Celebrity Coverage

‘Power Book II’ actor Michael Rainey Jr. leads the $2.4 million financial literacy program, Essence

Published

3 months ago

December 5, 2024

IAM

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 14: Michael Rainey Jr. attends the RARE Foundation Ceremony on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

could also be over, but Michael Rainey Jr. proves that his star power extends beyond Hollywood.

Rainey is deeply attached to his Staten Island roots donated $600,000 to start out a financial education initiative which goals to equip local highschool students with the knowledge and tools to construct financial security and generational wealth. His generosity is the foundation of a program that can provide young people on Staten Island with life-changing financial education.

The $2.4 million initiative is a collaborative effort between Rainey and the Restoring America Foundation Recovery Education Foundation (RARE).and Equifax. While Rainey’s $600,000 contribution provides the funds obligatory to run and sustain the program, the remaining value comes from in-kind contributions. Equifax provides students and their families with credit monitoring, identity theft protection and academic tools, while RARE provides financial literacy materials and infrastructure to deliver the program at three Staten Island high schools.

The initiative was launched at Port Richmond High School, where Rainey met with students to share his own journey toward financial independence. “If I were these children who come from this exact class, the first thing I would do is go home and ask their parents what awaits them. “Credit score is,” Rainey Jr. says. “And then, over time, you become an authorized user of that card and start building your own score.”

The program will provide as many as 250,000 students with access to comprehensive financial knowledge resources. This features a one-year subscription to Equifax Complete Premier for credit monitoring and identity theft protection, access to e-books like and (written by 7-year-old financial literacy advocate Preston “Kid Kredit” Luzunaris), and a 12-course digital skills curriculum in the field of finance. Students also can access free one-on-one loan counseling to higher understand the basics of financial management.

For Rainey, this initiative is deeply personal. He grew up on Staten Island and knows the barriers many young people face after they do not have a financial education.

According to the organization’s website, the RARE Foundation strives to offer disadvantaged communities with “essential financial recovery education and training.” The program also reaches out to students’ families, offering parents and guardians resources on financial literacy and identity protection. This community-wide approach goals to create lasting change by making financial literacy a family priority.

This is not Rainey’s first act of giving back to his hometown. He recently joined the Staten Island Turkey Drive, which distributes holiday meals to families in need. Through efforts like these, Rainey cements her legacy as a job model for using success as a platform for meaningful change.

By donating $600,000 to this initiative, Michael Rainey Jr. does greater than just give back – it empowers a generation to take control of their financial future. Staten Island students learn skills that can shape their lives, their families and their communities for years to return.

For Rainey, that is where true wealth lies: sharing the tools for fulfillment and constructing a legacy of opportunity.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com

Celebrity Coverage

Ici: Keke Palmer’s Beauty appearance and more – Essence

Published

2 days ago

March 4, 2025

IAM

Ici: Keke Palmer and Sheryl Lee Ralph's Naacp Beauty look and more

ASKRS> Keke Palmer

Time is now for essentially the most fashionable moments in celebrity between Fashion Week, a season of prizes and magazine covers. Meanwhile, some glances required a full GLAM team once we finished a month and Valentine’s Day, sleeping hair and romantic manicures are still strong.

For example Black flexible headband. With an analogous volume Honey Afro Janet Jackson was entwined with a red gel manicure to enhance the golden accents. Then the model Alva Claire attended Baft in a fragile UPDO, which combined her curved, thin eyebrows and a blue-winged insert.

Makeup Artist Dee Carrion was chargeable for the golden lips and teeth in the quilt. Then Coco Jones’s hair was soaked in water – glass lids and lips added to the appearance. As for TEMS? The shiny French manicure was cherry on its siren and hot chocolate gloss.

And those that participated within the NAACP rewards didn’t come either. Keke Palmer has turn into viral not only due to touching speech of “Artist of the Year”, but additionally due to her to knock out beauty: elegant red hair and gothic makeup makeup.

Sheryl Lee Ralph was on her “suit and draw” that night. Saisha Beecham Saisha Beecham worked on shiny magic, as she put it, “Sixty Fine” within the years. Finally, the hair artist Larry Sims gave the Gabrielle Union museum by some means Bobów. He wrote within the signature “It gives a film star”. And we couldn’t agree more.

If you missed this, take a look at the very best moments of beauty from the week.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com

Celebrity Coverage

Cosmetic school: Expert for additional long nails – essence

Published

4 days ago

March 3, 2025

IAM

“At that time we only had acrylic,” Angie Aguirre says Essence, who puts ESPY-Jones in the primary episode. “We didn’t have a number of things we have today.” Starting the series, in honor of the Black History of the month, Aguirre, nail artist Sha’carri Richardson, resembles a black story for extremely long nails-at the identical time spreading techniques from the past.

From memories of curved acrylics on Flo Jo of the Eighties to the red manicure in Donn Summer, and even the nail of Stiletto from the Nineteen Thirties about Queen Nenzim from the Democratic Republic of Congo, manicure for construction has a wealthy history hidden behind every decorating extension.

Using the attention shadows as a substitute of the airbrush machine (which within the Nineteen Nineties was a big, loud pedal machine), she recreated one of the vital popular styles that has since appeared today as a preferred look.

Often appropriated in popular culture long, loud nails are historically called “ghetto” as an offensive statement after they wear black women. Meanwhile, they are sometimes seen as fashionable after they wear white celebrities.

“We usually set up trends [and] People kick, “says Aguirre within the film while painting about traditional nail art visible within the Nineteen Nineties.” When pop culture gets it, they change what they want to be like that. ” However, “black women wore these nails long before social media.”

Now that the nail industry is to succeed in USD 36.27 billion until 2032Aguirre explains the influence that black women have on beauty and what the longer term of those historical manicures will seem like. “Nail game has become very innovative,” he says, with latest products reminiscent of Gel-X. “[It’s] It is very different from what was during the day. “

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com

Celebrity Coverage

ICEM: Black Love was all over the blue carpet during ABFF HONORS

Published

5 days ago

March 1, 2025

IAM

ICEM: Black Love was all over the blue carpet during ABFF HONORS

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

On Monday, at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills A Who’s Who of New Stars, Hot Talent and Legends was at hand to honor the best in black talent on the screen for the American Black Film Festival awards. Honores for the Night to Aaron Pierre, who received the Rising Star award (while the crowd sang: “Aaron Pierre, to Mufasaaaa”), Essence Black Women in Hollywood Honree Marla Gibbs, who received the Hollywood Legacy award, Keke Palmer caught the Renaissan prize. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor received the same honor for girls.

Many people got here out to have fun, including presenters Ava DuverNay, Anthony Mackie, Boots Riley, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Regina King. But in Hollywood there have been many stars and massive names, which also got here out with their partners to enjoy the annual event. They began a blue rug with sweet PDA and good vibrations, able to enjoy an important night.

From Larenz Tate and Tomasina’s wife to Dondre Whitfield and Salla Richardson Whitfield, Loretta Devine and husband Glenn Marshall, Lance and Rebecca Gross, and newlyweds Yvette Nicole Brown and Anthony Davis, Love was in the air. (Another essence of black women in Hollywood Honore, Teyana Taylor, was a supporting Aaron Pierre there, and there are rumors that these two enjoy their company, which, for which we’re here.) More couples appeared to this event than since the prize season. Scroll to see and feel all love.

01
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Sophia Rose McDowell

Los Angeles, California – 17 February: Kelvin Harrison Jr. And Sophia Rose McDowell take part in the seventh annual American Festival Black Film Festival in SLS Hotel, the luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

02
Loretta Devine and Glenn Marshall

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Loretta Devine and Glenn Marshall attend the seventh annual awards of the American Black Film Festival in the SLS Hotel, luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

03
Yvette Nicole Brown and Anthony Davis

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Anthony R. Davis and Yvette Nicole Brown participate in the seventh annual American festival Black Film Festival in SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

04
Salli Richardson Whitfield and Dondre Whitfield

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Salla Richardson Whitfield and Dondre Whitfield are collaborating in the seventh annual American Black Film Festival festival in SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

05
Founders of ABFF Jeff Friday and Nicole Friday

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Nicole Friday and Jeff Friday take part in the seventh annual American Black Film Festival festival in the SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

06
Lance Gross and Rebecca Gross

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Lance Gross and Rebecca Gross attend the seventh annual Arman Black Film Festival awards in the SLS Hotel, the luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

07
Lenengreen dies and Tomasinain Frig

Los Angeles, California – February 17: Larenz Tate and Tomasina Parrott attend the seventh annual awards of the American Black Film Festival in the SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

08
Charles D. King and Stacey Walker King, founder and CBO Macro Media Company

Los Angeles, California-17 February: Stacey Walker-King and Charles D. King take part in the seventh annual American Black Film Festival festival in SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Kayla oaddams/wireimage)

09
Michael Jai White and Gillian White

Los Angeles, California – February 17: (LR) Michael Jai White and Gillian White take part in the seventh annual Honorary American Festival Black Film at SLS Hotel, a luxury collection hotel, Beverly Hills on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, Kalifornia. (Photo Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

10
WME COO Dan Limerick and Dawn Limerick

Los Angeles, California – February 17: (LR) Dawn Limerick and Dan Limerick, COO, WME take part in the seventh annual Honorary Film Film Film Film Film Film at SLS Hotel, Hotel Luxury Collection, Beverly Hills February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

11
Chris Spencer and Vanessa Spencer

Vanessa Spencer, Chris Spencer during the seventh annual American Black Film Festival festival, which took place at the SLS Hotel on February 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo of Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)