Celebrity Coverage
Performance Carrie Mae Weems, “Disputed Places of Memory” – essence
Carrie Mae Weems. Photo credit: Audoin Desforges
Carrie Mae Weems, a pioneering visual artist known for her deep exploration of identity, power and historical narratives, has once more pushed the boundaries of art along with her latest work, . Produced by Shore Art Advisory and hosted on the Institute of Contemporary Art, it masterfully combines live music, spoken word, and video work to tackle the nuanced dialogue around monuments, memory, and racial healing.
This project is an element of a bigger meeting organized by One of manya corporation dedicated to advancing racial equality and constructing a more inclusive South. Weems’ connection to EPU, which has long worked to dismantle divisive narratives and challenge systemic racism, sets the stage for a conversation that feels each timely and timeless. “I have been working on the concept of contentious sites for several years,” Weems explains. “The show is an opportunity to meet artists and learn about the complex narratives surrounding monuments, especially in a place like Richmond.”
The importance of Richmond because the inaugural site of this show can’t be overstated. Once the center of the Confederacy, this can be a city whose monuments have sparked nationwide debate. Weems has long been fascinated by the symbolism of monuments, often asking in his work how public spaces can reflect painful histories and still function places of healing. For , The removal of Confederate monuments in Richmond becomes each background and topic.
At its core, this system is a multimedia experience intended to initiate dialogue. Weems collaborated with local and national artists, each bringing their very own interpretive perspective. Richmond’s Destiny One Choir provided hauntingly beautiful music, and renowned musicians Nona Hendryx, Jawwaad Taylor and Craig Harris added layers of sound that enhanced the performance. Harris, an achieved jazz trombonist known for addressing issues of social injustice through his compositions, led the band in a rating that was each reflective and emotionally charged. Spoken word by Carl Hancock Rux and Esther Armah offered powerful narratives that Weems skillfully combined with video installations.
“It gives the work a fuller dimension,” says the artist concerning the multidisciplinary approach. “We can express these ideas through music, visually, through poetry, and when we put them together we create something completely different.” By combining these forms, Weems allowed viewers to experience the complexity of her art on many levels.
Jazz and spoken word offer an immersive listening experience that deepens audience engagement. “Our lives would be nothing without music,” says Weems. “Sound is the heartbeat, the first utterance, and music shapes the rhythm of our lives.” For Weems, the use of sound was not only a creative selection, but in addition a fundamental part of conveying its emotional and mental weight. “Music gives pace and movement to the work, to the word,” he adds.
One of the predominant topics is who shall be remembered and the way. Weems, all the time aware of her family history, shares a private narrative about her grandfather, Frank Williams, within the show. “What happens to a man who has been honored in some way, but no monument has been erected in his name?” – he asks. This query, asked each to ourselves and to the audience, becomes a broader inquiry into the role of monuments in shaping collective memory.
Weems took the message beyond the stage through community art. In conjunction along with her Richmond debut, she designed 4 billboards displayed throughout the town from September 23 to October 20. Billboards with photos of empty pedestals and inquisitive phrases encouraged viewers to reconsider the aim and impact of the monuments. “I don’t tell people what to think,” Weems explains. “Rather, I present a set of considerations that may be important to their thinking and values. It is an encouragement for dialogue.”
As he prepares to travel to New York and Washington, D.C. in early 2025, Weems is open to the project moving forward. He plans to collaborate with other musicians, reminiscent of pianist and composer EJ Eyre, to experiment with music while maintaining his initial focus. “I know this version works”, award-winning Creative says, “but I’m willing to take a risk and experiment with different ways of interpreting these ideas.”
Ultimately, Weems sees her role as each an artist and a provocateur. “I hope to foster dialogue, even with those who disagree with me,” he says. The importance shouldn’t be in offering answers, but in asking questions on who and the way we remember, and concerning the values we decide to guard in public spaces. This unforgettable and multi-layered performance encourages us all to reconsider the contested histories that shape our present.
Celebrity Coverage
Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2025 – Essence
Gordon Parks, Pastor Ledbetter, Chicago, Illinois, 1953.
The Gordon Parks Foundation will host its prestigious annual awards dinner and auction on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at Cipriani forty second Street in New York City. This highly anticipated event celebrates the legacy of Gordon Parks, an iconic photographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work championed social justice and the transformative power of creativity.
This 12 months’s honorees include legendary model and activist Bethann Hardison, renowned contemporary artist Rashid Johnson, Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s chief content officer and global editorial director, and Ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights leader and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Mayor of Atlanta. Each honoree has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing culture, creativity and justice – values that Parks embodied throughout his groundbreaking profession.
“In a moment of division, Gordon Parks unites us all,” said Gordon Parks Foundation Executive Director Peter W. Kunhardt Jr. “His commitment to art and social justice transcends generations. Our 2025 honorees are pillars in their fields and support Gordon’s collective quest for a better life and a better world.” The Gordon Parks Foundation Gala is our homecoming – a night of celebrating art, activism and support for the subsequent generation of artists.”
The gala will feature special guests, including the son and grandson of the Rev. E. F. Ledbetter, whom Parks photographed in 1953 for a report on Chicago’s Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. These impressive images shall be the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibition at Howard University in early 2025.
Co-chaired by such luminaries as Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, and Judy and Leonard Lauder, the evening will bring together decision-makers from the worlds of art, fashion, film and philanthropy. Proceeds from the event will fund the muse’s educational programs, grants, fellowships and awards, ensuring that a brand new generation of creators will advance Parks’ vision of equity and empowerment.
Tickets start at $2,000 and will be purchased on the Gordon Parks Foundation website website or by contacting Buckley Hall Events at gpfgala@buckleyhallevents.com or 914-579-1000.
Celebrity Coverage
Meghan Markle is investing in a Black-owned brand that is revolutionizing hair care products – Essence
Meghan Markle is no stranger to using her platform to support women and causes that matter, and her latest business move is no exception.
The Duchess of Sussex has officially invested High hippie levela Black-owned hair care and wellness brand co-founded by its longtime hair colorist Kadi Lee and Myka Harris.
Highbrow Hippie, which began as a lifestyle blog in 2012, has evolved into a full-blown brand that prioritizes each beauty and well-being. Their latest product line includes a scalp serum and a hair complement, each designed to handle issues corresponding to thinning hair and hormonal changes from the within. Backed by science, the road focuses on hair health in a holistic way, specializing in the basis causes of hair problems, not only the symptoms.
The partnership was officially announced on the brand launch event on November 14, 2024which took place in the Venetian Gjelina restaurant. Markle attended the ceremony with other beauty experts and presented Lee with a bouquet of roses from her Montecito garden – a thoughtful nod to their bond.
“I’m proud to invest in this [Kadi] as a friend and founder,” Meghan said in style on her investment in Highbrow Hippie: “Kadi is a master of hair health, and her Highbrow Hippie collection is a perfect reflection of that.”
For Markle, this investment is not nearly great products, but about strengthening a Black woman-owned business and showing what happens when women invest in one another. Her involvement with Highbrow Hippie is the newest example of how she is using her influence to make a significant impact in the wonder and wellness space. This is not her first time supporting women entrepreneurs – she’s constructing a portfolio of girls-led ventures, corresponding to a sustainably sourced handbag brand Cesta Collectiveand her own emerging lifestyle brand, Orchard on the American Riviera.
The co-founders of Highbrow Hippie are industry veterans, and Lee has over 25 years of experience styling a few of Hollywood’s most recognizable names. Together, she and Harris have built a brand that deeply resonates with women who see hair care as greater than just maintenance – it’s a part of their wellness journey. With products that promise fuller, healthier hair in just three months, they provide solutions for ladies fighting every little thing from postpartum shedding to emphasize-related hair loss.
Meghan’s investment speaks to a larger story: when women support women, especially in spaces where representation matters, the outcomes are transformational.
Celebrity Coverage
Love, basketball and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic winning streak – here’s why you should care – the essence
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Coco Jones and Ella Mai attend the Coco Jones Tour with Ebony Riley at The Fonda Theater on August 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Interscope Records)
Listen, I understand. Basketball is probably not your thing.
But you haven’t got to be a basketball fan to understand a very good story, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are serving us one among the better of the season.
After an undefeated 15-0 start, they’re on the right track one step away from making NBA historyand tonight they’ll face the defending champion Boston Celtics in a game that got the crowd excited. But here’s the real tea: It’s not nearly basketball. We’re talking a couple of team that embraces NBA legends and gets into the same discussion as the most dominant teams we have ever seen.
First, let’s discuss star power. Cavs star Donovan Mitchell doesn’t just dominate on the court – he’s turn into the subject of great relationship speculation that has everyone talking. From the end of 2023 there are rumors about his relationship with Coco Jonesthe Grammy Award winner who first caught everyone’s attention along with her breakout role in the “Bel-Air” reboot. Their potential relationship has sent the web right into a frenzy – two rising stars at the top of their game, each breaking barriers in music and sports.
Add the Celtics star to the mix Jayson Tatum is in a relationship with one other R&B queen, Ella Maiand today’s duel suddenly aroused greater interest in us. At just 25 years old, Tatum is already carrying the weight of Boston’s basketball legacy, and we love his relationship with Mai, who was rumored to have welcomed a baby boy with Tatum over the summer. She also recently released an EP titled ‘3’ which is claimed to be dedicated to her boo.
But let’s get back to the Cavs. This team doesn’t just win – it dominates. Their 15-0 start gives them the second-best streak in NBA history, putting them in the same league as the legends. If they win tonight, they shall be 16-0 and inch closer to the all-time record set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. With head coach Kenny Atkinson setting the record for many consecutive wins to begin his latest job, this team must rewrite what it means to take the field.
And while Donovan Mitchell leads the way on the court, let’s not forget the Cavaliers’ secret weapon: the quirky social media mascot referred to as Victory Frog. What began as a funny meme has turn into a full-fledged phenomenon, with fans crediting the cartoon amphibian with the band’s unstoppable energy. Think of it as a Cavs good luck charm and a straightforward solution to take part on social media discussions without having to know any of the basketball jargon.
Tonight, Cleveland will face its hardest challenge ever against Boston, which boasts an 11-3 record and one among the league’s brightest stars, Jayson Tatum. Tatum scores a wide ranging time beyond regulation victory, proving he knows perform under pressure and reminding everyone why he is taken into account one among the most clutch players in the league. However, with Cleveland’s historic streak and Donovan Mitchell playing a few of the best basketball of his profession, the Cavs are determined to take care of their undefeated status.
If you’re wondering why this is very important to you, consider it this fashion: sports are culture. They connect with music, fashion and social media in ways in which create shared moments. Whether it’s Coco Jones cheering for her man, fans turning the Victory Frog right into a viral sensation, or the Cavs making history in real time, there’s something about this team that feels larger than basketball. Plus, in case your man is glued to the TV tonight, you can throw in an informal query: “Did you know Donovan Mitchell is dating Coco Jones?” and he’ll think that you know something, something (or a minimum of he’ll give you a sideways look)!
So tune in or try the highlights – it is not each day you get to witness history being made. And if basketball’s still not your thing, a minimum of you know the playlist: Coco and Ella Mai don’t give a rattling.
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