essence fest
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Essence and Naomi Campbell Celebrate Their 50th Birthdays Together—With a Supermodel Self-Portrait
Two paragons of black beauty turn 50 this month, and as much of the world continues to shelter-in-place, Essence magazine and Naomi Campbell are celebrating their joint milestone together—yet apart—as the soon-to-be 50-year-old supermodel provided a series of “self-portraits in isolation” for the magazine’s May/June special collector’s issue. It wasn’t the plan, but it’s a…
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Essence Fest 2020 Is Officially Canceled
In a year in which the outbreak of COVID-19 has not only threatened the lives of millions but life as we’ve known it (because rather than “going back to normal,” we’re likely looking at a “new normal”), another highly anticipated cultural event has become a casualty. To the chagrin of aunties and Flossy Posses everywhere—not…
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Black Women Invented Style and Essence Fest 2019 Is Proof
It’s no secret that black women invented style. As the daughter of a black woman who stays dressed-down-to-the-ground, I have come to associate black women with elegance, grace and a lot of pizazz. We slay magazine covers and shut down runways, all while becoming fashion icons who have even used style to discuss larger social…
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Big Beauty Tuesday: ‘Before I Let Go’ of Essence Festival 2019, I Have to Say Thank You to Black Women
Essence Fest tried to take me out, y’all…and I can’t wait to go back. The final day of The Glow Up’s Essence Festival diary was unfortunately delayed, due to the fact that no sleep and a permanently damaged cornea made me a half-sighted, no-voiced person yesterday as I stumbled my way back through the Louis…
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‘Let’s Go’: I Watched the First 12 Minutes of Queen & Slim at Essence Fest. Damn.
“Black people don’t live, they survive,” Lena Waithe uttered to an eager audience of Essence Fest patrons who had just witnessed something that left us wanting more. That line not only reflects reality but embodies the upcoming film she wrote, Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas. In case you need a refresher, here’s this…
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Kamala Harris Proposes $100 Billion Black Homeownership Plan
Joining what seems like every black woman in America at Essence Fest, senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris unveiled a $100 billion plan to increase black homeownership that, if implemented, could serve as a major step toward closing the racial wealth gap or at least pay two or three months rent on a modest one-bedroom…
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The Glow Up Goes to NOLA, Day 4: Maybe My Mascara Should Run for President
No, Michelle Obama is not running for president, y’all. But we all know that if she did have the inclination, she’d have the coveted black female vote on lock. In fact, of all the headliners in Essence Festival weekend, it was our forever first lady who packed the Louisiana Superdome to the rafters when she…
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The Glow Up Goes to NOLA, Day 3: That Voodoo That Essence Fest Do
As our days in New Orleans progress, it’s easier and easier to see why the Essence Festival has chosen the city has its home for almost all of its 25 years. Aside from the beauty, history, and incredible food, there is an unparalleled warmth and hospitality among its people, who have made us feel welcome…