Essence

THE OTHER SIDE OF LORI HARVEY VISIT ESSENCE.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023





MAX STRENGTH RELIEF FOR PEOPLE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Did you know some ordinary cold & flu medicines can raise your blood pressure?* HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE is specially formulated to provide max strength relief for your worst cold & flu symptoms. Choose – the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Daytime Cough, Cold & Flu brand†. *MEDICINES WITH NASAL DECONGESTANT MAY RAISE BLOOD PRESSURE, BUT DAYQUIL HBP IS DECONGESTANT-FREE. †2022 PHARMACY TIMES SURVEY OF PHARMACISTS’ OTC RECOMMENDATIONS. USE AS DIRECTED. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 VOL. 53 NO. 5 52 LORI HARVEY LOVES HERSELF Rumors about her dating life have created an avalanche of social media chatter—but with a newly launched skin care line, fashion’s It girl answers only to herself By Tre’vell Anderson Cover photography by 62 WELL SUITED Emmanuel Sanchez Monsalve 70 Tailored pieces—pinstriped, This page: Lori Harvey wears a 76 high-waisted, cropped, Dior dress and earrings. deconstructed—are the go-to sartorial power play On the cover: Lori Harvey wears a By Shelton Boyd-Griffith Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti® snake necklace in 18k gold, extra large, LET ME COUNT THE WAYS $53,000.00, tiffany.com. Black love is tender, enduring and joyful—and it’s expressed through traditions rooted in our rich history By Dominique Fluker LOVE WITHOUT A LIMIT A Black queer and nonbinary writer reflects on the quiet pain of loving and losing a homophobic family member By Ericka Hart JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 3

From left: Gucci G-Timeless Steel 15 case, green malachite stone dial with bees, steel bracelet, $2,300, gucci.com. Hermès Kelly, $16,200, hermes.com. CONTENTS Luxury watches are a sweet flex and a legacy JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 VOL. 53 NO. 5 item, too. STYLE CULTURE 15 THE TIME IS NOW 29 BLACK LOVE MATTERS 44 SUPPORTING A QUEEN A fine watch is not just a style Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph moment—it’s also a solid Breonna Taylor was the love of his gets candid with Jackée Harry investment life. Now Kenneth Walker keeps her about what it takes to claim legacy alive By Bry’onna Mention your place and your joy and Melissa Noel in Hollywood 16 I GOT A LOVE JONES FOR YOU 34 THE ART OF FREEDOM 46 WE SHALL OVERCOME The 90s rom-com look is having a Joan Tarika Lewis, the first woman renaissance By Nandi Howard recruited to the Black Panther Michelle Obama illuminates a Party, used her revolutionary art to path through uncertain times in 20 STAND OUT define the political goals of a The Light We Carry “Wacky” fashion is on trend, with movement By Skylar Mitchell By Malaika Jabali shapes and shimmers that are out of this world By Kerane Marcellus 38 R&B IS NOT DEAD 48 TRAVERSING TRIUMPH SHAWN MICHAEL JONES Coco Jones, Muni Long and Kaash In her column Chief to Chief, 24 FROM THE CARPET TO YOUR Paige are among the artists ESSENCE CEO Caroline Wanga CLOSET using storytelling to put a fresh talks to Kiera Fernandez, Target’s spin on the music genre top Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Top celeb stylists Scot Louie and By Taylor Crumpton about how to stay healthy and Shiona Turini break down how you centered when you’re the boss can pull off that red-carpet glam By Scarlett Newman 4 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023

The Capital One Quicksilver card makes you the hero of every purchase. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere with no annual fee.

CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 VOL. 53 NO. 5 88 POWER PLAY IN EVERY ISSUE CarpeDM, a matchmaking 10 CONTRIBUTORS tech start-up, creates a whole new dating experience 12 EDITOR’S LETTER for Black women Executive Editor/VP, By Kimberly Wilson Content Danielle Cadet reflects on the many 44 90 CHOOSING FREEDOM expressions of Black love Sheryl Lee Ralph, queen of the 2022 Emmys. Leaving behind racial 94 HOROSCOPE tensions in the States, Black American Muslim 96 LOVE RULES! Imani Bashir found Staffers share their highest peace as an expat relationship ideals By Danielle Pointdujour THRIVE & POWER 84 81 THE REALITIES OF Restore body and soul A RECESSION in the waters of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, When economic downturns Costa Rica. hit, Black folks have it particularly hard. Experts offer tips on riding out the looming recession of 2023 By Jasmine Browley 84 WORTH THE TRIP How a burned-out music exec found spiritual and physical healing by immersing herself in nature in Costa Rica By Jessica Herndon Copyright © 2022 by Essence Communications, Inc. (GST 12630 1159 RT0001) Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 43533572. ESSENCE (ISSN-0014-0880) is published bimonthly by Essence Communications, Inc., 34 35th FROM TOP: SHANIQWA JARVIS, OCEAN MORISSET Street, Suite 5A, Brooklyn NY 11232. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address correc- tions to ESSENCE, P.O. Box 5001, Harlan, IA 51593-0501. U.S. subscriptions: $22 for one year. 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. ESSENCE is the registered trademark of Essence Communications, Inc. Allow six weeks for change of address. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. 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 5001, Harlan IA 51593-0501. If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a correct 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 website: ESSENCE.com. You can also phone 800-274-9398 or write to ESSENCE, P.O. Box 5001, Harlan, IA 51593-0501. 6 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023



EDITORIAL CREATIVE PHOTO Executive Editor/Vice President, Content Senior Vice President, Creative Senior Photo Editor Michele Brea Danielle Cadet Corey Stokes Executive Photography Production Content Director Nandi Howard Senior Creative Director Allyson Brown The Morrison Group Style Director Tahirah Hairston Senior Designer Sophia Little Creative Photography Consultant Fashion Market Editor Valerie Butler Contributing Senior Designer Michael Quinn Senior Entertainment Editor Preston Thompson Contributing Associate Photo Editor Brande Victorian Contributing Art Director Sabla Stays Breanna Nichelle Senior Lifestyle Editor Motion Graphics Designer Imani Nuñez Victoria Uwumarogie Front End Design Developer VIDEO Contributing Lifestyle Editor Victoria L. Sumner Vice President, Branded Content & Video Dominique Brielle Fluker Contributing Designer Isaiah Stewart Stephanie Dunivan Senior Money & Careers Editor Supervising Producer Yazmin Ramos Kimberly Wilson EDITORIAL PRODUCTION Video Producer Tamish Bates Senior News & Politics Editor Production Director Joseph Colucci Branded Content Video Producer Malaika Jabali Contributing Producers Shari Welton Features Editor Brooklyn R. White Heather Napolitano, Valerie Thomas Contributing Producers Iman Childs, Contributing Editors Aley Arion, Production Assistant Raphael Joa Tabitha Corley, Andrew Hillmedo Jasmine Browley, Okla Jones, Copy Chief Grace White Melissa Noel, Kenrya Rankin, Contributing Copy Editors SOCIAL MEDIA Rivea Ruff, Jamila Stewart Pamela Grossman, Van Sias, Senior Social Media Editor Kory Jarvis Editors-At-Large Regina R. Robertson, Angela Watford Contributing Senior Social Media Producer Rosemarie Robotham, Mikki Taylor Senior Research Editor Empress Varnado Bridgette Bartlett Royall Contributing Social Media Manager NATURALLY CURLY/GIRLS UNITED Contributing Researchers Stephanie Smith Business Lead Rechelle Dennis Julia Chance, Christine Coppa, Contributing Social Media Coordinator Business Manager Varsay Sirleaf Sheryl Nance-Nash Rhyann Sampson Contributing Editor Christina Cleveland E-Commerce Consultant Keturah Zapotechne Creative & Artistic Designer Fran Avery ESSENCE VENTURES Chief Executive Officer Chief Revenue Officer Chief Marketing Officer Chief of Staff Caroline Wanga Pauline Malcolm-Thornton Erika Bennett Barkue Tubman-Zawolo FINANCE Tori Jackson, Whitney Johnson, Technology & Platform Lead Vice President, Finance Josie Whitman Sapphira Martin James Toothman Finance Analyst Chalay Walker Sales Activations Manager Briana Savage Senior Engineer Anthony Gaudio Accounts Payable Manager Associate Account Manager Norma P.R. Levy Tiffany Johnson EXPERIENTIAL Sales Development Director Willie Tellis Executive Vice President, Experiential REVENUE OPERATIONS Marketing Director Felicia Martin-Hill Michael Barclay II Senior Director, Revenue Operations Digital Account Managers Experiential Directors Calune Eustache, Jake Vaysman Saloman Islas, Paige Johnson, Gabrielle Shea Senior Campaign Manager, Revenue Temperance McKinley, Gabrielle Nguyen, Manager, Talent Engagement Tanisha Jones Operations Naajiah Cole Bria Youngblood Digital Content Coordinator Khadijah Tucker Ad Ops Consultant Alexis Gwynn Director of Account Management Toccara Labady ADMINISTRATION REVENUE PARTNERSHIPS & SALES Sales Coordinators Shakora Biggs, Senior Corporate Counsel Mechelle Evans Vice President, Sales Patrice Gillespie Contracts & Compliance Manager Sade Givens Alicia Richardson Research Lead Aiesha Powell People & Culture Director Ashley Oliver Vice President, Sales Activation Human Resources Generalist Keri Richardson DIGITAL STRATEGY & OPERATIONS Davina Williams Vice President, Sales Strategy Senior Vice President, Product & innovation Program Manager Vanda Glanton Mel Clements Andy Toh Executive Assistant to the CEO & COS Sales Strategy Manager Clarence McGann Director, Technical Operations Tiffany Woodson Senior Sales Partnership Directors Mukti Sharma Executive Assistant to the CMO Nicole Haynes, Dana Storm Santiago Director, Audience Development Diamond Wiley Sales Partnership Directors Steven Psyllos Executive Assistant to the CRO Marquis Gerald, Shantelle Guyton, Director, Product Management Kara Cahoon Jasmine Jarrells Sonia Martinez, Gerard Simmons Product Manager Jordyn Brown Executive Assistant to EVP Experiential Sales Planners Dominique Dickerson, Helpdesk Analyst Edgar Guay Myesha Grandsoult ESSENCE Ventures, a Sundial Group of Companies brand, is the parent company for Essence Communications, Inc., AFROPUNK, Beautycon and Essence Studios. 8 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

CONTRIBUTORS Solange Franklin Tre’vell Anderson (@solangefranklin) (@Rayzhon) This New York City–basem stylist, An awarm-winning journalist, social curator anm self- emitor anm consultant collaborates mescribem “worlm changer” whose pronouns are they/ closely with luxury branms anm them/theirs, Anmerson always comes to slay. They have mynamic talent, bringing refinement coverem every major rem carpet in Hollywoom anm anm inclusivity to their efforts. interviewem everyone from Viola Davis to Lil Nas X. Franklin has stylem covers for Namem to The Root’s 2020 list of the 100 most international emitions of Vogue, as influential African-Americans, they have memicatem well as emitorials for W Magazine, their career to centering those in the margins, gray Allure anm Teen Vogue—so our feature spaces anm intersections of life through a pop culture “Well Suitem” (page 62) was all in a lens. The busy Anmerson cohosts two pomcasts— may’s work for her. The former emitor- Crookem Memia’s What A Day anm Maximum Fun’s at-large in fashion for Paper Magazine counts Solange Knowles, Serena Williams, FANTI—anm has pennem We See Each Other: My Black, Tracee Ellis Ross anm Zazie Beetz among her celebrity clientele. Trans Journey Through TV and Film, set for a May 2023 release. They also coauthorem Historically Black Sheika Daley (@officialsheiks) Phrases, to be publishem in September 2023. Anmerson spoke with our cover star for “Lori Harvey Loves When you’re a sought-after celebrity makeup artist Herself” (page 52). The Charleston, South Carolina, like Daley, the rem carpet is not the only place to native receivem a bachelor’s megree from Morehouse showcase your consimerable talents. She has also College anm a master’s from Stanform University. been featurem internationally in Vogue, plus in Vanity Fair, AnOther anm W Magazine. This month, she metails how we can recreate nineties glam for “The Beat” (page 16). The enterprising Daley, who is the founmer anm creative mirector of Elora Lane lashes, has workem with celebrities like Zenmaya, Kelly Rowlanm, Jomie Turner-Smith, Keke Palmer, Letitia Wright, Taraji P. Henson anm Beyoncé. Ericka Hart Shaniqwa Jarvis (@sheekswinsalways) CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: CROOKED MEDIA; RAJ DEHAB; DIEGO SALCEDO; COURTESY OF SUBJECT; ED SINGLETON/COURTESY OF THE WALL GROUP. (@ihartericka) A frequent fashion, photography anm lifestyle commentator, Jarvis has her finger on the pulse of culture. Her influence covers This queer, femme activist, streetwear, high fashion anm the arts. Known for her sensitive writer, acclaimem speaker anm approach anm mistinctive emitorial aesthetic, she has collaboratem awarm-winning sexuality with such branms as the North Face, Fear of Gom, Jil Sanmer, Nike emucator broke grounm in anm Amimas. Her subjects inclume Presiment Barack Obama, Stacey 2016, when she began Abrams, Spike Lee, appearing topless in public to Alicia Keys anm Erykah show her mouble-mastectomy Bamu. For this issue, she scars. Since then, she has capturem Emmy winner been in memanm as a speaker Sheryl Lee Ralph for at colleges anm universities “Supporting a Queen” nationwime. She’s also been (page 44). Through her featurem in countless migital speaking engagements anm print publications, such anm photography, as Vogue, The Washington Jarvis seeks to inspire Post, Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, Vice, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, W youth, women, people Magazine, Glamour anm Elle. Both ramical anm relatable, Hart continues of color anm anyone who to push beyonm the thresholm of sex-positivity. She shares a personal tale aspires to create. of family mynamics anm queerphobia in “Love Without a Limit” (page 76). 10 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023



EDITOR’S LETTER It’s hard to believe I’m seeing 2023 on the calendar, and yet here we are— Activist Ericka Hart delves deeply into that topic in a powerful personal that time of the year where things feel fresh, possibilities are endless and essay, “Love Without a Limit” (page 76). the slate feels clean. In my case, that’s quite literally the circumstance as I step into my new role as Executive Editor and VP of Content. Being loved by a Black person is unique. It looks a certain way. It smells a certain way. It’s cool hair grease on your scalp as a caring finger If the years since the pandemic started have taught us anything, it’s rubs it in. It’s the scent of well-seasoned food wafting through the house that rules can be rewritten. We can not only challenge the status quo, we as your favorite meal simmers on the stove. It’s the first step to the other can transform it, finding new and exciting ways forward. That’s the energy side of the broom and into your future with the love of your life. In “Let Me I’m bringing to this new role: to take the incredible foundation of this brand Count the Ways” (page 70), we celebrate the beauty of Black love traditions and make it even stronger, by challenging us to rethink some of the things and the ways that only our community shows affection. we’ve accepted as truth. And what better way to start than with Black love? Unfortunately, Black people are deeply familiar with grief as well— For years, we’ve seen beautiful but mostly heteronormative couples as Black love has long been intertwined with loss. For generations, we’ve grace our magazine cover. We’ve defined Black love through the bad- watched Black women like Mamie Till, Betty Shabazz, Sybrina Fulton ass Black partners on so many of the vision boards created by those of us and Lauren London carry on the legacy of Black men and boys. Now, as looking for love. But Black love is also so much more. we share in “Black Love Matters” (page 29), Kenneth Walker is forging a new path—as a man making sure the world continues to say the name In this issue, we pushed the boundaries and expanded the of the woman he loved, Breonna Taylor. definition of loving while Black. In “Lori Harvey Loves Herself” (page 52), our gorgeous cover star commands attention all on her own, with no Love is also giving flowers to our legends—and we do just that in man on her arm. Sometimes Black love is about cherishing yourself “Supporting a Queen” (page 44), honoring the incomparable Sheryl Lee enough to know when the moment is about you and no one else. Ralph for her decades-long career in Hollywood and the overdue honor she’s finally receiving. To be Black and to love is an act of resistance. We And Black love isn’t just romantic. It’s also about how we display live in a world that tries so often to steal our joy and even our reasons to affection and acceptance within our families. This becomes all too love. So as we start the new year, let’s allow ourselves to break the mold complicated for our queer and trans family members—for whom love can and celebrate Black love together—in all its forms. be compartmentalized when relatives refuse to accept their truth. Danielle Cadet Executive Editor + VP, Content IG/TW: @dbcadet P H O T O G R A P H Y, W U LF B R A D L E Y. H A I R, J E R IC A E D WA R D S. M A K E U P, DA N I ELL E M I TC H ELL FO R E XC LU S I V E A R T I S T S U S I N G DIO R FO R E V E R FO U N DAT IO N. S T Y L I S T, M E T TA C O N C H E T TA. 12 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023





STYLE M O DEL: M A M Y FALL AT W ILH ELMINA. NA ILS: AJA WALTO N AT SEE M ANAG EM ENT FO R ES SIE. SE T DESIG N: EL A IN E From top: Fossil Watch Ring The Time Is Now W I N T E R. P H O T O A S S I S TA N T: M A N U E L B O VA. P R O D U C T I O N: T H E M O R R I S O N G R O U P. Two-Hand Stainless Steel, $100, fossil.com. Hermès Kelly Why a watch should be Watch, $16,200, hermes.com. your next investment Tiffany & Co. Atlas 29mm Watch, $2,950, tiffany.com. Cartier Photography by Panthère de Cartier Watch, Shawn Michael Jones $5,000, cartier.com. Seiko Heritage Collection SBGA211 Are you looking for the Watch, $6,200, grand-seiko.com. next luxury item to add to your collection or give as a STYLE gift? Something that will stand the test of time (pun intended)? In other words, a timepiece? A watch is a precious investment you can grow into and pass down to your children and grandchildren. And if we’re being perfectly honest, it’s a subtle flex. Best of all, you can start with something that’s more affordable or save up for one a bit more expensive. Whatever your choice, this is a purchase you should take your time with, as there are so many options to consider—from size to weight to band and from brand-new to vintage. Whether you’re buying a timepiece for yourself or for a loved one, this isn’t the kind of acquisition to make on the spur of the moment. Be sure to do your research before you settle on the right fit. In other words, take your time. Ready, set, flex. JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 15

I GOT A LOVE JONES FOR YOU <3 The sultry look of 90s Black rom-coms has always been the blueprint—with its dark lips, thin brows, side parts, pixie flips and slow-burn style. Here, celebrity makeup artist Sheika Daley and hairstylist Ikeyia Powell pay homage to the classic beat Photographed by Jeiroh Yanya Styling by Valerie Butler Brown Butter Versace Medusa Crop Hoodie, $1,695, versace.com. Filippa K Cropped Tuxedo Blazer, $650, filippak.com. Johnny Nelson Mini All Power Fist Ring, $125, johnnynelson.nyc. 16 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 STYLE

STYLE CM ORDEEDLI:T AGMOAENSD IHNEER EP O U I L L Y A T H E R O E S M O D E L S . M A K E U P : S H E I K A D A L E Y U S I N G L A N C Ô M E A T D A Y O N E S T U D I O . H A I R : I K E Y I A P O W E L L . MANICURE: NARINA CHAN USING KISS PRODUCTS AND LEAFGEL PREMIUM. MAKEUP ASSISTANT: A LOVE. PHOTO ASSISTANT: AIDAN TAN. PRODUCTION MANAGER: MEREDITH LACKEY. CASTING: SHAHRIYAR GHOBADPOUR AT CVILIAN. PRODUCTION: THE MORRISON GROUP. JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 17 Jet-Black Beauty LaPointe Cinnamon Lightweight Jersey Top, $750, shoplapointe.com. Laura Lombardi Luciana Earrings, »$210, lauralombardi.com.

Classic Nude Filippa K Classic Denim Jacket, $440, filippak.com. Laura Lombardi Chiara Pendant and Lella Necklaces, $158 and $144, lauralombardi. com. Earrings, stylist’s own . 18 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 STYLE

Clear- Gloss Overlay PatBO Hand-Beaded Flower Top, $725, available April 2023 on patbo.com. Johnny Nelson All Power Fist Stud Earring, $175, johnnynelson.nyc. STYLE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 19

STA ND A R M S, F R O M L E F T: A L X M U R R AY/5 0 0 P X /G E T T Y I M A G E S; I S S A R A W AT TAT T O N G /G E T T Y I M A G E S. L E G S, F R O M L E F T: J A D E T H A I C AT W A L K / out S H U T T ER S TO C K; IM AG E S O U R C E/G E T T Y IM AG E S; V IK TO R_G L A D KOV/I S TO C K P H OTO/G E T T Y IM AG E S. P R O D U C T S: C O U R T E SY O F B R A N D S. 2 Fashion is constantly 1 ebbing and flowing; and 3 in this season’s wave, quirky shapes, colors and ideations are in By Kerane Marcellus 1. TEXTURED BAGS Fringe, terrycloth, chenille—these bags spruce up any look. Poppy Lissiman Mit Bag in lime, $130, poppylissiman.com. 2. NOVELTY TOTES Staying playful in fashion is a theme, and wacky accessories are on trend. Puppets and Puppets Small Cookie bag in pink metallic, $395, puppetsandpuppets.com. 3. FUTURISTIC GLASSES Luxury brand Loewe gave a chic and spirited way to accessorize with eyewear silhouettes—and Burberry is taking it even further with crystal-adorned frames. Burberry sunglasses, price upon request, us.burberry.com. 20 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 STYLE

4 4. WEDGED GO-GO BOOTS 5 6 21 Wedges are making a comeback—and with a disco JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM flair, this is a statement shoe. Nina Ricci blue stretch leather waders, $1,000, ninaricci.com. 5. STUDDED CLOGS Have you ever seen something so heavenly? Imagine walking into a room and commanding attention in clogs—it’s possible. Bottega Veneta Mostra sandals, $672, bottegaveneta.com. 6. GLOSSY MULES Always a chic yet easy option when rushing out the door, the mule gets reimagined here in a glossy finish. Givenchy Marshmallow slider wedge sandals, $575, givenchy.com. STYLE

9 NATURALLY INSPIRED I Av fl O “I ’ x HER ADVICE FOR YOU j ” “I v “L k k N u h gM u h ” Av “A k w hC c u !I w wI j qw wv k vj ?” S x vx ” k wx kw w BECOMING FEARLESS v Av v u ff u k? “I fi w L bu h O O .c / I’v w k “I v hC c ” wk f. k ”



From the Carpet to Your Closet Stylists Scot Louie and Keke Palmer Shiona Turini offer tips on adding red-carpet style to your personal wardrobe By Scarlett Newman It’s no secret that Black women are FROM LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON KENT; NISHA trendsetters, especially on the red JOHNY AND JONATHAN JACOB S; JOSHUA RENFOE. carpet—whether at the Oscars, Grammys or Met Gala. Many of these celebrities have their “right hand,” otherwise known as their Black stylist, to thank for their coveted looks. For the most part, outfits on the red carpet aren’t easily accessible in-store; they’re more likely custom pieces by a brand or skillful collaborations between the brand, stylist and the celebrity wearing the clothes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some inspiration for your own closet. While most of us aren’t getting ready for the next big event, we still aspire to embody confidence and glamor in our everyday attire. If you’re trying to translate some of those looks into your personal style, we’re here to help. We spoke with two top celebrity stylists, Scot Louie (who has styled stars like Ryan Destiny and Keke Palmer) and Shiona Turini (stylist to Letitia Wright and Uzo Aduba), about how to translate sought-after red- carpet moments to your own wardrobe. Ryan Destiny Letitia Wright 24 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 STYLE

Destiny always “That’s what pushes the envelope. edginess is rooted SCOT LOUIE ON in: We’re not expecting it. It’s How to Add Edge to Your Personal Style unexpected.” —Louie FRO M TOP: PHOTOG R APHY BY ASIM ISMAEL; ADR IAN MARTIN; ANDRE W H. WALKER/SHUT TERSTOCK; CINDY RO M ERO. ESSENCE: How do you approach edginess and experimentation with your clients? SCOT LOUIE: My rule of thumb as a stylist, especially when it comes to my clients, is to know your audience. It’s really a matter of who you’re working with, what the overall narrative is and where they’re going. Strategy is important in a stylist-client relationship. I work with an array of clients, from different age groups and different sizes. So my approach to adding edginess, is: What is different from what my client is currently doing? What is something that is pushing the envelope and is daring for them? Something that their fan base hasn’t seen, something that they haven’t yet tried? That’s what edginess is rooted in: We’re not expecting it. It’s unexpected. ESSENCE: What advice do you have for Palmer turns heads someone who wants to take more risks but in textures. doesn’t know where to start? LOUIE: The biggest thing is just to do it. boundaries. There’s a juxtaposition in your Take the risk. Start to implement some look. I use Rihanna as a reference all the things that are out of the ordinary for you. If time. She’ll wear these gorgeous gowns, I were to work with someone who wanted to and then she puts on a baseball cap with it. move into a style space that was different Or it’s like an oversize men’s shirt with a for them, I’d tell them to lay a brick every thigh-high boot, adding elements and day. So whether it’s adding a ring or a jacket textures and layers, and mixing colors that that you wouldn’t normally wear, really push normally wouldn’t work together. We all the envelope. As any person progresses know the saying, “Black and brown make a through their edgy journey, you’ll find that frown,” but now I love black and brown being daring, little by little, becomes an together. So edginess is really just things overall thing for you. And then before you know it—it becomes second nature. »that don’t quintessentially go together. ESSENCE: Within the context of personal style, what does being “edgy” mean to you? LOUIE: Being edgy means what you wear is eye-catching, it’s attention-grabbing, it’s irreverent at times. It’s pushing the STYLE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 25

SHIONA TURINI ON ESSENCE: What are your thoughts on ESSENCE: What are some of your favorite F R O M T O P: P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y N I S H A J O H N Y A N D J O N AT H A N J A C O B S; J O N K O PA L O F F/G E T T Y I M A G E S; N I S H A J O H N Y A N D J O N AT H A N J A C O B S (2). How to Add Tailoring wearing suits on the red carpet, as opposed moments with suits? and Suiting to to something traditional, like a gown? TURINI: Letitia Wright at the Wakanda Your Personal Style SHIONA TURINI: My approach to styling is Forever New York Screening, in a black Off- very collaborative—so while I love playing White Suit is one. There are so many Uzo Aduba with untraditional shapes and proportions to elements that make this suit shine, but for create something powerful and unexpected, me it’s the oversize cut and the white 26 ESSENCE.COM it’s most important to remain authentic to stitching that really make it special. The the person. A suit communicates strength, oversize shape of the jacket allows it to be power and an unspoken confidence. worn several ways—as a dress with a great sandal from Amina Muaddi or Brother ESSENCE: Can you talk about the benefits of Vellies; or with slim pants, as she did for the tailoring and how it enhances a wardrobe? NY premiere; or with a wide-leg pant. TURINI: It can completely transform a look. When pieces such as suiting are properly Another great red-carpet look is Issa tailored, they can enhance and accentuate Rae on the cover of Vanity Fair in a black Saint different parts of the body. For example, I’m Laurent suit. My first job in fashion was at curvy, so I always go a size up in a pant and Yves Saint Laurent. One of the reasons I fell in take it in at the waist. Clothing will always fall love with the company was that they were better when it is tailored to your body, and the first high-fashion luxury brand to dress small tweaks can really make a difference. women in tuxedos and suits. Saint Laurent executes tailoring very well, so a classic black Wright blazer or tuxedo jacket that you can wear a dazzles range of ways is worth the investment. I love at every pairing a jacket with the unexpected, like a event. high-waisted bike short or a long tuxedo skirt. Janice Duncan at the 93rd Academy Awards in a black Valentino suit is another favorite moment. I am always looking for pieces that have a unique element. The tuxedo jacket could also be considered a cape, but it still has the lines of a great-fitting jacket. Pairing it with a sheer, textured top, like an Aisling Camps modern sheer turtleneck, makes the look even more unexpected and interesting. Then there’s Uzo Aduba at the Lightyear premiere in a Sergio Hudson suit. Suiting in bold, bright colors is always a yes for me! The jacket could be worn on its own, with a bodysuit and jeans. The pieces work well in any season, making it easy to incorporate them into your wardrobe. “A suit communicates strength, power and an unspoken confidence.” —Turini JAN–FEB 2023 STYLE

““ I can laugh and be myself again -Sinora Boutique underwear. 8 oz of liquid. The bladder leak underwear we deserve

ADVERTISEMENT ADVOCATING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH LUNG CANCER How Two Sisters Rallied Together to Navigate a Devastating Lung Cancer Diagnosis In 2007, sisters Deborah and Jennifer watched their mother pass away a COURTESY OF DEBORAH AND JENNIFER little more than two years after her initial lung cancer diagnosis. Losing a loved one is hardu and the sisters weren’t prepared to face yet F.C.C.P., Morehouse School of Medicine. “Knowing this may help another lung cancer diagnosis in 2020 – this time for Deborah. doctors develop personalized treatment plans to specifically target that type of cancer.”²⁴ After her cough was misdiagnosed twice, DeNorah, a retired educator from Morganton, North Carolina, learned After receiving her Niomarker testing results, DeNorah learned that she had advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). she had the KRAS G12C mutation, one of the most Upon hearing the news, Jennifer immediately stepped in common mutations in NSCLC, occurring in aNout as her sister’s health advocate. DeNorah says Jennifer has 1 in 8 (13%) NSCLC patients in western countries.5 Neen the “angel on her shoulder” throughout her journey Despite KRAS testing Neing recommended Ny Ny “researching her cancer and communicating with her guidelines from professional societies as part of a doctors.” That research led Jennifer to discover a physician Nroad comprehensive panel or targeted testing in who could perform DeNorah’s surgery. But at a follow-up NSCLC, not all individuals Nenefit equitaNly from these CT scan post-surgery and chemotherapy, DeNorah’s team advances.⁶⁷⁸⁹ In NSCLC, eligiNle Black patients are less of oncologists recommended Niomarker testing after likely to receive Niomarker testing compared to White discovering that the cancer had spread to the other lung. patients, which can potentially contriNute to widening existing disparities in cancer diagnosis and treatment.⁹¹⁰ Biomarker testing identifies a patient’s specific tumor makeup to help doctors understand what’s driving the Despite those statistics, Dr. Flenaugh is optimistic in a growth of the cancer.¹² It can Ne done through a tissue Niopsy or a Nlood more equitaNle future since “we’re seeing Niomarker test.³ “Each person’s cancer has a unique pattern of biomarkers.² testing Neing conducted at the time of diagnosis for Biomarker testing may show mutations in the cancer’s cells that can advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients, which is how it should Ne help doctors understand what is influencing the cancer to grow and utilized Necause it guides treatment plan decisions.”¹¹ In his opinion, spreadu”² explains Interventional Pulmonologist Eric Flenaughu M.D.u people need to know that “at the time of diagnosisu patientsu caregiversu and advocates should be empowered and encouraged to ask about the availability of biomarker testing.” To learn more about KRAS 212C in NSCLC and for additional information *Individual results may vary. on comprehensive biomarker testing talk to your doctor. You can also KRAS, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog find resources by visiting krasg12candme.com. ©2022 Amgen Inc. All rights reserved. USA-510-81249 References 1. Pennell NA, et al. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2019;39:531-532. 2. Ahmadzada T, et al. J Clin Med. 2018;)(6):153. 3. Gregg JP, et al. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2019;8:291. 4. Barlesi F, et al. Lancet. 2016;38):1415-1426. 5. Data on File, Amgen; 2020. 6. Kalemkerian GP, et. al. J Clin Oncol. 2018;36:5. ). Robert NJ, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(15):9004. 8. Hann KEJ, et al. BMC Public Health. 201);1):503. 9. Bruno DS, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(15):9005. 10. Stein JN, et al. J Thorac Dis. 2021;13(6):3))2-3800. 11. Hess LM, et al. J Thorac Oncol Clin Res Rep. 2022;3(6):100336.

Walker honors his late girlfriend Breonna Taylor. Black Love Matters Breonna Taylor was more than a hashtag to Kenneth Walker. She was his love and best friend By Bry’onna Mention and Melissa Noel J O N C H E R R Y/G E T T Y I M AG E S T he month of June was special to Walker says Breonna, at 26, had big little Jordans; it was supposed to be for our Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker. plans for her career, working two jobs to pay kid—so we always had them sitting on the With her birthday on the 5th and his for nursing school. They had big plans for a dresser, like we had a kid already,” he says, on the 10th, the couple enjoyed an almost future together, too. “We were definitely describing the red and white Retro 12s that week-long celebration together every year. talking about getting married and having a he still holds close. They loved live music and going to concerts, baby and stuff, just planning on being a a good party and taking long walks— power couple, making a whole lot of money These items are now keepsakes from a anything, Walker says, to be in each other’s together,” he says. future he and Breonna had planned—but presence and have a good time. “Our love will never have. Everything changed on was based on friendship—that’s where it all His mother was going to give him his March 13, 2020. started,” Walker says, sharing that they first grandmother’s ring for Breonna when he met online in 2012. “Friendship was how our was ready to propose. And a close friend of The night before had started out as an love became what it was.” the two had also given them a special gift. ordinary evening for the duo in Louisville, “Our godson’s mom gave us some of his Kentucky. They had a date night, went out to »dinner at Texas Roadhouse, came home CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 29

Kenneth Walker never got a chance to say goodbye to Breonna. “ I will keep her name alive. that’s happening— weight of Breonna’s memories. I will continue to make sure still to this day.” “I guess it just feels like I was put in this people know I’m still here, In the two position for a reason,” he reflects. “I grew up years since the with two sisters and a mom, so I’ve always been a protector of Black women. Who and that I’m gonna keep traumatic event, better to speak than somebody who’s lived Walker, now 30, through this, and continues to say her name.” fighting for Breonna.” has been at the Walker was initially charged with forefront of pro- assault and attempted murder after the raid. Those charges were permanently dropped tests, participated in March 2021. That month, Walker filed a civil lawsuit against the city and a number and played a game of UNO! They planned in social justice panels and done countless of the officers involved in the shooting, requesting punitive and compensatory on watching the movie Freedom Riders, but interviews alongside Breonna’s family. He damages in both state and federal court. In November 2022, the Louisville Metro Police they soon dozed off, not knowing things says he feels as if it’s all necessary, as they Department (LMPD) settled with Walker for $2 million. would never be the same after the early continue fighting for justice. In August 2022, the Justice morning hours of March 13. Historically, Black women have fought Department charged four current and former LMPD officers with federal crimes Shortly after midnight, Louisville police for justice and carried on the legacies of related to Breonna’s death, including federal civil rights offenses, unlawful officers executing a search warrant used a Black men: Mamie Till-Mobley for her son conspiracies and use of excessive force. One of the officers, Kelly Goodlett, battering ram to enter Breonna’s apartment. Emmett Till; Betty Shabazz and Coretta pleaded guilty to falsifying the warrant that led to Breonna’s death—and to later Walker, a licensed gun holder, said he Scott King for their husbands, Malcolm X conspiring with another detective to create a cover story—when her death thought someone was trying to break in. He and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Erica gained national attention. fired a single shot, hitting an officer in the Garner died fighting for her father, Eric “I will keep her name alive,” Walker vows. “I will continue to make sure people leg. The officers returned fire with a barrage Garner. Women like Sybrina Fulton, Lucy know I’m still here, and that I’m gonna keep fighting for Breonna.” of bullets that struck and killed Breonna. McBath and Lesley McSpadden—mothers “When this happened, I lost everything,” of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Mike says Walker. Brown—have forged bonds from shared He was immediately taken into tragedy. Known as “Mothers of the custody and charged with the attempted Movement,” the latter form a heartbroken murder of a police officer. He would later club of moms of slain Black boys. It’s a circle LEIGH VOGEL/GETTY IMAGES learn of his girlfriend’s death from a in which none of them sought membership newscast while in jail. Walker never got a that now binds them for life. chance to say goodbye, because he was Here, Walker stands alone. There isn’t a locked up on the day of Breonna’s funeral. “Fathers, Husbands or Boyfriends of the “I’ve been having to fight just to live,” Movement.” As the only surviving witness to Walker says now. “ I haven’t even had enough Breonna’s killing, Walker shoulders an time to slow down and process everything enormous responsibility for carrying the 30 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE

©2020 Tyson Foods, Inc.





34 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 Through her art, the revolutionary Joan Tarika “Matilaba” Lewis was instrumental in helping to frame the political realities faced by the Black Panther Party. CULTURE

JOAN OF ART Joan Tarika Lewis, an artist and the aware that she was the Party’s first woman member—and the first first woman to join the Black Panther recruit, period. The distinction was brought to her attention during Party, both illustrated and embodied a conference at University of California, Berkeley, when Seale the iconography of the movement acknowledged Lewis for her groundbreaking work as a political educator and illustrator. “I came in with a couple of other people, late, By and we sat in the last row,” Lewis says of the two-day event. She Skylar Mitchell and Brooklyn White describes how Seale pointed her out and made an announcement: “There’s Matilaba, the first female recruit of the Black Panther Visuals can be a powerful tool in political Party,” he told the audience. praxis. The content, design and color of Lewis was raised by descendants of images express an artist’s understanding of Black pioneers who had escaped to abolitionist Massachusetts, and eventually the world; how it is and how it can be. And traveled west, settling in San Francisco in 1849. Her paternal great-grandfather, when creative work is applied to community Edward West Parker, managed commerce initiatives in a Virginia chapter of the building, this vision is intensified. Joan Colored Conventions Movement. This foundational racial justice body was formed Tarika Lewis—artist, revolutionary and the after enslaved, indentured and freed Blacks organized for education and political first woman to join the Black Panther access in the event of the government’s collapse and the outbreak of a Civil War. Party—deeply understood the visual That war, of course, eventually did occur. possibilities as she used art as an Lewis’s ancestors were keenly aware of the importance of self-reliance. They organizing tool. had to be, if they were to survive the fluctuating fortunes of a country that was “I just offered [Bobby Seale, intent on disenfranchising Black people. That resilient ethos traveled with both cofounder of the Black Panther Party] sides of the artist’s family through their exodus north, then west. some drawings I had for interpreting what Lewis was born in Oakland in 1950. was being said in the meetings,” Lewis By then, her relatives had established multiplegenerations of African-American community leadership, says of her role as an illustrator of the including as members of the Buffalo Soldiers and as Black physicians and homeowners. Lewis recalls growing up surrounded by Black- movement. In addition to working with owned medical offices, stores and boxing gyms like the one where her father trained as a lightweight champion. The neighborhood was close- Minister of Culture Emory Douglas to knit, and children like Lewis were protected by a circle of fictive kin. “Oakland, especially West Oakland, was a real family community,” PORTR AIT AND ILLUSTR ATIONS, COURTESY OF JOAN TARIK A LEWIS shape the visual identity of the group, she Lewis helped she says of the sense of safety the city had at that time. “Everyone wrote articles for the Black Panther shape the knew each other. Everyone’s doors were open—we never locked our newspaper. “We were typing with two visual identity doors. We never had bars on our windows. I had a dozen mothers up of the Party. and down the street. And if a kid ever got in trouble, your mother knew about it before you got home.” fingers, okay?” she says with a laugh. She »To some extent, the familial nature of Black Oakland served also came into her own as a political cartoonist after she became a member of the Party. Lewis vividly recalls her young adulthood through the lens of her time with the Party, during which she collaborated with peers-turned- comrades to define the organization’s political identity. She remembers how in 1967, an innocent day at San Francisco’s Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park turned into a nightmare. Lewis had been enjoying an afternoon of fun with Bonnie and June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters. “After we got off the roller coaster, these two grown men had this kid—and they sucker-punched this little skinny kid,” Lewis says. “He must’ve been about 13 years old. The men turned out to be policemen.” The experience was for Lewis a “rude awakening,” an act of brutality that provoked her to take action. “Shortly after, I joined the Black Panther Party,” she states. Taking the name Tarika Matilaba Lewis, she was not initially CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 35

Women like Lewis were the strength and spirit of the Party, often without due recognition of their efforts.” as a basis for the Black Panther Party’s internal structure. Especially Minister. In later years, Douglas publicly acknowledged the influence of in its earliest years, when founding members and affiliates worked women’s labor in his illustrative work. “The women depicted in my together to refine their political leanings, the communal framework artwork,” Douglas told The New York Times, “are a reflection of the Party. lent itself to members’ intense reliance on one another. However, this Women went to jail and were in leadership roles. Women started dynamic soon gave way to a gendered division of roles. chapters and branches of the Black Panther Party as well. When we used to read some of the stories, you would see women in the Vietnam and The Party developed an ideal amalgamated image of the “Black Palestine struggles and in the African liberation movement. Women Revolutionary Woman”—one who selectively elevated Black men above were an integral part of those movements, so all that played into how I their gender liberation. Women were called upon to occupy a myriad of expressed them in my own artwork.” organizing spheres simultaneously, focusing on domestic, ideological and spiritual priorities. This promotion of women, as accessory members Lewis’s own artistic archive, coupled with her recollections of who supported the more militant profile of men in the Party, made them Party leadership, offers an important counter-narrative to the often susceptible to physical abuse, exploitation and discrimination within the male-dominated imagery of Black Power. Her legacy extends beyond organization. On top of being revolutionaries in their own lives, women the illustrations, however, as her artistic expression in various mediums like Lewis were asked to be the strength and spirit of the Party, often challenges colonial, White supremacist and capitalist structures. without due recognition of their efforts and sacrifice. Long after her official involvement in the Party, Lewis used her art In Kathleen Neal Cleaver’s 1998 essay “Women, Power, and to reframe intersectional hegemonies that impacted the lives of Black Revolution,” the former communication secretary for the Party and oppressed people, doing murals in her native California. “I work suggested that the gender roles detracted from the organization’s with a lot of ethnic communities, and I do a lot of graphic designs,” she larger purpose. “It seems to me that part of the genesis of the gender says. “I did a T-shirt for Black-Asian unity that’s still circulating in San question, and this is only an opinion, lies in the way it deflects Francisco and the Bay Area.” Additionally, for the next two years, she attention from confronting the revolutionary critique our organization will exhibit paintings at San Francisco’s Chinese Historical Society of made of the larger society, and turns it inward to look at what type of America Museum, supporting efforts to promote a strong alliance dynamics and social conflicts characterized the organization,” she between the Asian and Black communities. wrote. While acknowledging that discussions around gender, sexism and women’s liberation within the Party could be explosive, Lewis has More recently, Lewis has also built a career as a music educator: never been afraid of a little fire. When asked whether she had found She teaches beginner’s violin in Oakland. But through all of her creative the Black Panther Party to be misogynistic or a safe space for women pursuits, the visual possibilities of art will always have a special place to lead, create and thrive, she responded, “All of the above.” in her heart. “It’s an amazing tool of expression,” she says. “I use it now to show where we’ve been and where to go.” As the Party’s influence grew, different factions took root. “Initially, it was small, we all knew each other,” Lewis says. “Lil’ Bobby [Hutton] went to Oakland Tech High School. The first women recruits also went to Tech.” Chauvinistic outlooks became more entrenched due to an influx of new members. With shifts at the top—Seale, Huey P. Newton and Elaine Brown all led the organization at various points—came recruits who didn’t have the same sense of camaraderie that had influenced the Party’s early outlook. “People came in droves—people we didn’t know, people who had other agendas, people who had other baggage, who came into the Party, and also came with certain attitudes toward women,” Lewis says. She left the Black Panther Party soon after. In the early 1970s, the Party leadership tried to address and correct the sexist overtones that existed within the various chapters. Seale worked to better acknowledge women leaders like Lewis, carrying out an imperative that was being actively reinforced by Douglas as Cultural 36 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE

R JUNE – JULY 0 More information on EssenceFestival.com #ESSENCEFEST

r&b IS NOT By DEAD Coco Jones, Muni Taylor Crumpton Long, Kaash Paige: Photography by three dynamic women Kevin Amato in the music industry who are revitalizing the new age Coco Jones is originally Over thirty years ago, Mary J. Blige was S T Y L I N G B Y I C O N B I L L I N G S L E Y. H A I R B Y H A C H O O J O H N S O N. M A K E U P B Y D I A N A S H I N AT A-F R A M E from Columbia, South crowned the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. The A G E N C Y. P R O D U C T I O N B Y T H E M O R R I S O N G R O U P, W I T H T H A N K S T O L’E R M I TA G E B E V E R LY H I L L S. Carolina. title, bestowed on her by record executive Andre Harrell, was the byproduct of the positive reception to her studio album, What’s the 411? At the time of the album’s release, Entertainment Weekly described it as “one of the most accomplished fusions of soul values and hip-hop to date.” Executive-produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, the album incorporated elements of hip-hop’s beats and narrative-driven lyricism. The meshing of genres extended beyond sound and into fashion. Combs hired Misa Hylton, now a style icon, to curate and produce looks to accentuate Blige’s “fly girl” personality and attitude. Through her creative partnerships with Combs and Hylton, Blige introduced not only a new sound to R&B, but a new type of singer. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, R&B was at the top of music charts. The new millennium expanded opportunities for musicians to connect with their fans online, through early social media networking sites and fan pages. However, as the Internet began to connect listeners to genres outside of their locale, preferences in the mid to late 2000s started to orient toward European 38 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE

Muni Long is originally from Vero Beach, Florida. S T Y L I N G B Y J A S O N R E M B E R T. H A I R B Y C U R T I S P H I L L I P S. M A K E U P B Y S C O T T O S B O U R N E J R U S I N G PAT M C G R AT H electronic music and dance-pop. This shift —Nostalgia, Ultra and House of Balloons— A N D H U D A B E A U T Y. P R O D U C T I O N B Y T H E M O R R I S O N G R O U P, W I T H T H A N K S T O L’E R M I TA G E B E V E R LY H I L L S. resulted in the prioritization of electro-pop ushered R&B into the 2010s. Instead of using and dance-pop over R&B, which led to the gospel as a leading influence, this type of R&B category’s dismissal from the mainstream. pulled together elements of alternative, indie and rock. Although the projects could be R&B’s transition to the underground considered R&B, they reflected the sound of afforded an opportunity for the genre to a Black kid who came of age on the Internet. reinvent itself. Between 2011 to 2012, Frank For that generation, “labeling”—whether in Ocean and The Weeknd released their debut mixtapes online. The musical projects »terms of sexual orientation and gender CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 39

expression or placing their music in one Kaash Paige is storytelling. For a period of time, R&B was one of the few specific group—felt like a confine instead of originally from Dallas. safe spaces where Black women could comfortably an umbrella under which to build community. disclose their trials and tribulations as well as their breakthroughs. In R&B, singers became the conduit for PRODUCTION: THE MORRISON GROUP As with Blige, Ocean and The Weeknd channeling personal journeys and establishing a pushed R&B into another phase of evolution. relationship between listeners and the artist. Their efforts created a new entry point for singers to establish and develop themselves, Coco Jones found in R&B a medium to tell her own without the influence of the radio and music stories, in comparison to the characters she plays on the industry. silver screen. “Storytelling with my music is different than on-screen, because on-screen it’s not about me at all. It’s “The hit is you going in a closet—in the really about making the character come to life. And so studio, in your room—going wherever to I will sometimes create backstories that are not mine— make a song that you love and a song that they’re what I would feel would fit the character, so that I you personally like to listen to,” says Kaash can present a very authentic version of this character,” Paige. “Love Songs,” Paige’s breakout she says. “But with my music, it’s all about me. It’s all single—which went viral on TikTok in 2019, about how I feel that day.” then amassed millions of streams on SoundCloud and Spotify—is a testament to What Didn’t I Tell You, her debut EP, is the compilation her word. Before she signed to Def Jam, Paige of untold stories from a time when Jones didn’t know how was an independent artist uploading original to be herself. “In my past there were so many scripts and R&B songs to SoundCloud. “Love Songs” was so many prompts and so many strategic routes that me one of them. being authentic with myself, through music, has helped me to learn more about myself.” Since then, the 22-year-old has collaborated with Alicia Keys, 6lack, Don CULTURE Toliver, Isaiah Rashad, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Tjay, Tinashe and Travis Scott. These experiences have contributed to the maturation of her sound on Soundtrack To My Life, the singer’s sophomore album. She excitedly says of the album, “It’s R&B, but it takes you on a journey. It goes from R&B to turn-up car-y type, and then goes right back down to it.” For those unfamiliar with Paige’s stage presence, she rages with the rock star spirit of Lenny Kravitz but has the soft voice of an angel. As an adolescent, she was drawn to alternative and rock music—particularly the way they made her feel. At her performances, Paige serves as a conductor. Through her voice, she lulls the audience into the intimate feelings of her songs, followed by a quick transition into her stage-diving personality. For Paige, whether the sensation arises from jumping into a mosh pit or selecting beats in a recording session, it has put her in a place where people are taking notes. She lists Ciara’s Goodies and The Weeknd’s Trilogy as examples of contemporary R&B albums that make you feel, arguing: “R&B is finding more. R&B is recreating the genre.... It’s a feeling. It’s rhythm. Whatever you want to do, it’s getting your groove. Everybody just create their own world and allow everybody to be a part of it.” The ability to create one feeling through music is symbolic of R&B’s relationship with 40 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023

We’re lacking compassion these days. Everybody’s so desensi- “ tized, and I think deep down, we want to be loved.... I think this is a great opportunity for R&B to kind of sneak in there and just take over.” —Muni Long For the majority of Jones’s life she has experienced pressure to that brought great impact because it had “feeling.” be someone else, in order to adhere to what Hollywood considers a “I think people, we’re lacking compassion these days. Everybody’s successful Black woman. Now she has decided to center herself and her own stories, in television and music. so desensitized, and I think deep down, we want to be loved—we want to feel,” Long says. “And I think as long as I continue to give them that, and There are three basic questions in help people escape from the darkness of reality, the more love that we’re storytelling: Who writes the stories? able to inject on the other side, right now, as an artist—I think this is a Who benefits from the story? Who is great opportunity for R&B to kind of sneak in there and just take over.” missing from the stories? In Muni Long’s case, she is the author and beneficiary. Her breakthrough single, “Hrs and Hrs,” provided the perfect For over a decade, Long penned award- opening for couples to showcase their affectionate love, after an winning songs for pop’s biggest stars intense period of global lockdown due to COVID-19. The song also and went by a different name, but they served as an introduction to Long, the storyteller she always wanted to were not the stories she wanted to tell. be. Long makes the music that she wants to hear, instead of being encouraged to write music that is popular. “We definitely went through a period of ‘too cool.’ You know what I’m The success of “Hrs and Hrs” helped Long negotiate a partnership saying? I’m too cool for that. I’m too cool with Def Jam, allowing her to focus on the creation of music instead of to love,” she reflects. “Everybody was serving as her own fashion stylist, hairstylist, makeup artist and more. trying to rap-sing at a certain point, and She describes this state as a “matter of me being consistent with the that’s okay. No judgment, because I was same integrity of music, the same level of music, where people love it. liking a lot of that stuff too—but I think Every time I put something out, it’s going to have to have that same it’s time to move on,” she adds. integrity and the same impact. I can only pray and hope that I can do that over and over. That’s all I’m focused on.” Long aspired to make songs that evoke emotions, like Method Man and All this to say, R&B is alive and well. It’s just not the same R&B your Blige’s “You’re All I Need.” She mentions parents and grandparents grew up with. Inherently, music is artists of the era like Combs, known back omnipresent and ever-changing, which means the singers who create then as Puff Daddy, and Faith Evans, who and produce songs change alongside it. The new generation is not like understood the power of a simple song the one before, but they should be welcomed as having the same relevance and earning the same respect afforded to Blige in 1992. CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 41





Sheryl Lee Ralph wears a Christian Siriano dress, Genevive Jewelry earrings and her own rings. SUPPORTING A QUEEN Sheryl Lee Ralph sits down with Jackée Harry for a conversation on their Hollywood trajectories—and the Emmy win that ties them together Photography by Shaniqwa Jarvis Styling by Jason Rembert 44 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE

H A I R: M OI R A F R A Z I E R, U S I N G A R IO M C O LL EC T IO N. M A K E U P: M IL A T H O M A S AT T H E L I P B A R. N A IL S: T E M E K A JA C K S O N. U S I N G D A ILY C H A R M E AT A-F R A M E A G E N C Y. S E T D E S IG N: W I N S T O N S T U DIO S. TA ILO R: T R AV I S T H I. P H O T O On September 20, 1987, Jackée Harry became the first African- Harry: How did that make you feel? A S S I S TA N T S: K E I T H K L E I N ER, JI M M Y K I M, Z AC H C A LL A H A N. DIG I TA L T EC H N IC I A N: J O R DA N Z U P PA. S T Y L I S T A S S I S TA N T: W ILTO N W H I T E. S E T D E S IG N A S S I S TA N T S: DI EG O LO P E Z, G A B R I ELL A R U I Z. P R O D U C T IO N: T H E M O R R I S O N G R O U P. American woman to receive a Primetime Emmy Award for Ralph: Oh my gosh. So tiny. And I remember having to ask him, PRODUCTION MANAGER: EVE VAN DYKE. PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: GABRIEL BRUCE. PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: FR ANK BENKOVIC, ALONDRÉ PEOPLES. SPECIAL THANKS TO COVINA CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Her win, for “Natural for whom? This is me.” But what was so interesting is that her role as Sandra Clark on 227, cracked the door open for Black even later on, when the pilot came up—I think it was Sanford female comedic actresses—but it would be 35 years before another Arms—the producer told me I just wasn’t Black enough, and I was would walk through it and onto the Emmy stage to accept that same like, “Wow.” award. On September 12, 2022, Sheryl Lee Ralph was that person. Harry: And what does that mean? “When they called your name for your Emmy, I said, ‘Wow, this Ralph: Exactly. I wasn’t Black enough for you. is bigger than I thought,’” Harry says, in conversation with Ralph for the Abbott Elementary star’s Of The ESSENCE digital cover. “Being Harry: I was told I wasn’t Black enough in terms of my skin color. When the first is hard. Being the second is harder, but it’s fabulous.” they tell you that, it makes you so angry. And then it makes you so sad. Ralph: Years later I saw that producer—he’s since passed—and he “It’s so amazing,” Ralph responds. said, “I am very sorry.” And I said, “It’s all right.” I let him apologize, and Ralph and Harry were both born in 1956 and bred in New York, I was happy that he knew better now. and they both worked on Broadway early in their careers. Though their paths diverged after that, their journeys through Hollywood “ What people don’t know is have been similar, as entertainers coming up in an era when it is easy to disappear in the opportunities for Black women were more rare. Yet, as they both industry. After you turn 40, share, one thing’s for sure about show business: You can’t live in they don’t see you anymore.” the past. —Sheryl Lee Ralph Jackée Harry: You and I are sitting here, and we’re over 40. Sheryl Lee Ralph: Over 50. Welcome, 60. Hey! Harry: I remember you from Dreamgirls, like everybody does. The original Deena Jones. But I must say, I felt that you guys didn’t get Harry: But we’re both still working. How rare is that? Speak on it, girl. your due from the play to the movie. I know that’s quite a broad Ralph: Very, very. What people don’t know is it is easy to disappear statement, but you never got your flowers. in the industry. After you turn 40, people just don’t see you anymore. Ralph: You know something, Jackée? You and I have been around long enough to realize that everything comes around the way it is Harry: I didn’t think I’d be working today. I thought I’d be in San Diego, supposed to come around. Yes, they ignored us when they made retired in my condo—somewhere near the beach, with young boys. the movie. Whatever that choice was, it hurt my feelings, because Well, not too young. Maybe 50, 51. we literally created Dreamgirls. Tom Eyen handpicked us, put us Ralph: I always said to myself I was going to be Betty White, Black. all together—and we improvised and put those moments together that became that groundbreaking musical. And when they chose Harry: Why? to go to Hollywood and make the movie, to act like we weren’t a Ralph: Oh, because Jackée, I love what I do. And what I do has given me part of it—there were so many things they could have done. They an incredible platform to talk to people and address things like health could have added us, but the choice was made not to. And God issues, well-being, all of that. And to create a space that is good for and Goddess know why. I’m just like, “It’s okay.” Because we are everybody. When I hit the room, I want there to be an explosion of joy. I moving forward. want people to be happy, feel seen and know that things are possible. Harry: It’s show business. You can’t live in the past. But don’t get Harry: You always had your career planned out, didn’t you? amnesia. That’s what I say. Ralph: Yes. I always knew that there would be younger people behind Ralph: That right there. Make it be lipstick and lashes under the me, and I always knew in my mind that I would have children. And I bridge, baby. wanted to have the kind of career that my children, my family, my Harry: Forever. community, the people that loved me could look at and say, “That’s our Sheryl Lee Ralph.” I embraced the label “role model” because there Ralph: A great lesson is find your joy and hold onto it. Don’t let were never enough of them on TV for you and me. anybody take it away from you. Harry: Joy can’t be given, and it can’t be taken away once you have it. Harry: We both played popular moms on television in the ’90s. You starred alongside Brandy in Moesha, which I love. EDITOR’S NOTE: Quotes have been condensed and edited for space. Watch Sheryl Ralph: That was a great time for me. I remember walking into the Lee Ralph and Jackée Harry’s Of The ESSENCE conversation in full at ESSENCE.com. room and seeing this young Black girl with her braids, just doing her thing. And I remember thinking of when I was her age, dreaming about coming into the industry, and being a teenager and wearing my braids—and having producers say things like, “It’s a very unnatural hairstyle. Can’t you just find something more natural?” CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 45

Michelle Obama is back with an inspiring follow-up to her 2018 memoir. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. 46 ESSENCE.COM

WE SHALL OVERCOME In her latest book, The Light We Carry, our forever First Lady Michelle Obama shares how she persevered through fear—and how we can do the same By Malaika Jabali Photography by Miller Mobley M ichelle Obama was writing her debut memoir, to release their words into the world.” While she doesn’t Becoming, and thought, What on earth am I hesitate to share her vulnerability, she doesn’t linger on it doing? It’s hard to imagine the beloved First either. “Fear is powerful in that it can keep us safe,” she Lady ever being unsure of herself—but that doubt says, “but it can also keep us stuck. And if we don’t learn resurfaced as she prepared to launch her latest title, The how to decode when fear is saving us and when it’s holding Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. It was a us back, then we lose out on whatever opportunities and week before the book’s publication date when we spoke, possibilities lie on the other side of that fear.” It’s an insight and she still didn’t feel at ease about the endeavor. “I could that holds lessons for how we deal with each other in our just be at home, comfortable, not saying anything,” she daily lives. reflected. But here she was. On the day we talk, the elephant in the room is, well, a A lot has changed since Mrs. Obama published her GOP one. It’s Election Day 2022, and predictions of a autobiographical best-seller in late 2018. A little more than Republican “red wave” have captured the nation’s a year after its release, the entire world was shaken by a attention. Stoking fears and inflaming differences have global pandemic. The Light We Carry speaks to the fear been key to the party’s strategy—ultimately, it fails. and uncertainty that followed in its wake, yet the assurance in Mrs. Obama’s voice makes you feel as if anything can be Though neither of us says it explicitly, The Light We overcome. Carry serves as a torch showing us a way out of the dark, ugly politics that have engulfed our nation. Through Overcoming is a lesson she learned early on. At 4 anecdotes in each chapter of the book, Mrs. Obama shares years old, Mrs. Obama was selected to participate in a the tools that she and others in her trusted circle use to find holiday recital. During the rehearsal, she noticed an the light at the end of our challenges. oversize plush turtle perched next to the spot where she was supposed to perform. Despite her pounding heart, “This is a good time for us all to put our tools on the she approached the stage and found that the turtle wasn’t table and start figuring out how do we cope in these times,” as big and intimidating as she thought. she says. “We don’t have the right or the bandwidth to quit, so we have to figure out how we are going to sustain For her, the turtle came to symbolize fear of the ourselves and each other. We’ve got to develop the unknown, even in our adult lives. I ask about the other resilience of our parents and our grandparents—now “turtles” in her life. “This book is one,” she states over the more than ever.” And, she points out, those fearsome phone. “But that fear comes up anytime anyone is about turtles become so much smaller when we do it together. CULTURE JAN–FEB 2023 ESSENCE.COM 47

TRAVERSING H A I R (F E R N A N D E Z): FA AT E M A H A M P E Y. M A K E U P (F E R N A N D E Z A N D W A N G A): K I M B E R LY S T E W A R D. P R O D U C T I O N TRIUMPH A S S I S TA N T: J U L I U S - J O H N S W A I N. L O C AT I O N: C O R E P O W E R Y O G A, A P P L E VA L L E Y M I N N E S O TA. CEO Caroline Wanga explores Black women as chief executive officers of home, culture and community, and focuses on helping every Black woman recognize the “chief” that already exists within her—by introducing the chiefs who live among us. Photography by Nina Robinson 48 ESSENCE.COM JAN–FEB 2023 CULTURE