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Melissa Noel
Posts
At ESSENCE Fest 2025, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Urges Public Health Approach To Gun Violence In America
“Gun violence is a public health issue,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, setting the tone for a charged panel about mass incarceration and systemic…
Roy Wood Jr. Blends Humor And Heart In New Memoir ‘The Man Of Many Fathers’ — Here’s What He Shared About Life And Legacy At ESSENCE Fest 2025
Actor and comedian Roy Wood Jr. traded his mic for a pen with his new memoir, “The Man of Many Fathers.” The conversation took place…
Redefining Success And Leading With Intention: Authors Laysha Ward And Alexis Barber Inspire At ESSENCE Fest 2025
“Titles are rented. The thing that will be my love letter to life will be the impact I had,” said Laysha Ward, author of Lead…
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Angela Rye, Lynae Vanee And More Talk Politics And The People At ESSENCE Fest 2025
At the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the Global Black Economic Forum stage closed out with a powerful political roundtable led by the hosts of…
Comedian KevOnStage Talks ‘Successful Failure’ And Turning Setbacks Into Strategy At ESSENCE Fest 2025
Kevin Fredericks, better known as KevOnStage, delivered a clear message on the ESSENCE Authors stage: True success isn’t about avoiding failure — it’s about owning it…
Mentorship In Motion: How Dream Reach Inspire Connects NYC Youth With Successful Leaders Who Look Like Them
On a bustling Saturday morning inside Dr. Susan S. McKinney Secondary School of the Arts in Brooklyn, something powerful was unfolding. About 100 middle and…
Black Women Are Twice As Likely To Die From Uterine Cancer—These Lawmakers Just Introduced Legislation To Change That
A group of Black women lawmakers is leading a new effort to address the racial disparities surrounding uterine fibroids and uterine cancer. On Tuesday, Senators…
Generations Of Black Women In Politics — Sister Senators: Angela Alsobrooks & Lisa Blunt Rochester
When Senators Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware take their seats on the U.S. Senate floor, their presence marks a profound…
Generations Of Black Women In Politics — The Congresswomen: Rep. Maxine Waters & Rep. Jasmine Crockett
If you’ve watched cable news over the past decade, you likely heard an epic clapback from one of two powerhouse congresswomen who know how to…
Generations Of Black Women In Politics — The Strategists: Donna Brazile & Symone Sanders Townsend
In the sweltering July heat of 1995, a young Donna Brazile navigated the crowds in the Superdome of New Orleans, drawn in as much by…