Health and Wellness
Trina and Towanda Braxton Celebrate National Sisters Day Every Day: ‘We Know Each Other’s Deepest, Darkest Secrets’
We are TV
Happy National Sisters Day! Having sisters, whether or not they are related or not, tends to carry a special place in our lives and hearts. The Braxtons know all too well how necessary the sisterhood is, having showcased their unique family values on TV for over a decade. But after a transient hiatus following the death of their beloved sister Traci from esophageal cancer, they’re preparing for his or her big return to the silver screen.
In this recent series, the beloved Braxton women reunite for the primary time for the reason that lack of their sister, giving viewers a raw and unfiltered have a look at the family’s ups and downs over eight gripping episodes. Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and their mother, Evelyn Braxton (Ms. E), navigate careers, health challenges and busy personal lives while strengthening the family’s bond.
Toni faces a serious health challenge as she prepares to return to Vegas. Trina begins therapy for PTSD. Towanda battles alopecia areata. Tamar focuses on her path to wellness. Mrs. E.’s dream of a cooking show becomes a reality. But the family reunion continues to lift questions and unresolved issues. Will Traci’s final wish be enough to bring the family back together prefer it once was?
You’ll have to look at to seek out out, but one thing is needless to say that hasn’t modified: the love and close bond between Towanda and Trina Braxton. We spoke with them about how they’re keeping their sisterly bond strong while mourning the lack of considered one of their sisters, and what we are able to expect from the brand new season.
ESSENCE: Even though you are all close (The Braxtons), you appear to have such a detailed bond. Why?
Towanda Braxton: We all have our periods of closeness, but I’ll say that Trina and I are incredibly close—we’re almost like twins. We wish to think that we’re almost like twins because we’re 15 months apart and we understand one another. I’d say that plenty of the times once we did B, it was at all times me, Trina, and Traci, so our bond was somewhat different than the opposite sisters’ bond. I don’t need to say that we’re not near anyone else within the family; it’s just a distinct type of bond.
Trina Braxton: Towanda and I live close to one another. Traci and my brother Michael have at all times lived closest to one another. Because of that, we are usually not necessarily separated, but because we live so close to one another, we will not help but gravitate towards the one who lives closest to us.
What does sisterhood mean to you and why is it necessary?
Trina Braxton: Oh wow. Sisterhood is all the pieces, not because we share the identical parents or the identical room at one point or one other, but my sister, especially Tawanda. I’m not singling anyone out, but my best friend in the entire world. We talk on the phone no less than eight times a day; we share all the pieces: pain, suffering, happiness. I filmed the birth of considered one of Towanda’s children. So my sisterhood with all my sisters is considered one of the strongest bonds you’ll be able to have. We know where one another’s bodies are. We know one another’s deepest, darkest secrets. Sisterhood means you might be secure with the data they share with you, your heart and your emotions. When Traci was now not with us, it was considered one of the best pains I’ve ever had in my life, but at the identical time I used to be capable of have fun our previous life together.
Towanda Braxton: Sisterhood is incredibly necessary since it helps you progress beyond friendships. I move toward friends who’ve the identical personalities as my sisters since it helps me in my relationships with my sisters. You can move away from friends, but you’ll be able to’t move away from sisters. It’s an embedded love and connection that you may’t erase, cut off, reject, or run away from.
I saw a few of your grieving process within the episodes concerning the lack of Traci, but could you speak about how this loss affected you individually and as a family?
Towanda Braxton: I see death and leaving the earthly world in a different way than I believe a few of my relations do. Sean (Towanda’s long-time partner) at all times tells me that I even have an innate ability to suppress and release. So despite the fact that Traci will not be here physically, I do know the reality is that your spirit never dies because you might be a spirit before you might be a human being. I see her in my dreams or she comes to go to me, with a hummingbird, because she at all times told us that should you see a hummingbird, it’s her. But it is a missing piece in my heart and my life that she’s not here physically, but I’m grateful to God for the gift of Tracy for 50, almost 51 years. I’m glad she was chosen to be a component of my life.
What is considered one of the Braxton family values that translates to your sisterly bond?
Trina Braxton: I’m unsure if this value may very well be considered one word, but the truth is that this: so long as you might be here, there may be time to repair the damage and there aren’t any arguments. No situation should tear you away from your loved ones and sisterhood. So, so long as there may be breath and a brand new day, there may be time for a brand new starting, to revive all the pieces you thought was lost.
How has your sisterhood developed over time?
Trina Braxton: Well, considered one of the most important changes for us has been boundaries. It’s crazy to say that, but we’re still learning to set healthy boundaries because sometimes we see ourselves as young girls who grew up together and told one another all the pieces. But a brand new boundary needs to be set as we evolve and turn out to be moms, wives, and parents. Because once you get married and turn out to be a mom, you create your personal little ecosystem and family.
How do you intend to have fun National Sisters Day this weekend?
Towanda Braxton: We at all times need to have a drink.
What can viewers expect from the brand new season?
Towanda Braxton: There will probably be recaps of previous seasons, including never-before-seen photos and videos of Traci. There will probably be love, laughter, joy, tears. They will probably be the everyday, but adult and evolved Braxton sisters. Something is missing, elementary. Traci is missed. She brought plenty of laughter, plenty of love and jokes. She bought plenty of things.
Health and Wellness
“Get Lifted” by John Legend (twentieth Anniversary Edition) [Interview] – Essence
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
When John Legend unveiled his debut album in 2004, he couldn’t have predicted the extraordinary legacy it could construct over the following 20 years. Now, with the discharge the singer returns to the project that launched his profession and redefined the boundaries of R&B, hip-hop and neo-soul. Available now, the digital Deluxe Edition offers fans a refreshed tackle timeless classics with remixes, rare tracks and collaborations that bring latest energy to the music.
The twentieth Anniversary Edition includes 11 bonus tracks, including remixes from iconic artists equivalent to Tems, Killer Mike, Lil Wayne, Simi and Black Thought. Two previously unreleased songs – “Do What I Gotta Do” and “Just In Time” – offer fans an intimate look into Legend’s creative process during this era. The album’s revival doesn’t end there; will even be available as 3LP vinyl in 2025, and all copies are signed by Legend.
Reflecting on the challenges of making an original album, the award-winning artist recalled the struggles of an aspiring artist trying to search out their sound. “I wrote a lot of this album when I wasn’t signed, so the big challenge was just figuring out what would work to give me a chance to get the music out there,” he explains. . “I’ve been trying to get a record deal for over five years, but record labels were turning me down both left and right.”
It was only when Kanye West took a likelihood on Legend and signed a contract with GOOD Music that all the pieces began to alter. Working with West and touring together opened doors for the University of Pennsylvania graduate. That same yr, he signed a record take care of Columbia and was able to hit the shelves. The album’s breakout single “Ordinary people” became the anthem that defined Legend’s artistry. “When it finally came out and made it work the way it did, especially with my second single, it was really beautiful to see it start to connect and connect with people,” she tells ESSENCE.
On the occasion of the anniversary edition, Legend collaborated with artists who provided a refreshing atmosphere to Legend’s debut – but remixes aren’t just repetitions of original songs. “I’m a fan of every artist we asked to be a part of the remix,” says Legend. “They have new beats, new energy, new vibes and of course new guest artists. It really brought a fresh perspective to music and excited me to reconnect with music.”
was a breakthrough album for the Ohio-born artist, combining multiple genres in a timeless and groundbreaking way. “I felt like it happened when neo-soul was already at its peak, so in a way it was almost like my reaction to neo-soul,” Legend reflects. “We also combine hip hop and gospel and create something fresh.” Legend’s commitment to songwriting is a thread that runs deep through his work then and now.
The physical format of music, especially upcoming vinyl releases, also plays a big role in maintaining the impact of the unique album. “There will always be people who want to hold something, read the sleeve notes, and play vinyl on their record players at home,” Legend states. “Especially when you’re celebrating an anniversary like this, it’s nice to have a commemorative thing that you can keep. This album means something to people because they remember 20 years ago when they started listening to it and what it meant to them then.”
Rekindling the magic of a pioneering debut, it also stands as a testament to Legend’s enduring craftsmanship. The album stays a masterclass in musical storytelling, connecting generations of fans and proving that great music, like great artists, only gets higher with time.
Health and Wellness
US communities phase out fluoride use in public drinking water
There is a battle raging in American cities over whether to proceed using fluoride in water.
This is a process generally known as fluoridation that began around 1945. According to to the American Cancer Society became popular across the country after scientists noticed that individuals living in water with higher concentrations of fluoride had less tooth decay.
In 1962, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) advisable adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies to forestall tooth decay. The American Cancer Society estimates that fluoride is currently used in public drinking water supplied to roughly three in 4 Americans.
However, opponents have been warning for years that fluoride in drinking water is unsafe to devour. One of the organizations leading this initiative is Fluoride Action Network (FAN). The organization, whose mission is to lift awareness of what it claims is the “toxicity of fluoride compounds,” says many of the world’s developed countries don’t use fluoride in drinking water at the identical levels as America, or in any respect.
The organization says yes it helped over 500 communities successfully reject fluoridation, and there could also be more.
Federal leaders have gotten increasingly vocal in their support for ending the use of fluoride
While FAN says communities have rejected fluoridation for the past few a long time and the method has stalled in consequence, the fight has been thrust into the highlight over the past few months.
First, the National Toxicology Program, a federal agency throughout the Department of Health and Human Services, reported with “moderate certainty” that there may be an association between communities with higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. According to the Associated Press, these communities use greater than twice the advisable limit.
A month later, a federal judge apparently ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because higher levels could affect children.
Robert F. Kennedy, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, announced an end to fluoridation.
Health and Wellness
WATCH: Cynthia Erivo on the importance of being a sister – Essence
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