus Beauty. Makeup, Station, believes Coogler is supremely suited D’Andre Michael. Whitaker: Grooming, Kristene Bernard/Epiphany for the job. “His films always have some mesArtist Group. Wright: Hair, Nikki Wright. Makeup, Nick Barose/ Exclusive Artists. Kaluuya: Grooming, Anna Bernabe/Exclusive sage about the depth of humanity, bringing Artists. Gurira: Hair, Vernon Scott. Makeup, Tym Buacharern/ out the voices of people of color while Criterion Group. Jordan: Grooming, Carola Gonzalez/Forward finding the universal connection that brings Artists. Manicure, Nettie Davis/kenbarboza.com and Mimi D/ken barboza.com. Hair and makeup touch-ups, Tara Copeland/ken us together as one.” barboza.com and Emily Garrido/kenbarboza.com. Set design, Carl And when Jordan is asked if he has Hopgood/Opus Beauty. moments of sheer awe that Black Panther is actually happening, his answer is off-script For clothing details, see Where to Buy. and immediate: “You damn right!” Still—for all the politics and “Blackety Blackness”—for Black Panther to succeed Karen Good Marable (@karengood at the box office, the audience, which is marable) is a writer, wife and mom who wide and diverse and filled with Marvel recently relocated to Atlanta. fanboys and fangirls, must be entertained;
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Danai My childhood in Zimbabwe was really kind of idyllic. I was raised in a home where I was encouraged to use my voice and enforce my thoughts with knowledge. Other than the stunning and legendary Cicely Tyson, I didn’t grow up seeing a lot of women who looked like me in the types of roles I now get to play—and I was looking! Creating opportunities for Black women, women of African descent and other women of color is a big part of my mandate because I want us to shine. Even as I’m thinking about the work that needs to be done or the next play I want to write, I understand that being on TV as Michonne [in The Walking Dead] and in films like Black Panther helps Black girls feel validated. I don’t take that lightly. Danai Gurira is an actress and award-winning playwright. She reprises her Black Panther role as Okoye in Avengers: Infinity War on May 4.
BLACK WOMEN IN 2018’S 201 18’S HONOREES HONO ORE ES SHINE BEYOND BEYOND THE THE SCREEN SC R E E N
GU RIR A , PATRIC SHAW/ TRU N K ARCHIVE. WAITH E: PHOTOG R APHY, DEN NIS LEU POLD. ST YLIST, L ADON NA WHIT TING HAM . HAIR , FELICIA LE ATH ERWOOD, MAKEU P, REB EK AH AL ADDIN . MANICU RE, MIMI D/KEN BARBOZ A .COM . FOR CLOTHING DE TAILS , SEE WH ERE TO BU Y.
Lena When I was in fifth grade, my teacher said, “I like reading your papers because you write the way you speak.” I didn’t really understand what that meant then, but I knew I was a writer. Being the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing was just… amazing, but I don’t want to be the last. The award is bigger than me. It’s about our industry, our society, taking a big leap forward. It’s about my ancestors, the women comedy writers and queer communities of color. I shared that moment with them. I represent them. And I’ll keep fighting to tell our stories accurately and beautifully and in a human way. Lena Waithe is an Emmy Award–winning writer and the executive producer and creator of Showtime’s The Chi.
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BLACK WOMEN IN
Tessa
It’s been so exciting that many of the characters I’ve played have been so different and have presented bigger creative challenges. With Thor: Ragnorok, Westworld and my new film, Annihilation, I feel as if I’m breaking new ground and providing more representation for women of color around the globe. But even if it wasn’t me, I’d still look at those projects and if I saw a woman who looked like me, I’d think, Wow! A couple of years ago, I got a tattoo that says “Yes.” It’s on the outside of my right wrist, where most people can see it. While it’s beautiful and has a symbolic meaning, I later realized that I needed to get a “No” too—for balance. My “No” tattoo is on the inside of my left arm. That one is just for me, which is perfect. A founding member of Time’s Up, actress Tessa Thompson will appear in Sundance fave Sorry to Bother You and reprise her role as Bianca in Creed II later this year.
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“When you’re onstage, you need to be having fun.” That’s the advice Richard Pryor gave me. No matter what I’m doing or where I am, I live by that philosophy. Even if it’s something I really don’t want to do, everything turns out great if I’m having fun. If I’m not having fun? Well, that’s when I end up getting arrested! With acting you have to tap into all the emotions you’ve been stuffing down for 20, 25, 30 years. It can be the most painful thing in the world. It’s like selfsurgery. I got here through trial and error. Every morning I wake up and thank God so much for all these opportunities. This journey has been pretty amazing. Last year Tiffany Haddish was the breakout star of Girls Trip and became the first Black female stand-up comic to host Saturday Night Live. Her new show, TBS’s The Last O.G., premieres next month.
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Rosie Assoulin “Roughled Around the Edges” dress. (On right hand) Swarovski “Light Orchid” ring. (On left hand) Nora Kogan “Alexandra” and “Araminty” rings.
Milly “ Ines” top and “ Poof ” skirt. Jimmy Choo “ Levina” heels.
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Altuzarra “Arche” top, “Sorbonne” skirt, earrings, double-wrap belt and “ Pont ” sandals. (On right hand) Nora Kogan “Alexandra” ring. (On lef t hand) Nora Kogan “ Love Block ” ring and Jenny Bird “Serra” ring. Hair, Felicia Burrows/ dramagyrl. Makeup, Joanna Simkin/ The Wall Group. Manicure, Sunshine Outing. Set Design, Chanel Kennebrew. Model, Marihenny/ New York Models .
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Sally L a Pointe “ Sprite Matte Coated Nylon C ar ” coat, “ Sprite Lightweight Viscose Crepe B asketball ” tank and “ Sprite Matte Coated Nylon Track with Fringe” shor ts . Louise O lsen large “ Fold & Flow ” earrings .
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For details, see Where to Buy.
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PE TER DA ZELE Y/G E T T Y IMAG ES
#TakingTheLead is a yearlong series celebrating the unsung Black women making strides in their respective industries. Tweet us @ESSENCE and tell us how you are #TakingTheLead.
W
hen NKECHI TAIFA strides into the courtroom or boardroom, the petite lawyer with flowing locs and a regal bearing views herself as a change agent. The human rights attorney is an advocacy director for criminal justice with the Open Society Foundations, a global think tank that funds progressive causes. Taifa is also the convener of the Justice Roundtable, a broad coalition of advocates who meet regularly in the nation’s capital to tackle sentencing reform and racial justice issues. “I’m using the law [in the tradition] of great women like Harriet Tubman,” says Taifa, 63, a Washington, D.C., native who earned her J.D. from George Washington University. “I’ve walked those halls of Congress and met with Obama officials at the White House. I view myself as a freedom fighter.” She’s not the only one using the rule of law to effect change and reform systemic inequities. Be Nkechi Taifa it on Capitol Hill—where at least six African-American women in Congress are lawyers—or within civil rights organizations nationwide, Black women are harnessing their power in the courts and beyond. They’re fighting to dismantle racism, sexism and poverty, pushing to secure voting rights and battling LGBTQ bias. They’re championing education reform, equal pay, reproductive justice issues and more. Meet six other women like Taifa who are proud to use their legal knowledge for community uplift.
Sherrilyn IFILL
COU RTESY OF SU B J ECT (3)
President and director–counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) ISSUE: Civil rights Don’t mess with Sherrilyn Ifill. Whether litigating cases before the Supreme Court or appearing on TV newscasts to break down police brutality and the law, the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) is formidable. “I believe in one’s ability to navigate American society as a full, equal and dignified citizen of this country,” says Ifill, 55, who earned her J.D. from New York University’s law school. “I’ve wanted to be a civil rights lawyer since I was a little girl.” The Queens, New York, native was born to immigrant parents and is the youngest of ten siblings. She’s the second woman to helm LDF. Founded by the NAACP in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, the organization achieved legal victories to desegregate schools and in other landmark cases. Ifill, who began her career with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has been involved in LDF wins at the highest courts in the land, including Buck v. Davis, where the Supreme Court condemned the injection of racial bias into capital sentencing. Her team has also successfully challenged Texas Bill SB 14, a strict photo ID law that critics contend was designed to disenfranchise people of color at the polls. The University of Maryland law school professor has led LDF attorneys in crafting key friend-of-the-court briefs that
support affirmative action and LGBTQ rights, and ending money bail systems in communities of color. Amid the angst around the killing of unarmed African-Americans by police, Ifill helped launch LDF’s Policing Reform Campaign, a nationwide effort to address law enforcement issues. Married with three daughters, the advocate and author of On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-First Century lives her legal ideals. She’s even taken to Twitter to blast some New York City cabbies who allegedly drive past African-Americans and fail to pick them up. “It’s not just a microaggression. I take it very seriously,” says Ifill, who notes that talks have begun with authorities about the issue. “We can’t normalize any type of racism or systemic discrimination.”
Fatima f racism or systemic discrimination.”
GOSS GRAVES
President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) ISSUES: Gender discrimination, sexual harassment Decades before Fatima Goss Graves became the first lawyer in her family, the clan was impacted by the legal system. “Goss v. Board of Education was one of the critical school desegregation suits that followed Brown v. Board of Education, and my father and his siblings were the named plaintiffs,” says the Washington, D.C., resident. “The lesson I learned
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was that even one family can make a big difference. The law is a powerful tool.” Armed with a degree from Yale Law School, the 42-year-old attorney has spent her career tackling issues central to women’s lives. Now, as the first African-American to lead the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Graves, along with her colleagues, is taking on everything from discrimination to harassment to sexual assault. The NWLC—whose four decades of advocacy includes a national campaign around equal pay legislation that helped bring about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act—launched the Let Her Learn initiative in 2017 to address disproportionate suspensions and expulsion of Black girls at school. “It’s a disgrace that so many girls of color are harshly punished at school for minor infractions. The future of girls is on the line. Now is the time to take action and address their needs,” says Graves. To date the campaign’s PSA has gone viral with millions of views. Another endeavor the center established is the Legal Network for Gender Equity, billed as the first national legal network to battle sex discrimination. More than 500 attorneys nationwide have signed on to provide free consultations and, in some cases, pro bono or reduced fee representation to women and girls experiencing sex discrimination. “There is so much work to be done, but I am called to this and it’s invigorating,” says Graves, who juggles her professional demands with marriage and two young children. “I feel enormously lucky to spend my days using my law degree to improve the lives and future of women and girls, especially women of color. Today, as threats continue to escalate and hurt women, that work could not be more important.”
Joi CHANEY
Executive director and campaign director of Equal Pay Today! ISSUE: Same earnings for women
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Pamelya HERNDON
Executive director of Southwest Women’s Law Center ISSUES: Women’s poverty, health care access Pamelya Herndon was still a schoolgirl in Corpus Christi, Texas, when a television news report piqued her interest in the law. “It was about families in Louisiana who’d been living in and paying for dilapidated houses for years, but never owned them. I remember thinking, I will help them. I will come to their rescue.” That philosophy underscores her role as executive director of the Southwest Women’s Law Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded in 2005, and its mission includes lifting women and their families out of poverty, ensuring access to quality affordable health care, and securing equality for women and girls. “We get lots of calls from women and some men,” says Herndon, whose staff of two attorneys frequently collaborate with advocates, social service agencies and legal partners such as the ACLU. “There are multiple obstacles to self-sufficiency that many women confront based on gender, class, race, disability, age and/or immigration status.” Herndon earned her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. The 65-year-old married mother of three boasts multiple professional accolades that include being named Public Lawyer of the Year by the state bar.
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Growing up in Florida with a physician mother and a lawyer father, Joi Chaney inherited both the mantle of privilege and the spirit of service. “I was raised in the civil rights tradition, and I’m a big believer in equality,” says Chaney, 39, a graduate of Harvard Law School. “I view the role of lawyers as social engineers, working toward a more just society for all.” The former Obama appointee and congressional staffer incorporates those values while leading Equal Pay Today!, which is based in Washington, D.C. The campaign is a project of the Tides Center, a nonprofit social incubator. This coalition of women’s and workers’ rights groups organizes at the local, state and national level around the long-standing issue of wage inequality.
Statistics show that women earn, on average, about 80 cents for every dollar a White man is paid; for Black women, it’s around 63 cents. For Chaney, this is unacceptable. “I care unapologetically about the rights, treatment and advancement of women, whose voices have been historically suppressed and ignored,” she says. While she doesn’t personally litigate cases (allies do, however), her legal expertise is used to help craft public policy, strategize and advocate. A typical day for the one-woman operation might involve testifying on Capitol Hill or promoting campaigns such as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, held annually in July. The organization is among those pushing for federal wage collection data, a rule implemented by Obama officials in 2016, which the Trump administration halted in 2017. Fighting to close the wage gap “enrages me, inspires me, focuses me,” says Chaney. “This is my dream job.”
Living in one of the country’s poorest states—where AfricanAmericans only comprise about 3 percent of the population— she brings a unique perspective. “Too often when seeking help for Black women, we get the excuse that there’s not enough significant data to justify funding,” says Herndon. “Being at the table I have the opportunity to show the disparities that exist in basic programs and services for groups of women who are seen as significantly insignificant.”
Kristen CLARKE
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President and executive director of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ISSUE: Civil rights When Kristen Clarke enters the courtroom, she brings with her the spirit of the ancestors. “African-American women have always played a central role in the Black freedom struggle,” says Clarke, 43, a Brooklyn native with Jamaican roots. “They are the moral compass and a source of great inspiration to me.” The Columbia Law School graduate brings that spirit to her role as president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a national civil rights organization. The Lawyers’ Committee seeks to promote fair housing, economic justice, voting rights, equal educational opportunity, criminal justice, judicial diversity and more. “Right now we are fighting voter suppression all across the country in places like Texas, Georgia and Alabama,” Clarke says. “We are working to end mass incarceration. And we’ve filed a lot of litigation against the Trump administration.” This includes such cases as President Donald Trump’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. (The Supreme Court ruled in December 2017 that the ban could go into effect, pending upcoming hearings.) Clarke, who is raising a teenage son, has dedicated her career to combatting discrimination faced by AfricanAmericans and others in marginalized communities. She has worked at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, was a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice in its Civil Rights Division, and headed the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s office. “The courts are one place where we can present evidence and make our case about why a law or policy is unconstitutional or violates civil rights law. That said, I know that many of these fights are not started in the
courtroom,” she says. “They start at the grassroots level and often in the streets by those who march and protest to bring attention to injustice. I see my work as very much aligned with the Black protest movement. The courts are one important part of a multipronged strategy for fighting injustice.”
Judith BROWNE DIANIS Executive director of Advancement Project ISSUES: Educational inequities, racial justice In her early twenties, Judith Browne Dianis experienced what she describes as racial discrimination on the job. But the cloud had a silver lining. “I decided to become a lawyer to right [those] kinds of wrongs,” she says. Today the Columbia Law School alumna helms the Advancement Project in the nation’s capital. The nextgeneration, multiracial civil rights organization specializes in racial justice reform for communities of color. Dianis came aboard at the organization’s inception in 1999 after honing her skills at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The Queens, New York, native is a nationally recognized leader in the efforts to end the school-to-prison pipeline, attacking harsh disciplinary measures that criminalize children of color. “We’ve worked closely with grassroots groups to significantly decrease student suspensions and arrests in cities like Denver, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Miami,” she says. Dianis has written reports on the issue (one is Opportunities Suspended), but her commitment to racial equity in public schools extends to a board role with the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, which challenges the misuse of standardized testing. Meanwhile, her 36-member team at Advancement Project has joined forces with the Journey for Justice Alliance, a coalition in two dozen cities that is challenging the growing trend of public school closures and privatization in communities of color. Their work has included filing civil rights complaints in Chicago, New Orleans and Newark, New Jersey. “Racial justice work is my purpose,” says Dianis, 51, who’s married with a teen daughter. “I was put on this earth to undo the wrongs of the past on behalf of Black people and [other] people of color. It is my passion. I am blessed to do this work.”
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Donna M. Owens is a multiplatform journalist based in Baltimore.
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THE LOVE SHE PRAYED FOR Divine design led entertainer LeToya Luckett to the husband meant for her. Read the story of how faith paved the way to her fairy-tale romance
STERLING PHOTOG R APHY
BY CHARLI PENN
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rowing up in Houston, LeToya Luckett discovered early on that dreams can come true. After spending much of her childhood performing, she became an international star, alongside Beyoncé Knowles, LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland, when Destiny’s Child entered the ranks of cultural icons. Following her departure from the singing group, Luckett continued to strike gold with hit music and starring roles in film and on TV, including VH1’s Single Ladies. So of course she hoped for success in her private life. Following a short-lived marriage that ended in divorce in 2016, Luckett took her heart back to God. “I’ve always believed in staying in a positive frame of mind and allowing God to work and move,” Luckett says. “It’s about having patience.” The wait for her perfect partner to show up wasn’t without its struggles for the performer, as she confided in her adviser Pastor John Gray. He encouraged her to stay the course and to continue to pray for the love she wanted, because he believed her husband was coming soon.
MARCH 2018 ESSENCE .COM 101
LOVE & LIFE : BRIDAL BLISS
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1. LeToya Luckett and Tommicus Walker struck a pose with their wedding party. 2. “Catch!” 3. Luckett, Walker and his daughter, Madison, were all smiles. 4. The newlyweds made a grand entrance. 5. Luckett’s parents celebrated their daughter. 6. Tank sang “At Last” as Luckett eased down the aisle. 7. Walker was teary-eyed as his bride approached.
Follow ESSENCE Senior Editor, Lifestyle & Relationships Charreah K. Jackson on Instagram at @CHARREAH.
STERLING PHOTOG R APHY (7 )
few months later, Luckett mentioned to a friend that she was praying for a good man to enter her life, and the friend offered to introduce her to Dallas businessman Tommicus Walker. Luckett and Walker hit it off instantly over the phone and bonded over their faith months before any face-to-face encounter. When they finally met in person, it was love at first sight for the free-spirited Texas native, who was clear about her relationship goals and was prepared to walk away from any situation that didn’t feel right. She quickly realized that Walker was someone special. “He gets Toya,” she explains. “That’s what I’ve always wanted. I’d say, God, whoever you have for me, I want him to see me. I want him to see my heart. I want him to see me crystal clear in his eyes the way You see me in Yours. He sees me, and there’s no better feeling.” Walker, the father of a 6-year-old girl from a previous relationship, had also been talking to the Almighty about his desire for a partner. “I specifically wrote down on paper all the things I was looking for,” he says. “I wanted a helpmate, a teammate and also a soul mate. Those are the things I prayed for in a woman.” After a few months of dating, they knew that both their prayers had been answered. Last August a surprise birthday celebration Luckett had planned for Walker ended up being an engagement party when he saw the perfect opportunity to ask her to be his wife. Luckett introduced fans to her beau on Instagram and on ESSENCE.com soon after. Four months later the happy couple exchanged vows during a lavish evening ceremony just before the holidays. The December affair was held at a sprawling mansion in the canyons of Texas Hill Country with the duo surrounded by their loved ones. Grateful for Pastor Gray’s support and his advice that she remain patient, Luckett asked him to officiate the wedding. R&B singer Tank, a friend of the bride’s, sang “At Last” as she made her way down the aisle wearing a custom Vera Wang gown and Christian Louboutins escorted by her grandfather. Eudoxie Bridges, Luckett’s bestie and wife to rapper Ludacris, served as one of two matrons of honor, and Walker’s daughter, Madison, stood as a junior bridesmaid. Fellow Destiny’s Child alums Roberson and Michelle Williams were among the smiling faces in the crowd. Two days after their dream wedding, while waiting to board a flight to their honeymoon destinations in Dubai and the Maldives, the couple reflected on what’s next. Their plan is to focus on growing their family and continue to share their story as a testimony that a second chance at love is possible. “Know that if God can do it for me, then He can do it for anyone,” says Luckett. Amen.
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LOVE & LIFE : BREAKTHROUGH
GRAB YOUR GOOD LIFE AT 51, GLOBAL COACH LISA NICHOLS IS IN HER PRIME. HERE, SHE SHARES HER STRATEGY FOR JOY AS TOLD TO CHARREAH K. JACKSON
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ver the course of nearly two decades, Lisa Nichols has guided more than 670,000 students in their life and career choices through her training programs and workshops; generated more than $42 million with her publicly traded company, Motivating The Masses; and reached 78 million people worldwide with her content. She has taught classes and given lectures in many countries, including Kazakhstan, Ireland, Hungary, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Greece. And she is a best-selling author and coauthor of several books, including No Matter What!; Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul; and her latest, Abundance Now. But all of this was just a lead-up to these past two years of Nichols’s being her most peaceful, successful and sexiest self on the other side of 50. Here’s her formula for every Black woman to get to her very best, no matter her age.
BREAK THE SUFFERING CYCLE When we look at our heritage, our plight, we can see the strength it took for us to make it through. But I think we’ve adopted the mind-set that suffering is necessary. Early in my career, as a keynote speaker I would stay in the executive suite at resorts. I would often look out my window at the people on the beach, but I couldn’t muster up the courage to put on my bathing suit and go outside. I thought I was cheating—that I was violating something if I did that. That’s a martyr mentality. We don’t get extra points in heaven for depriving ourselves. We are free to be free.
GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE BIG
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GRADE YOURSELF Your life is like a body. You can’t take care of just your chest and your arms. You also need to tend to your lungs and legs. I’ve stopped counting individual successes. For example, if you get an A in math but a D in English, you don’t have an A average. I began to grade all the areas of my life and call myself out. The first step was to take a sobering look at the average of my journey and to own it. I’ve taken responsibility for all my rationalizations. The more brilliant you are, the more danger you can put yourself in by making excuses.
KEEP MOVING WITH FEAR I don’t know anyone playing big in the world who is fearless. We may not talk about it, but I would be a liar if I told you I didn’t have fears. I have just learned how to embrace them and push forward saying, “This one is for my sister friends. This one is for my ancestors. This one is for my child. This one is for me. This is for the me who’s being born still, my 2020 self. This is for her.”
WALK THROUGH YOUR PAIN When I lost about 90 pounds three years ago, I was like a timid cat that hadn’t seen light in a while. Before then you
K AREN HARMS
Our culture is built on family, faith and community. The challenge is handling our success. When we start doing better than the village, we might unconsciously begin to question our commitment to our people. Almost a decade ago, I had made $975,000 by October and then took the rest of the year off. I thought it was because I was tired. It was actually because I was afraid to make
$1 million in one year. I’d think, What kind of Black woman would I be? Am I selling out? That was huge for me. All this time while I was pursuing financial prosperity, I never thought I would be scared of it. I wasn’t afraid of the money. I was afraid of the cultural implication. I began to think about the Black women who came before me: Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, Ida B. Wells and more. They demonstrated resilience and beat the odds. I realized that I’m supposed to show another example. Every time I make it just about me, I shrink. But when I make it about being a model and a vessel, I rise above where I would normally stop.
Visit ESSENCE.com/ goodlifewithlisa for a free coaching series.
the relationships I had ended. I care-fronted the shame around my sleep apnea, my health issues, the medical surgeries I needed. I care-fronted the shame around the friendships I didn’t nurture. I didn’t water them the way they deserved to be, and they died on the vine. I’ve carried that for years. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel regret—not for my son’s father going to prison or for being unmarried and pregnant or for having to wait in the welfare line. I have things I wish I wouldn’t have done. But I have finally been able to utilize everything as my fertilizer, so I’m not embarrassed about it. I made the best choice on what I knew in that moment. It all happens to teach us. couldn’t talk about weight and body with me. It was too sore of a topic. I decided to walk toward the pain to get to the possibility on the other side. I asked God, “What do I need to do to fulfill my purpose?” The only answer I got in my prayer time was, “Get your body right.” Your body is the instrument through which you live your purpose. It’s not an optional piece of the puzzle. Working on myself has been the most personal, painful, beautiful, sobering, vulnerable experience I’ve ever endured. Snatching back my sexy has been one of my biggest breakthrough acts of self-love in the past 15 years. Embracing sexy from a space of birthright was new.
FROM TOP: NINO VERDNIK ; L AKEISHA MICH ELLE. ALL ICONS , TH E NOU N PROJ ECT.
CELEBRATE YOUR SENSUAL SELF For my fifty-first birthday, I was in my bathing suit on the beach. I was with my niece, and we had an impromptu photo shoot in front of all these people who were laying out. I took my cover-up off and posed, laughed and jumped. It had been 25 years since I’d allowed myself to be seen from the neck down. I realized that this is abundance, to feel good in my skin. Doing this is as much a part of abundance as balancing my bank account. My sensuality was released. She’s the person I had to heal the most, because I’d never known sexual and emotional maturity inside of a sexually attractive body. The last time I was in a sexually attractive body, I wasn’t sexually mature. I had to introduce myself to her. I had to remind myself that 50-year-old me was gonna lead in this season. I brought lace nighties, knee-high leather boots and torn jeans with me. I don’t lose the sexy when I’m over 45. I simply redefine it.
LET GO OF THE SHAME To create space for all of the above, I methodically went into each dark corner of my life and care-fronted any angst. There was so much energy tied up in my shame. I kept asking, What else are you ashamed of? What else do you regret? Every time I did, an answer showed up. I would sit with it, and I’d have compassion for my past decision or my action and release the shame. I did it around my weight; I did it around all the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have gone through my fingers. I did it around
STEP INTO YOUR ONE TRUE SELF There’s no more compartmentalizing. I had Lisa Nichols the mom, the transformational coach, the CEO, the cousin and the girlfriend. All of that. And I would visit each section of my life not knowing how laborious it was to do so. Now I converge the different parts. I am more mindful of them. I don’t let having a laser focus on one thing cost me the others. I’m aware of the impact of my choices on various aspects of my existence. I don’t make having a laser focus sound so sexy that it will give me permission to ignore everything else. Concentrating on my business is not important enough for me to forget that I want to take a daily 20-minute morning walk on a nature trail. I get to love paintball and still be a CEO. I get to love dancing until my knees hurt. I get to love making love in the middle of the damn day. I used to think, If I love and laugh out loud, then I’m not spiritual or don’t love the work of transformation. I don’t know who wrote that rule, but I’m not buying it anymore. Judge me if you want. Your judging is none of my business. I love being a tomboy, wearing pumps and having multiple orgasms. I’m a child of God listening to Biggie Smalls and running a business in Barcelona. I am simply Lisa.
CARRY YOUR LIFESTYLE If Nichols is on the road for more than two days, she packs the following:
Music
Candles and Matches
A Small Yoga Mat
A Blender and Protein Shakes
NO DINNER DATES When a suitor asks Nichols out, she provides him the following suggestions for a meet-up:
Skating
Walking on the Beach
Hiking
Bike Riding
LOVE & LIFE : SPIRITUALITY
#3 LIVE OUT YOUR SIGNIFICANCE
WIN FROM WITHIN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF CAN UNLOCK LIFE’S RICHES. PASTOR VAN MOODY, AUTHOR OF THE I-FACTOR, GIVES US THREE TIPS ON HOW TO DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF “ME”
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t one time or another, most of us have cast blame elsewhere for our problems and shortcomings. We may have attributed them to our background, our gender, our race, the government, the devil or whomever because it’s often hard for us to take responsibility for the role we may have played. Systems of oppression are real, but they are not nearly as damaging as what we do to ourselves. In many situations, trouble arises from within. The I-Factor, your relationship with yourself, is key in determining if you are helping or hindering your life. People with a damaged I-Factor tend to self-sabotage, while those with a healthy I-Factor manage themselves well. Here are three ways to ensure that you win from within.
Everything you think and do flows from your sense of identity—your personal assessment of who you are and why you are important. Your identity is the compass that guides you through every aspect of your life. When people are insecure, they waste a lot of their time trying
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#2 MAINTAIN THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE When we have a realistic outlook, we meet our circumstances with a sound mind-set. The ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius stated, “You have power over your mind— not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” Often people remain stuck repeating the cycle of dysfunction until they finally recognize that the issue is not their bosses, spouses, bank accounts or children but rather their minds. You’re headed toward a breakthrough when you realize that your mind is in charge. Your thoughts shape your emotions and your body follows along.
PRAYER God, help me to discover the best version of myself and then lose myself. May I find myself by developing a healthy I-Factor and living with the right sense of my identity, significance and perspective. May I lose myself by using the growth and greatness I will experience to benefit others. Success is about me. Significance is about others. May the life I live not only be about success but also be about significance. Amen.
J G I/JAM I E G RI LL /G E T T Y IMAG ES
#1 SOLIDIFY YOUR IDENTITY
to fulfill the expectations of others. The process of figuring out your true self requires that you remove the layers. The way to self-discovery is like the peeling of an onion. Like you, the onion starts with just a seed. Your seed carries your identity’s unique DNA. Over time, layers of experience, fear and disappointment have piled on top of it. Getting back to the core of who you are allows you to live in a healthy place.
People with a strong I-Factor seek meaning. People with an impaired I-Factor clamor for attention. Looking for value in the wrong places will eventually wear us out. When we stop searching for value in what we do or in the things around us and start understanding the value we already have in us, we will find significance. When our quest is rooted in serving the world and not our ego, we will feel rested, restored and renewed.
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LOVE & LIFE : FOOD
Chef Ahki invites you to try a nutritious plant-based diet.
At 18 she transitioned to a plant-based diet. Like many sisters, Chef Ahki recognized that eating from the earth is a part of her legacy. “Black women taught the world how to prepare delicious food. For centuries we have taken the earth’s harvest and with skill and creativity birthed an array of the finest cuisine coveted by many,” she says. “Our kitchen alchemy has always been a major part of our Black Girl Magic.” The Oklahoma native was raised by four generations of medicine women, who educated her about indigenous foods and alternative modalities. She describes her diet as not just vegan—abstaining from animal by-products—but
BETTER HEALTH FAST “By any greens necessary” is one of Chef Ahki’s favorite sayings as she travels the country encouraging people of color to consume a wholesome diet. Whether she’s appearing on The Wendy Williams Show or dealing with her celebrity clients, including Lenny Kravitz, Lee Daniels and Common, her approach in reclaiming the body remains the same. Her tips:
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Reconsider dairy. Some experts believe drinking processed milk can lead to health issues and digestive problems.
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Add true food in the form of fruit smoothies and green juices to your diet. True food is any living part of a plant that our body ingests. It is nutritious and sun-absorbing.
EAT YOUR WAY HEALTHY AFTER HEALING HER OWN BODY WITH FOOD, CHEF AHKI SHARES HER TOP HABITS AND HEALTH HACKS FOR BLACK WOMEN
Get more sunlight. Many of us are not receiving the health benefits of regular exposure to the sun. Don’t let the flowers get all the perks of natural light. Set a daily reminder for sunshine.
also electric, which essentially means foods that are not acidic or starch-based. “I suffered with chronic urinary tract infections from my daily soda intake, and [technically] soda is vegan,” she adds. “This is [why I say] my food is electric not just vegan.” Abstaining from meat and processed fare does not have to be boring. “People imagine that vegans eat salad all day and it’s quite the contrary,” Ahki says. “Visit a local Ethiopian restaurant and ask for a vegetable platter. You will find out how fulfilling and flavorful a vegan diet can be. It’s all about knowledge and [figuring out] what tastes are most pleasurable to you.”
TERRELL OWENS
Before helping hundreds of women transform themselves through food, Chef Ahki was simply tired of getting sick. “For years I suffered from dehydration and random fainting spells,” she says. “I did not realize that my lack of fruit, vegetables and water [intake] was the cause of this.”
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UPGRADE YOUR GROCERY LIST
Dig into this flavorful vegan dish.
As Chef Ahki lists in her blog on gochefahki.com, here are a few of her favorite items that are good for your body and taste buds SEEDS They can be a delicious addition to a variety of dishes—salads, sweets and breads—or just a handful for a snack. Hemp and chia seeds, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, are superfood celebrities. Even sunflower seeds are among the fatty foods we should be consuming. Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. AVOCADO These fruits are tasty no matter what form they come in: guacamole, the half shell or even chocolate mousse. Yes, they’re fatty, but luckily for avocado lovers, we can fall back on the “good fat” argument. Packed with the
ACKEE AND PLANTAIN Makes 4 servings. Total time: 40 minutes
Black women taught the world how to prepare delicious food. For centuries we have taken the earth’s harvest and birthed the finest cuisine. —CHEF AHKI healthy monounsaturated fats, avocados are extremely versatile and can be used for salty sides as well as creamy desserts.
CHEF AH KI
NUTS They’re ideal for the woman who loves a snack. Unlike potato chips, they are filling and good for you. Nuts provide vegan protein and are a plant-based gold mine in monounsaturated fats. CACAO NIBS Natural chocolate can be healthy. Cacao nibs are not the sugary, milk-laden candy bars at checkout lines. A great source of the fats and nutrients we need, dark chocolate can help fight cancer and lower cholesterol. But we should just stop ruining this tasty treat with additions that aren’t good for us.
2 medium-size green (or ripe) plantains, peeled and cut into 1-inch diagonal rounds 4 tablespoons coconut oil, plus 1 teaspoon 1 ⁄2 small red onion, sliced 1 ⁄2 red pepper, diced 1 ⁄2 green bell pepper, diced 1 ⁄4 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded, deveined and diced Pinch of salt to taste 1 roma tomato, diced 1 19-ounce can ackee, drained and rinsed Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced Pinch of fresh thyme, parsley and oregano
Soak plantain pieces in a bowl of salted water for about 15 minutes. When finished, drain well. Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add Scotch bonnet pepper, salt and tomato. Stir mixture until
cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes. (It should resemble thick paste.) Drop in ackee and reduce to medium-low heat. Add cayenne and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside in a separate dish. In a new sauté pan or skillet, warm 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Sauté plantains until cooked through but not yet browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let the oil strain on a napkin. Add plantains, garlic and 1 teaspoon oil to a large mortar or bowl and pound with a pestle or potato masher until fairly smooth. Or pulse in a food processor. Stir in herbs and spices. Form the mashed plantain into a ball the size of a small orange and serve ackee on top. Garnish with parsley.
For more tips and recipes, visit gochefahki.com.
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WHERE TO BUY
LONG LIVE
BLACK PANTHER!
WATCH THE THRONE
Angella Danai Letitia Lu p ta pi AND THE CAST TAKE
TO ANOTHER WORLD US
LONG LIVE
BLACK PANTHER!
Chadwick Daniel Forest hael Mic AND THE CAST TAKE US TO ANOTHER WORLD
BLACK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD MEET 2018’S HONOREES AND 21 MORE TO WATCH
WHAT TO WEAR NOW!
40 BLA SPRING TRENDS
CK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD
VISIT ESSENCE.COM 8 MARCH 2018
ON THE COVERS Photography by Dennis Leupold. Stylist, Ade Samuel. Set designer, Carl Hopgood. Black Panther Men cover: Manicurist, Nettie Davis. For Daniel Kaluuya: Groomer, Anna Bernabe. For Chadwick Boseman: Groomer, Saisha Beecham. For Forest Whitaker: Groomer, Kristene Bernard. For Michael B. Jordan: Groomer, Carola Gonzalez. Black Panther Women cover: For Letitia Wright: Makeup artist, Nick Barose. Hairstylist, Nikki Wright. For Lupita Nyong’o: Makeup artist, Nick Barose. Hairstylist, Vernon François. For Angela Bassett: Makeup artist, D’Andre Michael. Hairstylist, Randy Stodghill. Manicurist, Mimi D. For Danai Gurira: Makeup artist, Tym Buacharern. Hairstylist, Vernon Scott. Manicurist for Wright, Nyong’o and Gurira, Nettie Davis. Chadwick Boseman cover: Groomer, Saisha Beecham. Manicurist, Nettie Davis. Hairstylist/Groomer touch-ups, Tara Copeland. Makeup artist touch-ups, Emily Garrido.
COVERS Black Panther Men cover: On Daniel Kaluuya: All items, stylist’s own. On Chadwick Boseman: All items, stylist’s own. On Forest Whitaker: All items, stylist’s own. On Michael B. Jordan: All items, stylist’s own. Black Panther Women cover: On Letitia Wright: Tory Burch dress, $398, toryburch.com. All other items, stylist’s own. On Lupita Nyong’o: Jill Stuart dress, $1,340, made to order, select Jill Stuart stores. Loriblu sandals, $450, loriblu.com. All other
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MEET 2018’S HONORE ES AND 21 MORE TO WA TCH
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items, stylist’s own. On Angela Bassett: Sydney Evan earrings, price upon request, sydneyevan.com. Charles Albert midfinger rings, $30 each, charlesalbert.com. All other items, stylist’s own. On Danai Gurira: Gosia Baczyńska dress, $2,400, gosia baczynska.com. All other items, stylist’s own. Chadwick Boseman solo cover: All items, stylist’s own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 5: Marc Jacobs blouse, $550, pants, $650, turban, price upon request, bag, $1,100, and sandals, $525, Marc Jacobs stores. Jenny Bird earrings, $65, jennybird.com. On right hand, Nora Kogan ring, price upon request, norakogan.com. On left hand, Nora Kogan block ring, price upon request, norakogan.com. Jenny Bird ring, $95, jenny-bird.com. Page 8: Todd Snyder + Champion jacket, $248, similar styles at toddsnyder.com. Colmar Originals shirt, $69, colmar.it. Dyne pants, $280, dyne.life. Fitbit watch, $150, kohls.com. Mr Ettika bracelets, $45–$50, mrettika.com. New Balance sneakers, $220, newbalance.com. Earrings, subject’s own.
THE EDGE OF GLORY Page 45: Lulus top, $31, lulus.com. Vince Camuto earrings, $28, vincecamuto.com. Page 46: Guess top, $59, shop.guess .com. Two of Most earrings, $125, two-of-most.com. Page 48: Vince Camuto camisole, $79, vincecamuto.com. 21 HM Boutique earrings, $18, 21hmboutique.com.
Page 74: All items, stylist’s own. Page 76: On Lupita Nyong’o: Jill Stuart dress, $1,340, made to order, select Jill Stuart stores. Loriblu sandals, $450, loriblu.com. Earrings, stylist’s own. On Angela Bassett: Sydney Evan earrings, price upon request, sydneyevan.com. Charles Albert midfinger rings, $30 each, charlesalbert.com. All other items, stylist’s own. Page 79: On Letitia Wright: Tory Burch dress, $398, toryburch.com. All other items, stylist’s own. Page 80: On Danai Gurira: Gosia Baczyńska dress, $2,400, gosiabaczynska .com. All other items, stylist’s own
BLACK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD Page 83: Dsquared2 jacket, price upon request, by custom order, neimanmarcus .com. Topman shirt, $70, topman.com. Sandro trousers, $495, us.sandro-paris .com for stores. Le Vian earrings, price upon request, levian.com for stores.
SPRING FEVER Page 91: Zimmermann dress, $2,950, hoops, $260, drop earrings, $230, necklace, $295, chain, $230, and bag, $395, all at us.zimmermannwear.com for stores. Page 92: Rosie Assoulin dress, price upon request, Forty Five Ten, Dallas, 214-5594510. On right hand: Swarovski ring, $349, swarovski.com. On left hand: Nora Kogan snake ring, price upon request, and ring, price upon request, norakogan.com. Page 93: Milly top, $275, and skirt, $595, milly.com. Jimmy Choo heels, $950, select Jimmy Choo stores. Page 94: Altuzarra top, $895, net-aporter.com. Altuzarra skirt, $1,395, Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Altuzarra earrings, price upon request, altuzarra. com for more info. Altuzarra belt, $395, theline.com for more info. On right hand, Nora Kogan ring, $390, nora kogan.com. On left hand, Nora Kogan ring, price upon request, norakogan .com. Jenny Bird ring, $95, jenny-bird .com. Altuzarra sandals, $990, Barneys New York stores. Page 95: Sally LaPointe coat, $1,750, tank, $490, and shorts, $850, all at sallylapointe.com for stores. Louise Olsen earrings, $310, dinosaurdesigns.com.
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80 Years
GOOD CREDIT. GOOD JOB. GOOD REFERENCES.
HOROSCOPE
OVERVIEW Right now you may feel as if someone has stopped payment on a check owed to you. Options previously flowed upstream like salmon, and then...nothing. On March 8 Jupiter, the planet of abundance, opportunity and rewards, will slow down and go retrograde until July 10. We will be prompted to reevaluate our blessings so we can utilize them properly. We may have chosen to help others, not realizing that it’s important for everyone to win. Take a moment to consider how your recent good fortune can transform a part of your life you thought was thriving. Dig deeper to discover even more gold.
PISCES
BUT THE LANDLORD DENIED HER THE APARTMENT BECAUSE OF HER DISABILITY. 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 disability. 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
ARIES March 21 to April 19 Keeping emotions under wraps can be challenging for a fiery Aries. This month may not call for immediate results in this area but for internal conversations that focus on the bigger picture. Ignore distractions and pay attention to how far your ideas can fly. Don’t be dismayed by the lack of progress. Every successful adventure has a winter season. Sharpen your skills while you’re hibernating.
TAURUS April 20 to May 20 The more we question tradition, the more we discover what may work for future generations. You’ve become the ambassador for delving into new age modalities of growth. Perhaps
114 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
GEMINI May 21 to June 20 Here’s hoping you have a fire hose handy, because there are lots of situations to be extinguished in March. Besides being overrun with OPP (other people’s problems), you have your own career goals that are calling for you to make a plan and execute quickly. Fortunately, you have support. Be clear about the help you need, and leave room for adjustments. Everyone’s brain doesn’t move at warp speed like yours.
CANCER June 21 to July 22 You like to worry for the slightest reasons, thinking that constant attention can rectify a problem. Ease into the month trusting that “you know what you know,” as you’ve gained a strong intuitive superpower: You’ll know your husband when you meet him, you’ll know which investment will yield abundant returns and you’ll know how to find adventure in unlikely places. Never underestimate that voice, and follow it to the origins of happiness.
PHILECE ROB ERTS
FAIR HOUSING IS YOUR RIGHT. USE IT.
February 19 to March 20 It’s your solar return, so forget about being modest. You have permission to scream from the nearest mountaintop how fabulous you are, and anyone who objects should get sunglasses to avoid being blinded by your shine. Continue to be flexible, and appreciate and put those gifts you’ve been lucky enough to receive to work. Accept your prize. The world is waiting.
astrology and metaphysics may assist in improving self-worth. Find specialized groups to help expand your newfound knowledge. You know how monumental it is when Taureans change their outlook.
PROMOTION
LEO July 23 to August 22 The Lioness is proud, assertive and capable of handling her business. She looks like a victorious Pam Grier, fist in the air. However, strong individuals are sometimes lifted by unexpected help. Look for support in the guise of money, creative ideas from a former competitor or a companion whose sole purpose is to make you smile. Stop being stubborn and trust the ebb and flow of the tide; its way is natural.
VIRGO August 23 to September 22 One of your cherished pastimes is taking care of people, which sometimes means leaving yourself out of the equation. How loyal and sacrificial of you. Try something different: Communicate your desires to your spouse or business partners about ways they can make you happy. You’d be surprised who’s waiting to pour into your cup. More is accomplished with equity and mutual consideration.
LIBRA September 23 to October 22 For you, March certainly comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. You glide through your day intuitively, always landing exactly where you need to. By month’s end you become more assertive, taking control over your daily hustle. Although this is admirable, find some balance before your hurried actions lead to poor decisions and a bad taste in your mouth.
SCORPIO October 23 to November 21 Are you ready for love? A new desire to share space may show up fast and furious while making you feel out of control. Be willing to give in to the fantasy. Losing your grip can be quite
liberating. Already in a relationship? Then explore the varied and numerous levels of connecting. We all know you are a master at diving deep.
SAGITTARIUS November 22 to December 21 You’re happier than a 2-year-old licking a Bomb Pop these days. Mars, the action planet, has been hanging in your sign encouraging you to get things done. Nothing makes a Sag more excited than being useful. Now’s the time to shift the attention to your home life. The call to be productive in imaginative ways will have you painting the kitchen green—just because. Go for it before you crash from exhaustion.
More of What You Love is On
CAPRICORN December 22 to January 19 There’s a touch of deception when it comes to your perceived confidence. Your need for control exemplifies a fierce sense of who you are. Most would be amazed to know there’s a sensitive, unsure person within. Increase your self-esteem by displaying your vulnerabilities. Once you engage in an honest conversation about your feelings, you’ll be back to making money with a zest for what really makes you tick.
AQUARIUS January 20 to February 18 “I know, I know” is your favorite phrase, stated proudly to those you consider less intelligent. Even so, this month concludes a period of study and expansion. Whether you’ve taken an extra college course or found a new interest, get ready to share the knowledge you’ve acquired, but avoid an arrogant instructional approach. Friends and family are eager to hear your findings as long as you coat it with love.
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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 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. Customer service and subscriptions: For 24/7 assistance, please visit our Web site: ESSENCE.com/customer service. You can also phone 800-274-9398 or write to ESSENCE, P.O. Box 62120, Tampa FL 33662-2120. For international licensing and syndication requests, please visit timeinc.com/syndication. It will take customers to our automated syndication form.
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CROSSWORD PUZZLE
24 ACROSS Our love for this smooth operator is stronger than pride.
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.
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116 ESSENCE .COM MARCH 2018
22. Its humble beginnings: an inspirational story from an entrepreneur that ends with riches 24. Nigerian-born British songstress whose “Babyfather” garnered a Grammy nod in 2010 25. Spotify’s rival (or a mighty wave) 26. Raised by a White mother and a Black stepfather, Vin _ _ _ _ says he’s “definitely a person of color” 28. As reported in ESSENCE in 2016, Carla D. Hayden, Ph.D., scored a double _ _ _ _ when she became Librarian of Congress, a position never before occupied by a woman or an AfricanAmerican 30. Shallow pursuit: to serve up the dirt or the skinny (or a flatbottom bowl) 31. Performance opportunity for one who thinks she can “sang” (usually at a venue with a friendly crowd) 32. Urkel’s trademark accessory (some don’t recognize actor Jaleel White without them)
1. Samuel L. Jackson plays hero George Washington Williams in The Legend of _ _ _ _, which sheds light on what he calls “that first holocaust in the Congo” 2. Mark your calendar: It’s time for the annual Essence Fest 4. Type of shot a selfie can never be 5. Anika Noni Rose sparkled as Tiana, Disney’s first Black peeress in the animated pic The Princess and the _ _ _ _ 7. Feeling anxious or concerned (or leather that looks older than its years) 9. High school texter whose post-curfew “OMW” is meant to assure you she’s headed in the right direction: home 11. Kanye’s iconic material girl (2 wds) 13. It’s gel’s job to hold them down (aka baby hair) 15. The last word: Grads with majors in science, technology, engineering and _ _ _ _ are more likely than all others to land a
job after college (and to earn the most money) 16. What Trevor Noah brought from his South African homeland (or the distinctive mark that appears twice in résumé) 17. Fifty shades of success: The Weeknd found money and fame in 2016 with this hit song (2 wds) 18. Hot or not, it will eventually dry your hair 23. Nearly _ _ _ _ of ESSENCE female readers say it’s their favorite (reportedly the highest rating for any women’s mag) 24. Flat, backless shoes one can easily step into (or parts of a PowerPoint presentation) 26. Some sisters’ oft-expressed preference for their chocolate, chicken or companion 27. Tennis great whose widow published a photo essay called “Daddy and Me” to demystify AIDS and tell his story through the eyes of his daughter, Camera 29. Free and clear at a restaurant, it can cost thousands at a jewelry store
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1. One smart cookie: Out front on ESSENCE’s November 2015 issue, she shone as one of NASA’s three star mathematicians in the movie Hidden Figures (and on our February 2017 cover) 3. Wraparound outerwear 6. Direction you can’t get from a GPS: “The ____ to success is always under construction” 8. Language spoken by many in ancient Rome and used in Catholic church liturgy and official communications 10. Better known name of reggae king Bob Marley’s eldest son, David 12. Hollywood swingers: West Coast team owned in part by Magic Johnson 14. Served up by Bey in April 2016, this refreshing mix of hits was a smashing success 19. Show that said “adios” to celebrity Amber Rose after the tango (abbr.) 20. Runs black tea through freshly washed hair to minimize breakage 21. Middle name of fashion insider André Talley
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