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Masai Russell: Olympic Gold Medalist – Essence

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Photo source: Al Bello

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Most athletes train their entire lives for the Olympics, but most aren’t Masai Russell. Her path to gold began in her senior 12 months of highschool when she competed within the 100-meter hurdles for the primary time.

Russell began running at age eight and quickly found success. When she was 10, she was invited to Youth Nationals and finished third within the 400m, and her track profession took off—no hard feelings. “For a long time, my main event was the 400m hurdles, up until high school,” Russell says. “I started in the 400m hurdles because it was the first hurdles event, which naturally piqued my interest as a 400m runner.”

By her senior 12 months of highschool, she had grow to be among the finest hurdlers within the country and had offers from nearly every college with a track team. She decided to commit to the University of Tennessee, but when her coach told her he could be training at Kentucky, she decided to follow him.

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“Kentucky’s story is crazy because they weren’t even in my top five,” Russell admitted. “I didn’t visit, I didn’t take a tour, I literally looked up the dorms on YouTube like two or three weeks before school started, but Kentucky turned out to be the best school for me, as an individual, as an athlete, academically, every single way.”

Russell arrived in Lexington and immediately began making waves. She placed first in multiple NCAA meets and even broke two collegiate records, but she never won the 100-meter hurdles outdoors, where she finished second 4 times. She qualified for the 2023 World Championships, where she would compete in a race she would always remember.

After her crash in that fateful Budapest race, Russell made a daring statement. At what was arguably the bottom point of her athletic profession on the largest stage, she told the world that she would bounce back. “I was having the best season of my life up until that race! I just kept remembering the positives,” she tells ESSENCE. “I just knew that on the other side of that adversity, there was going to be something different. I had to get through it. I had to be more aware and mindful of my body. I had to focus more on the way I trained and the level of attention to detail.”

It was a minor setback before a significant comeback. At the 2024 Olympic trials, all of it finally got here together. There, Russell won the ladies’s 100-meter hurdles in 12.25, securing a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. That time is the fastest on the planet this 12 months and the fourth-fastest ever recorded.

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Masai Russell: An Olympic champion who made history
TOPSHOT – U.S. gold medalist Masai Russell celebrates with the national flag after winning the ladies’s 100-meter hurdles final throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, August 10, 2024. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

“I never gave up,” Russell explains. “I always knew I could do it. It was all about my mentality. I had incredible training, but my races didn’t match how I looked in training. And in the end it worked, I had my best race in the best possible time.”

That success followed her to the Paris Olympics. Sports journalist Maria Taylor asked her if she would take home the gold before the race, and he or she confidently replied “yes,” scary the pressure. At the Olympic final, she proved her point, winning the photo finish by only one hundredth of a second. In the top, Russell won the gold medal on probably the most magnificent stage of all of them.

“It just meant the world to have my name in the top spot as an Olympic gold medalist after I failed to win the NCAA titles and failed to win the U.S. titles and just always coming up short, always second, always so close, but never quite getting the job done,” Russell revealed. “To finally get that win, on the biggest stage, there’s nothing better. It meant the world. It just showed me that when you trust God, you trust your path, your journey, it will eventually come true.”

In addition to winning the gold medal, Russell was one among several beauties who became popular throughout the Olympics due to her face card. Her social media photos and videos racked up hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of weeks, boosting her Instagram following to over 450,000. Russell wasn’t fazed by the brand new attention in any respect.

“I’m just happy that track athletes get flowers because there are so many beautiful women on the track and we’re the beauties and the beasts,” Russell says with fun. “We look good and we do great on the track. We can wear long nails, long eyelashes, look well-groomed, look good and still do our job and still do it. I feel like a lot of people think you have to choose one. I’m like, no, I’ll put on makeup. I’ll do what I need to do to look the way I want to when I compete.”

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The Olympics created moments the Washington, D.C.-born athlete will always remember. In addition to winning gold, she was capable of meet latest people and reconnect with old friends. She is close with fellow Olympians Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles, who she met through endorsements and NIL agreements they signed together. But it was one person particularly she met who will eternally be her core memory.

“Meeting LeBron James,” Russell recalled during her time in Paris. “He was so big. Like… And he was just super down-to-earth when I met him. We took a picture and I was so happy about it. I was bragging to my brother and my boyfriend—I know they were jealous.”

With her first gold medal finally secured, Russell is now preparing for the upcoming track and field season and other skilled goals she wants to attain before she starts fascinated by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “I’ve got a lot of other things to do before I start thinking about LA ’28,” she says. “I mean, there are records I want to break, there are world championships I want to win. It would be great to see my little sister competing with me here at home. That would be one of the greatest memories of my life.”

Masai Russell is one among the faces of American track and field, and at just 24 years old, she can be for the foreseeable future. She has shown everyone what it means to be each the wonder and the beast, and her Olympic medal is the golden proof.

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Like Queen Laany’s digital art, it has become a cultural time capsule – essence

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Queen Laany. Thanks to the kindness of the artist.

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Multi-Hyfenate Saloan Goodwin Dunlap, also often known as Queen Loana, will be known contemporary, will be known for her digital works of pop art, but her artistic journey becomes much deeper. Initially, working in photography, she landed to clients each locally and in the entire country. After her and her husband decided to expand her family in 2019, it was difficult for her to create through this medium, as she wanted.

“I started designing digital pop art at the end of 2019, when I was too pregnant to shoot,” says Dunlap. “The first song was an element of the collection that I still share a lot, as well as a piece of Rihanna, which I have not yet released. In February 2020 I created my piece of black hair and became viral. Immediately afterwards the world closed. “

What began as a creative outlet in the course of the transitional period in her life soon flourished into a powerful type of self -expression. She found inspiration from black experience, moments of popular culture in Black America, in addition to her own basic memories and things she saw in her community and round her. Due to the knowledge of all this, her work immediately resonated with people on the Internet, especially black women who saw one another in her songs. “When I see a photo that moves me, almost as if I had no control over my hands,” says the artist. “I will turn on the music and just go for it.”

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Like Queen Laany's digital art, it has become a cultural time capsule

This ability to allow to photo caused its creative juices in such a way that he produces something so fascinating, also caught the favored fashion stylist June Ambrose. Like the remaining of the world, Ambrose found latest stores during a pandemic and asked Dunlap to design art for her and the virtual program of her daughter – it was a match made in heaven.

“I got DM since June, saying:” You have a job! “It surprised me because I wasn’t sure what happened, and I didn’t even remember to apply for anything,” recalls Dunlap. “People marked her in the article I did and she contacted me about my work and asked me to create photos from the cover for her live concert. It seems to me that Pandemia was really a blessing in a disguise, because it also forced people to release and pay attention to things. “

Despite finding success so quickly, Dunlap also realized what she wanted when it involves her art. Yes, the viral was amazing, but additionally undesirable expectations were created on the terms of other people in comparison with her own. She discovered that only to feel when the song was really in the very best and last form.

Like Queen Laany's digital art, it has become a cultural time capsule

“I know that it is difficult for people to look at digital artists as real artists, so I have already fought with it,” he explains. “In addition to receiving requests here and there from people who demanded from me to chop my art based on how they wanted it to look. Everything became overwhelming and I just closed myself. “

Given herself for a moment, she returned in 2021 with a latest emphasis on artistic endeavors based on affirmation. These strengthening projects, containing the spirits, still construct their loyal supporters. She even raised the stake by designing the layers of affirmation cards, which also contain her creations.

“It started as a hashtag,” listen to yourself, turn to you, “says Dunlap. “When I put my songs on this planet, I just don’t share that my story, I also need to encourage people. Because sooner or later I experienced and went through it. This is where my affirmations come from. At the start I just tried to feed me, but it also became a have to feed people. There was the purposefulness that bloomed after the primary wave, which was simply popular. “

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The same need for motion with the intention also forced her to create more elements that also positively reflect the black male experience in America. He wants black men to feel the identical as of their work, as black women do, especially amongst today’s social climate.

Like Queen Laany's digital art, it has become a cultural time capsule

“The inspiration of black men just behind my father’s and my husband’s strength, as well as other people around me,” explains Dunlap. “Of course, creating a job that appeals to black women comes easily because it is my living reality. But when it comes to black men, I want to turn them on more because I don’t think they often receive reflection in such a beautiful way and I want them to have this experience. ”

Looking to the longer term, Queen Loany is worked up to cooperate closely with the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the longer term. Meanwhile, he hopes to begin the debut exhibition of Solo art this 12 months in his hometown of Charlotte.

When all this is claimed and done, she wants her art to be seen as a healing medium, which allows her to attach with people in a significant way. “I want people to connect with the same energy that kept us alive as children again. When they accept my songs, I hope he speaks to these basic memories that were full of joy and simplicity of life. “

Through his living digital works, he definitely does this, while raising his community and maintaining the fantastic thing about black American experience.

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Spirit of Black Creativity continues with the re -opening of the Hampton University Museum – Essence

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Thanks to the kindness of Hampton University

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Black cultural institutions are greater than just buildings full of artifacts; They are history guards, defenders of the truth and spaces during which narratives could be told by those that lived them – subsequently re -opening Hampton University Museum is so essential. As each the oldest African American Museum, and the longest in the Commonwealth of Virginia, its revival shouldn’t be only about refreshed galleries-it’s about to proceed to honor and share the depth of black experiences. Thanks to the latest exhibits and the renovated vision of the museum, it’s an affidavit of immunity, creativity and the strength of our stories.

The structure, founded in 1868, has turn out to be a lighthouse of African -American art for over 150 years, having one of the most versatile African, African -American and indigenous art collections on this country. Thanks to the re -opening, guests can now experience the prolonged space of the gallery, which easily connects the newly acquired masterpieces with iconic works that determine its unusual heritage.

Spirit of Black Creativity continues with the re -opening of the Hampton University Museum

One of the most enjoyable additions is the veterans exhibition, honoring Hampton graduates who served in the armed forces. But perhaps the most striking latest function is the costume collection designed by the legendary graduate Hampton Ruth E. Carter, the first African American who won many academy awards for designing costumes. Her songs, worn by Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy and Oprah Winfrey, are an intimate take a look at some of the strongest black narratives in Hollywood.

However, aside from the latest exhibits, the heart of the establishment stays its deep historical roots, and the treasures he has secured for generations. Among the most famous works of the museum is Painted in 1893 by Henry Ossawa Tanner. A masterpiece of African -American art, the picture reflects the intimate moment between an older man and a young boy, bathed in a warm light when the elder teaches a toddler patiently. It is a presentation of a black life – free stereotypes and full of dignity – it was groundbreaking when such performances were rare. The song was one of the first acquisitions of African -American art by the American institution and continues to be a favourite amongst visitors.

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“And another track Tanner, creating the foundation of our collection,” says Dr. Thaxton -ward, director of the Museum of the Hampton University. “They are an important part of our heritage.”

Spirit of Black Creativity continues with the re -opening of the Hampton University Museum

For a long time, the location has consistently expanded its collection, opposing the barriers which have long tried to cut back black artistic expression. In 1967, the Harmon Foundation gave a whole lot of works from the Harlem Renaissance and never only, strengthening its role as a guardian of black creativity. He also boasts the collection of the art of the countess and Ida Cullen, with 29 works obtained from the widow of the legendary poet. These songs, along with the works of John T. Biggers, Elizabeth Catelett and Samelli Lewis – artists who share deep connections with Hampton’s heritage – hand over the popularity of the museum as the most vital institution of African American art.

When Black Art was excluded from the predominant galleries and rejected as “folk” or “primitive” over the years, the Museum of the Hampton University remained lifting and behavior. “Thanks to historically black institutions, we all have our strengths,” wonders Dr. Thaxton -ward. “Spelman focuses on artists of women from African Americans – their strength. In Hampton, our strength concerns the relationships that we built with artists, graduates and donors. “

The revitalized constructing still sends forward, not only as an area for watching art, but as a spot of education and conversation. His everlasting exhibitions are presented by African masks, Indian textiles and contemporary masterpieces, offering visitors to a large journey through global artistic traditions. From over 9,000 works in your collection. This ensures that every visit discovers a brand new layer of black artistry and history.

Spirit of Black Creativity continues with the re -opening of the Museum of the Hampton University

The leadership of Thaxton -ward also secured the financing of the predominant cultural institutions, including the Mellon and the National Trust for Historic Conservation Foundation. “These funds helped in the documentation, maintaining and ensuring that our collections remain safe for future generations,” he explains. “You have to keep it or you don’t have anything to see in the future.”

As the talks about racial equality and representation in art evolve, the Museum of the University of Hampton stays the foundation stone of these discussions. His involvement in maintaining black artistic perfection is unwavering, and this constructing is firmly a storyteller, defender and lighthouse of artistic triumph. His re -opening shouldn’t be only an event – it’s a catalyst that can encourage generations to return.

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The best look of beauty from Oscars 2025 – ESENCE

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Emma Mccintyre/Getty Images

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From the late Nineteen Twenties, the Akademia Awards were probably the most prestigious awards within the film industry. To complement this system, the red carpet has long been a call to probably the most effective appearance of the actors. This 12 months, the nominees proved it once more.

Cynthia Erivo, nominated for the best actress for her role, wore a golden clock, not on the wrist, but on her nails. Zoe Saldana was within the winning series of awards this season, and today nominated for the best actress supporting she got here in a skinnymalistic appearance with delicate Hollywood waves. As for Whoopi Goldberg, a deep, almost black lip kept all of the depth on her reflective dress.

The Supermodel Anok Yai participated within the Black Pixie jet, who juxtaposed her light naked lip and manicure. Both Halle Berry and Da’vine Joy Raldolph crawled with copper beans that fit their oval, metallic nails. Meanwhile, the quiet touch of the blush and insole surrounded the eyes of the Queen Latifah.

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All the best moments of beauty on this 12 months’s Red Oscars carpet, see below.

Cynthia Erivo

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Cynthia Erivo participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Zoe Saldana

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Zoe Saldana participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Savion Washington/Getty Images)

Whoopi Goldberg

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Whoopi Goldberg participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Anok Yai

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
The Sudan-Us model Anok Yai takes part within the 97th annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theater, Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025 (photo Robyn Beck / AFP) (photo Robyn Beck / AFP by Getty Images)

Halle Berry

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Halle Berry participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Da’vine Joy Randolph

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 02: Da’vine Joy Randolph takes part within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Frazer Harrison/Wireimage)

Queen Latifah

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Queen Latifah participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Lupita nyong’o

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Lupita Nyong’o participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Coco Jones

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Coco Jones participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Arturo Holmes/Wireimage)

Coco Goufff

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
American tennis player Coco Gauff participates within the 97th annual Awards of the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025 (photo of Robyn Beck / AFP) (photo Robyn Beck / AFP by Getty Images)

CAT

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: DOJA CAT participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Savion Washington/Getty Images)

Colman Domingo

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Colman Domingo participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Savion Washington/Getty Images)

AVA DUVERNAY

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Ava DuverNay participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Storm Reid

The best look of beautiful Oscars 2025
Hollywood, California – March 2: Storm Reid participates within the 97th annual Oscars in Dolby Theater on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

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