Her Choice
At the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans, the Black Heart Association screened more than 700 attendees, but founders Tara and Frederick Robinson’s work extends far beyond one weekend. Th
On Oct. 13, the Supreme Court will hear argument in Beaird v. United States , a case brought by a Texas man challenging an increase to his sentence for having a gun after a prior felony conviction. Li
For Halle Berry, beauty is king. The American actress first began her career as a model and beauty queen landing first runner-up in a Miss USA pageant and sixth in Miss World 1986. This was all, of co
“wow I’m so glad I turned that barely noticeable pimple into an open wound”
Five states now require schools to offer pills on campus or make it available through an off-campus provider. When college students head back to campus for the fall semester, more of them will have gu
Illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source image: U.S. Treasury via Wikimedia Commons. When the Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center in April on controversial fraud char
Back-to-school season is officially here, and ESSENCE has your official Parent Playbook ! Even if you’re not a parent of a school-aged child , this post is for you. Studies show that Black teachers ha
McKenna West says she was pressured to end the pregnancy after a fatal heart diagnosis. The biological parents say that’s false — and that Texas’ attorney general has turned their family tragedy into
Jenny McBurney, a librarian specializing in government publications, was in Washington, D.C., in June when she heard the news that the Department of Interior, the agency responsible for overseeing the
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, has revived a years-old inaccurate theory that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to higher rates of miscarriages. As part of a Senate investigation into forme
A teenage girl and her boyfriend are facing criminal charges in North Carolina after allegedly attempting to self-manage her abortion using pills. She was reportedly 31 weeks pregnant when she took th
Wanted: More real, nuanced, multidimensional Black characters on big and small screens. That’s among the findings in a new study entitled “Bridging the Gap: The Path to More Authentic Portrayals of Bl
Summer is slowly coming to a close. In other words, many of us are starting to trade in our protective styles and curly crowns for sleek blowouts and fluffy silk presses, just in time for the fall sea
Click to expand Image Participants hold signs during a gender-based violence protest at the forecourt of the botanical gardens in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica, November 21, 2025. © 2025 Misper Apawu/AP P
For months now, hundreds of active and caring friends and supporters have been writing and calling us with a version of the same question: In addition to sending money, what else can I actually do? He
ESSENCE Senior Beauty & Style Editor Akili King believes ‘glow’ is more than skin deep. In The Ritual Report , she shares personal healing practices—from acupuncture for skin and grounding benefits to
Irene Vázquez found the WNBA at just the right time. It was the summer of 2020, and emergency pandemic guidelines had kept them physically separated from their friends and support system for months. T
In this solo episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy asks what it means to protect abortion rights on paper when people can’t afford to use them in practice. Her theory: Funding is the first thing a coa
(New York, August 12, 2026) – Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have forcibly disappeared six staff members of the nongovernmental group Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF) for nearl
Click to expand Image Demonstrators hold signs in support of voting rights outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2025. © 2025 Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images (Washi
Click to expand Image A police officer stands guard in Peshawar, Pakistan, August 5, 2023. © 2023 Mohammad Sajjad/AP Photo (London) – Pakistani authorities should ensure a prompt, independent, and tra
In every issue of Ms. , we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Ke
In honor of Black Business Month , ESSENCE continues thoughtful conversations with changemakers charting their own course as entrepreneurs. Next up is Beverly Beal Jr. who has a resume as unique as he
This is not the first “bumpvestigation” targeting a powerful woman in the public eye.
In New Orleans, celebrations of Black freedom have long been rooted in culture, connection, and showing up for community. This Juneteenth, that spirit of service took on an added focus on health equit
That Rihanna reign just won’t let up! Sis is winning. (And she stays winning.) Yes, she’s a billionaire. Yes, she has broken records and become a trailblazer in music, fashion, beauty and business. Ye
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, Ms. will bring together two of the country’s leading legal scholars and feminist thinkers—Michele Goodwin and Dorothy Roberts—for a special Ms. Talks conversation on Martha’s Vi
The Trump administration on Wednesday reiterated its request for the Supreme Court to move quickly to block a ruling by a federal judge in Massachusetts that prohibits the government from implementing
Today, Paramount Pictures has released the final trailer for BY ANY MEANS , the upcoming crime thriller starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg. Inspired by real events, the film takes audien
This summer, I went on a mission to achieve my dream braid style: microbraids with enough free-flowing hair to keep the look lightweight, movable, and effortlessly cool. Think Zoë Kravitz’s signature
We are in the era of the celebrity WAG . The wives and girlfriends of athletes are no longer high school sweethearts or unnamed baddies. They are singers. Rappers. Even athletes themselves. And while
Trump’s latest attacks on birthright citizenship are part of a much broader effort to police American identity, punish migrant women for entering the U.S. and ultimately regulate their reproduction. I
Since emerging in the 1990s, Eric Benét has become one of R&B’s most consistent singers and songwriters, earning four Grammy nominations while creating records such as “Spend My Life With You,” “Somet
There’s one more item that Lauryn Hill should add to her list of iconic things she’s known for. In addition to the out of this world vocals and lyricism, acting skills, head-turning natural hair looks
Please note that SCOTUS Outside Opinions constitute the views of outside contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SCOTUSblog or its staff. A healthy federal government depends on an
Public opinion polls fielded and released this summer showed a by-now-familiar partisan gap in views on the Supreme Court. Republicans are not only more likely than Democrats to approve of the way the
Nothing ruins braids quicker than an itchy scalp. You’ve sat in the chair for hours, shelled out hundreds of dollars, and all of a sudden, your scalp has never felt itchier. Even reaching for a hair o
President Donald Trump celebrated the news that Justice Samuel Alito will be back for the Supreme Court’s 2026-27 term in a Monday night Truth Social post . “Great news for our Country!,” Trump wrote.
Victoria Schmidt was scrolling through TikTok last July when the advertisement first appeared: a video of a woman promoting patches purporting to contain GLP-1 medication. The woman described herself
A leading medical group now advises OB-GYNs to “proactively” discuss and prescribe HIV prevention drugs with their patients. “You could have one partner,” said a doctor who helped author the guidance.
Flock Safety claims over 5,000 law enforcement agencies use its license plate readers to help locate missing persons, catch thieves and identify suspicious vehicles. The company is most known for its
Just a few years ago, women would fight for other women whatever their background or politics. Today, many loudly dismiss the struggles of those who are not like them. But the solidarity is still ther
Thomas Jarvis, now 20, was attacked twice at juvenile justice facilities overseen by Jason Crews, a Tennessee businessman. In both instances, facility leadership failed to report the incidents to the
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a center-left Democrat who primarily ran on economic issues, squeaked out a narrow win Tuesday in a highly competitive primary for governor of Wisconsin, Deci
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan easily won Minnesota’s Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat, according to Decision Desk HQ, putting her a step closer to becoming the first Native American woman elected t
You never really know what people are going through. Isley Brothers lead singer Ronald Isley gave some insight into a health battle he recently faced while on the stage in front of longtime fans. The
There’s something about linen that instantly makes an outfit feel more effortless and airy. Lightweight, oversized, and endlessly versatile, the summer-ready fabric is the boiling hot days where you s
Just five days after President Donald Trump signed a new executive order that seeks to narrow the availability of birthright citizenship – the current guarantee of automatic citizenship to almost all
“You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far…” When Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie, rapped these catchy lyrics in his hit, Juicy, no one could have predi
The Trump administration is pushing a total overhaul of Head Start that could fundamentally reshape the 60-year-old program that has provided childcare and key support for America’s lowest-income fami
Want more stories like this? Subscribe to our menopause newsletter . We’re once again in a cycle of headlines that feels acutely focused on celebrity and weight and eating disorders. And unfortunately
It’s been over a year since President Donald Trump signed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (HR 1) into law—a sweeping 2025 budget-reconciliation package that extends and expands tax cuts, funds de
States across the US are stepping up to protect contraceptive access sramashwar August 11, 2026 Exclude from search No Video Type YouTube Short
State policy attacks on abortion access in the first half of 2026 sramashwar August 11, 2026 Exclude from search No Video Type YouTube Short
Across Kentucky, pregnant women are facing growing surveillance and the threat of criminalization for pregnancy outcomes that are often beyond their control. Recent prosecutions have underscored how m
Few were surprised by the court’s ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J. upholding a West Virginia law prohibiting transgender girls and women from participating in sports corresponding to their gender ide
A Q&A with Dr. Anita Nyanjong The Ipas Collaborative Fund is a central part of Ipas’s approach to advancing reproductive justice and supporting locally led change. As we work to grow the Fund and its
“There’s a feeling like you’re no longer valuable when you get older,” Viola Davis told ESSENCE in an interview about her L’Oréal partnership back in 2021 . But, aging “is about liberating yourself fr
Nearly three dozen anti-abortion groups have called on newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche to dust off a 150-year-old law and use it to effectively stop telehealth abortion nationwide: Opini
Telehealth provider At Home Abortion just opened Aug. 11, but the six doctors and nurses running the service have over 100 years combined experience providing abortion and other reproductive healthcar
