Her Choice
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 emotion
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 Bla
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 c
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
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 c
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 u
"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 no
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 colleg
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 V
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
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: Authori
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 lea
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, du
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 c
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 ce
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 t
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 an
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 powe
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 dif
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 propo
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 a
"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 retrie
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 t
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
“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,
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
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
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 la
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
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 Emmy-nominated team behind a new documentary has a few notes about how Hollywood portrays abortion on screen. Hollywood Does Abortion , which made its world premiere on June 7 at the Tribeca Film
Every year, parents — usually mothers — toil months in advance of the summer break to sign kids up for camps, book nannies, fly grandparents out to help or sort out a medley of arrangements and schedu
Rob Farmer for ProPublica Frank Ssekamwa says the United States presented his country with an impossible choice. If it accepted the terms of a new health agreement, Uganda would have to give the U.S.
Click to expand Image Border Guard Bangladesh personnel stand guard in the Sadipur border area in Benapole, Jessore district, Bangladesh, June 3, 2026. © 2026 Kazi Salahuddin Razu/NurPhoto via AP Phot
The reunion fans have wanted for years is finally here. A decade after their last title run together at the All England Club, Serena and Venus Williams are heading back to Wimbledon. The sisters, who
It’s Pride Month and Kandi Burruss is coming out as bisexual. Again. The multihyphenate recently launched a new episode of the Speak On It podcast featuring guests Da Brat and wife Jesseca “Judy” Dupa
The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family l
“My skin has always been sensitive,” actress Novi Brown tells ESSENCE. But, it wasn’t until Brown’s esthetician noticed discoloration on her neck that everything changed. “Have you been spraying perfu
Blog Post Why Pride Matters Now Pride Month honors LGBTQIA2S+ history, resistance, care, and the ongoing fight for liberation and safety. By Mani Vinson, Communications Manager | June 16, 2026 Share h
As we wait for the details of the Trump administration’s proposed deal with Iran, one thing is already clear: The people benefiting most from U.S. foreign policy are often the people making it. From J
As the U.S. prepares to mark its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, questions loom over the celebration: Whose America gets remembered, whose gets erased—and how do we imagine and build a democracy that
The remarks support the belief — backed by zero scientific evidence — that abortion drug remnants and fetal remains are polluting drinking water.
In this analysis, published in the journal Contraception, KFF’s Linda Li, Brittni Frederiksen, and Alina Salganicoff look at intrauterine device (IUD) and contraceptive implant insertion-related costs
Authored by KFF’s Alina Salganicoff, Ivette Gomez, and Usha Ranji, this article for The Milbank Quarterly examines how state policies create varying levels of access to reproductive healthcare service
Megan Willkens sramashwar June 16, 2026 Senior Research Assistant, AIU
As we await the usual late-June flurry of decisions – some of them quite significant – I wanted to reflect on what I believe to be the most extraordinary June in the modern Supreme Court, which took p
Click to expand Image A woman and her daughter in Revere, Massachusetts, US, December 11, 2020. © 2020 Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images On June 4, the United States House of Represent
A new legal door opened earlier this month in the fight for survivor justice. But it's not in the United States, where survivors and advocates continue to press for transparency and investigations int
State abortion restrictions and bans have done substantial damage to the U.S. economy since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. A new report from the Institute for Women’s Polic
Erika Nyhus thought she was done having children. The mother of two had required medical intervention to become pregnant in the past, and she’d been told that the breast cancer treatment she’d complet
Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell nearly died after childbirth when her symptoms were repeatedly brushed aside, despite her high-risk medical history. She says her experience reflects the broader maternal healt
This piece was copublished with FāVS News , America’s only digital newsroom devoted exclusively to local religion journalism. The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, Washington, has maintained Camp Cross—a
Three top Senate Democrats are accusing the Trump administration and Republicans of “taking a wrecking ball” to childcare programs, highlighting the issue in a midterm year where many Democrats are ru
For Laura Harrier, beauty is simple. “The goal isn’t perfection,” she tells ESSENCE. “It’s feeling like the best version of yourself.” And, this summer, her “best version” is wearing a foundation that
The vice president admits a 2021 comment attacking women without kids "was a boneheaded comment," designed to provoke rather than illuminate.
