Essence Magazine:
Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives By Okla Jones ·Updated June 7, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
It’s hard to put into words what Earth, Wind & Fire means to me. I was first introduced to their music on a rainy Saturday morning in New Orleans—I was helping my mother rearrange some of the old vinyl records that sat in our living room. Similar to most Black families, the
Essence Magazine:
Preservation Hall. Photo Credit: Cheryl Gerber By Okla Jones ·Updated June 6, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Long before jazz became recognized around the world, the genre’s origins were taking shape in the Big Easy. Musicians blended African rhythms, blues, ragtime, brass band traditions, and Caribbean influences into something entirely new. By the early 20th century, artists such as Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong helped
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Photo Credit: John Nacion By Okla Jones ·Updated June 5, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
While there have been several stars that have entered the WNBA during its 30-year lifespan, Cynthia Cooper was hands-down its first. After a stellar collegiate and international career, she entered the league at 34 and hit the ground running. Four titles, four Finals MVPs, and two regular season MVPs later, Cooper stood as
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Photo Credit: Ishika Samant By Okla Jones ·Updated June 4, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Russell Wilson is stepping away from professional football. The longtime NFL quarterback announced Wednesday that he is retiring after 14 seasons and will begin a career as an analyst for CBS Sports. Wilson shared the news in a video posted to social media, confirming reports from earlier this week that he was joining
Essence Magazine:
By Okla Jones ·Updated June 4, 2026
“Probably the golf trip with Ray Allen,” Smith told ESSENCE. “I was in the DR doing this trip and I saw Ray running back-and-forth to his computer and I asked him what he was doing, and that kind of tipped the whole thing.”
Returning to the classroom required Smith to confront challenges that had followed him since childhood. Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young
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Photo Credit: Arturo Holmes By Okla Jones ·Updated June 3, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
If there were ever a series that truly promotes self-love, Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest is it. Created by and starring Michelle Buteau, the show has become a rare comedy willing to let a plus-size Black woman choose herself without apology. Through Mavis Beaumont, viewers have watched a stylist rebuild after heartbreak, chase
Essence Magazine:
Photo Credit: Arturo Holmes By Okla Jones ·Updated June 3, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
If there were ever a series that truly promotes self-love, Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest is it. Created by and starring Michelle Buteau, the show has become a rare comedy willing to let a plus-size Black woman choose herself without apology. Through Mavis Beaumont, viewers have watched a stylist rebuild after heartbreak, chase
Essence Magazine:
By Okla Jones ·Updated June 3, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
Kehlani, the singer’s self-titled studio album, which arrived in April on her birthday. The project debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 equivalent album units, marking the biggest debut for an R&B album by a woman this year. It also became Kehlani’s fourth top-10 album and third project to land inside the chart’s top five.
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Photo Credit: Paras Griffin By Okla Jones ·Updated June 3, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
For many of the children of my generation, The Lion King was a staple in households everywhere (Especially in the Black community), so when I heard of Peabo Bryson’s passing, I was particularly saddened. Throughout his career, the singer built a catalog that rivaled some of the best musicians to ever do it.
