Her Choice
For the first time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 that forced Afghan women athletes into exile, Afghanistan’s women’s refugee football team has officially been granted recognition to comp
All products featured on Essence are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. When I’m planning
The federal government is escalating efforts to seek private medical data for children undergoing gender-affirming care, as at least one hospital faces the first known criminal probe of its kind. Las
Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary’s planned resignation creates a new opening for anti-abortion activists to push for national restrictions on the procedure — and in particular, limit the availa
ThinkGreenwood is my gift to every Black town, neighborhood and community in this country where people seek to repair past harms and give themselves and their children a fair chance at a better life.
For decades, Michelle Obama and ESSENCE have existed in conversation with one another—through magazine covers, keynote interviews, and cultural moments that stretched far beyond politics and into the
Cases and Controversies is a recurring series by Carolyn Shapiro, primarily focusing on the effects of the Supreme Court’s rulings, opinions, and procedures on the law, on other institutions, and on o
I have always had a mundane relationship with my skin. Our relationship was pretty standard: it asked for things, and I delivered. During the brutal winter, it was parched with […] The post Everything
Plus, Justice Samuel Alito extended his order restoring mail access to an abortion pill.
The job hunt has always been a stress-inducing process. It’s a never-ending cycle of apply, get rejected, apply again, complete a task, get an interview, then get ghosted. Rinse and […] The post The J
Cesar Chavez, Eric Swalwell, Justin Fairfax, and the gender politics of keeping their dirty secrets. The post Women Have Sacrificed Too Much for the Careers of Powerful Men: Analysis appeared first on
The post He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway. appeared first on ProPublica .
Victoria Monét is continuing the rollout of her latest era with the release of the live rendition video for “Let Me.” Directed by Kanya Iwana, the performance-focused visual places Monét […] The post
Mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medication abortions, which are the most common form of abortions in the United States, will remain widely available throughout the United States, at least f
(Johannesburg) – Angolan authorities should carry out an independent and credible investigation into the Cavaco River dike collapse and ensure that internally displaced communities receive immediate,
This blog is part of our series for AANHPI Heritage Month. You can check out the next blog in the series here. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women and leaders have mad
The Court’s stay of a Fifth Circuit ruling that temporarily restricted mifepristone nationwide now expires on May 14, 2026. The post SCOTUS Extends Block on Lower-Court Ruling, Keeping Abortion Pill W
She better have a college fund. How did they afford all of that? I bet they live in the projects. Her dress, makeup, hair and nails are tacky! These are […] The post Stop Shaming Black Girls: The Toxi
Civil and voting rights organizations across the South are launching a wave of rallies, trainings and grassroots mobilizations in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callai
Click to expand Image Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, during a press conference in Geneva, August 22, 2025. © 2025 Salvatore Di Nolf
As legal battles over abortion pills continue to play out in the courts, many people across the United States are asking the same urgent question: If the Supreme Court or lower courts restrict access
Some people pivot onto new paths later in life. Others just know that an unconventional life is what they’re meant for. Chelsea Billingsley, 29, has always been drawn to art. […] The post Unboxed: How
The Guttmacher Institute and Its Scientists Join Two Amicus Briefs Calling on the Supreme Court to Protect Access to Mifepristone via Telehealth May 11, 2026 mcherins <time datetime="2026-05-11T08:59:
“It would be consistent with my public image if I told you that I spent the summer catching flies so we could pull the wings off the flies,” Justice Samuel Alito told an audience at the 5th Circuit Ju
Alabama has asked the court to address its own redistricting effort.
Multiple women candidates are running in this year’s many open governor races leading up to the 2026 midterm elections in November. The post The Governor’s Races to Watch in 2026 appeared first on Rew
SAN DIEGO — As an 8-year-old boy steered his bicycle in figure eights, his mother piled three plates with pizza and pineapple slices from an outdoor kitchen shared with more than a dozen other familie
For years, many of us had heard, or even experienced the same trauma: the dreaded itchy scalp that came from wearing our hair in protective styles. While we couldn’t eliminate […] The post Black Wome
Jamarah Amani was living in Pennsylvania when she had her first child. She had the care of a midwife who made her experience so much easier. The midwife got on the floor to show Amani yoga poses for b
“I’ve known fashion pretty much my whole life,” stylist Ivy Coco Maurice tells ESSENCE over the phone. She’s in Jamaica working on a research project, which is the Island she […] The post Ivy Coco Mau
This Mother’s Day weekend, we are honored to present a special three-part Front and Center mini-series—The Kids of Magnolia Mother’s Trust—featuring the children of mothers whose stories readers have
The realization that I wanted to be a mother—and that motherhood, in this world, might be one of the worst things I could ever subject myself to—hit me within seconds […] The post How Being A Dog Mom
This Mother’s Day weekend arrives amid extraordinary legal and political upheaval over reproductive freedom, voting rights and the economic survival of mothers. The post This Mother’s Day, Women Are F
Welcome to Black Wealth Watch, where we round up the biggest stories in Black business and economic news each week — the wins, the setbacks, the deals getting done, and […] The post Black Wealth Watch
“I know that sometimes it was a struggle for my mom to support me all the time in my dance classes,” Tamya writes in the second installment of the Ms. miniseries, The Kids of Magnolia Mother’s Trust .
Click to expand Image A police van with one of the Australian women allegedly linked to the Islamic State at the Mascot Police Station in Sydney on May 7, 2026. © 2026 Izhar Khan/Getty Images (Sydney)
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in
More than 700 women die each day, on average, from causes linked to pregnancy or childbirth. Almost all of these deaths are preventable. To honor the world’s mothers, we asked midwives about their mem
Black motherhood ain’t for the weak. Between the infuriating Black maternal health crisis, the horrible job market and the depressing economy (Have you purchased a tank of gas lately?), the […] The po
Formula 1 stopped being just a sport a long time ago. And if you’ve ever been to F1 in Miami, you know this better than most. Mainly because the city […] The post Audi Made Its Formula 1 Debut In Mia
As the Tennessee legislature held a special session this week to redraw its congressional map to break up a majority-Black district in Memphis, state Sen. Charlane Oliver did everything she could to b
There are women who survive grief, and then there are women who are transformed by it. Jessica White, a well-known model, doula, healer, and TV personality, belongs in the latter […] The post ‘A Woman
To kick off the 2026 season, the No. 1 draft pick and the first player ever signed to the league discuss this historic moment in women’s basketball.
Opinion: In 2026, and particularly on Mother's Day, it's important that "the talk" goes beyond tampons to include sex, abortion, and the current political landscape. The post Why I’m Giving My Daughte
Sherrah Hill, a mother of six, didn’t think a simple promise to her kids — that she would buy them ice cream with toppings to celebrate their good grades — could stress her out so much. But then she s
Far from mimosa brunches and hallmark greetings, the first Mother’s Day in the United States occurred against the scourge of war. In 1870, abolitionist and suffragist Julie Ward Howe who still had the
President & CEO Dr. Jamila Perritt - "We know for people who are prosecuted for their pregnancy outcomes, a significant proportion of them come to the attention of law enforcement because they sought
This Mother’s Day weekend, we are honored to present a special three-part Front and Center mini-series— The Kids of Magnolia Mother’s Trust —featuring the children of mothers whose stories readers hav
Singer Victoria Monét is giving us the lowdown about her experience navigating both sides of the dating pool. During a recent appearance on the Angie Martinez podcast IRL, the singer […] The post Are
Welcome to AANHPI Heritage Month! To celebrate, some of NWLC’s AANHPI staffers wrote about recent moments of joy related to AANHPI communities and cultures. Enjoy! Vibha Jain Miller: Though this memor
Plus, Minnesota has a staggering maternal mortality rate among Indigenous people, and a new lawsuit claims Arkansas' abortion ban denies pregnant people life-saving care. The post Kentucky Abortion Ba
Angel Reese has always been that girl. She spent her first two seasons in Chicago being one of the most watched, most talked about, most everything players in the WNBA, […] The post Angel Reese And Th
A recent podcast interview with popular speaker Cheyenne Bryant on The Joe Budden Network opened a serious can of worms regarding mental health credentials. The now viral exchange caused many […] The
Jeynce Poindexter was 14 when home stopped feeling like home. Her mother could not accept that she was transgender, Poindexter said, and staying would have meant negotiating an identity she already kn
I love a good project. So when the 2025-26 term began, I had a new one. I decided to try to attend all of the oral arguments for the term, even if I wasn’t covering the case for SCOTUSblog and regardl
The Trump administration claims its investigation into Smith College is about defending women. In reality, it is an attack on the rights of women at Smith to define their own community, values and mis
Plus, in the first edition of Ask Amy, Amy shares some weird courtroom moments.
The state of Louisiana on Thursday afternoon urged the Supreme Court to leave in place an order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that prohibits the mailing of mifepristone, one of two
I never knew if it was safe for me to have a child. For most people, that question is about timing or readiness. For me, it was about something more fundamental. Not whether my child would belong in t
When my daughter was 2 weeks old, she stopped eating. She would go nearly 24 hours without food, crying constantly and losing weight while seeming to be in excruciating pain. Over five months, I took
