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Ashley Etienne has spent her career inside the most consequential rooms in American politics. Now she’s seated at one of its most visible tables. The veteran communications strategist recently joined NBC News as a political contributor, making her debut on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker , and ma…
Juneteenth may have begun in Galveston, Texas, but its significance is widespread. The holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in Texas (on June 19, 1865), became nationally recognized in 2021 thanks to the efforts of many Black people.
In 1993, Saturday Night Live parodied a new affirmative consent policy at Antioch College with a sketch starring Mike Myers who asks explicit consent for each intimate act such as, “May I elevate the level of sexual intimacy by feeling your buttocks?” The joke landed because the policy seemed absurd…
Fiancé? Check. Mother? Yes. Actress, model, and singer? Of course. Serayah McNeill—our May 2025 of the ESSENCE digital coverstar alongside Joey Bada$$—is a jack of all trades. Best known for her role as Tiana Brown-Lyon in Fox’s Empire , the multi-hyphenate also doubles as a beauty buff with a skinc…
On Thursday, June 18, Lower Manhattan was packed at every corner with people. They all came out, in droves, as well as in excitement, joy, and in orange and blue, to celebrate the NBA Champion New York Knicks .
Judge Jerri Zhang has struck down a series of restrictions on abortion, finding they violated a constitutional amendment adopted by voters in 2024.
Major holidays, including Father’s Day, can be complicated occasions to celebrate. While some may experience joy, honoring the amazing fathers in their lives, some may be navigating a range of emotions.
On Saturday, May 16, 2026, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, once again became the site of a fight for Black voting rights . Decades after marches that helped secure these privileges for Black Americans, activists and advocates showed up to protest recent redistricting efforts by southern …
The two freedoms America celebrates every June stop at the same wall.
Essence Festival of Culture is happening July 3-5. Don’t miss out—tickets here . As the ESSENCE editors prepare to work their magic behind the scenes at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, one thing is certain: the outfits have to be just as impactful as the moments they help create.
Each week, Rewire News Group editors scour headlines nationwide—from lawsuits over abortion access to LGBTQ+ rights—to bring you the most urgent news in reproductive justice. Here’s this week’s latest. Wyoming ultrasound and waiting law violates state constitution, medication abortion can resume in …
In Montgomery, Alabama, A Fine & Dandy Affair wasn’t just an event. It was a reminder that community impact happens when wellness, entrepreneurship, culture, and opportunity are treated as connected conversations rather than separate ones.
This Sunday, The Black Beauty Club will close Juneteenth weekend with their first-ever block party, Beauty on the Block , in the historic capital of Black culture: 125th street in Harlem. “I grew up uptown in the Bronx, so bringing this to Harlem feels personal,” The Black Beauty Club founder Tomi T…
"can u wear a tankini on love island or would u be executed"
In the town square of Eutaw, Alabama, the modern world hems in a relic of an older one that no longer exists. The Eutaw Hotel is long gone. Even among older locals, the V.J. Elmore’s Five & Dime is nothing but a faint memory.
Juneteenth is a day for us to commemorate Black freedom and honor our ancestors. Since June 19th, 1865– when it was declared that enslaved people in Galveston Bay, Texas were free– we’ve become college graduates, CEOs, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Blog Post Juneteenth, Reproductive Justice, and the Ongoing Fight for Freedom PRH providers reflect on Juneteenth, abolition, reproductive justice, and the ongoing fight for bodily autonomy. By Mani Vinson, Communications Manager | June 18, 2026 Share https://prh.
Front & Center amplifies the voices of Black women navigating poverty—highlighting their struggles, resilience and dreams as they care for their families, build careers and challenge systems not built for their success. Now in its fourth year, Front & Center is a collaboration between Ms.
The Trump administration’s relentless assaults on anything that threatens its narrow vision of the status quo—one rooted firmly in patriarchy and racism—have made something unexpectedly clear: Authoritarians target culture because culture shapes how we understand ourselves.
Click to expand Image Children wait near the site of Okhmatdyt children’s hospital hit by Russian missiles, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 8, 2024. © 2024 Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo In the process leading toward a new international treaty to prevent and punish crimes against humanity, there is alrea…
This story was produced in collaboration with GBH News Rooted in Boston. On a sunny morning in June, about two dozen people walk the land of Soul Fire Farm in Rensselaer County in Upstate New York, during a tour.
In Montgomery, Alabama, A Fine & Dandy Affair wasn’t just an event. It was a reminder that community impact happens when wellness, entrepreneurship, culture, and opportunity are treated as connected conversations rather than separate ones.
The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room—a traveling exhibit—opened in a Tribeca gallery from May 8 to 24. Located a few blocks from where Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell, the library saw over 10,000 visitors during its 16-day run.
A feminist pro-democracy agenda must include new lawmaking institutions that can ensure our democracy is more inclusive, more democratic, more representative, and more responsive to the needs of all the people who call America home.
The United States remains one of the only wealthy nations without a national paid leave program—and that failure has profound consequences for women’s economic security, caregiving responsibilities and ability to participate fully in public life.
For generations, Americans have expanded the meaning of "We, the People"—not because our institutions did it on their own, but because ordinary people demanded it. From U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan's powerful reminder that the Constitution did not originally include everyone, to the hard-fought victorie…
For 250 years, America has asked mothers to carry the weight of families, communities and the economy while offering little in return. We celebrate motherhood rhetorically, but our policies tell a different story: unaffordable childcare, inadequate paid leave and a culture that blames women for stru…
For 250 years, women and marginalized communities have fought to expand democracy, yet the institutions of government still were not designed with their full participation in mind. That is why I propose a Department of Democracy: an independent, permanent institution dedicated to protecting voting r…
As we noted in Monday’s newsletter , we are expecting 20 more opinions in argued cases by early July. The court has indicated that one or more will come today, and we will be live blogging beginning at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
"Calling male work superiors 'girl' after they refer to me as 'bro.'"
When Becky Hayter and Leah Makarevich decided to start their family, they knew they wanted to do reciprocal in vitro fertilization (IVF). The process, which consists of one partner’s eggs being retrieved, fertilized with sperm, and implanted into the other partner’s uterus, allows both partners to h…
Under a single spotlight, a tall figure in a hooded robe strutted onto the stage, their back to the audience. After a suspenseful beat, three words in large bolded lettering lit up the screen behind them: “NATURE IS GAY.
Krystal Clark is counting down to a release date she isn’t sure she’ll live to see. After 15 years inside Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, Michigan’s only women’s prison, Clark is 11 months away from possible parole. But time no longer feels like something moving her closer to release.
“In The Chair” spotlights the incredible hairstylists, nail and makeup artists in our community who are giving us major inspiration. Each week, they discuss their personal beauty and career journeys, what they’ve learned from their clients, and their top glam tips.
Reproductive health care experts described the move as “a Trojan horse” — creating a precedent that could threaten access to fertility treatments like IVF and ban abortion nationwide.
Yesterday, Patrick Ta sat down on the podcast Aspire with Emma Grede for an episode titled “The Accountability Conversation.” In the hour-long episode, the beauty brand founder opened up for the first time about his recent controversy with makeup artist Ngozi Esther Edeme (also known as Painted by E…
In the lead-up to our country’s 250th anniversary, Errin Haines is writing a series of columns to contemplate the complicated expansion of our democracy. Subscribe to The Amendment newsletter . It is not lost on me as a Black woman, as we approach the United States’ 250th birthday, that I am writing…
Four years after Dobbs , a striking reality has emerged: Abortion bans have not eliminated the need for abortion. Instead, new #WeCount data show that abortions have increased nationwide, driven in large part by the rapid expansion of telehealth and abortion pills by mail.
The Trump administration took aggressive new steps on Tuesday to shut down the Department of Education . Through agreements with other federal agencies, the administration announced that it would give the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight of …
When the justices take the bench on Thursday morning to issue opinions, the Supreme Court will have 20 cases left to decide, with just under two weeks to go before the end of June – the point by which the justices normally release all of their decisions and leave for their summer recess.
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