“Radiant Power” is the theme at the 17th annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood awards ceremony where stars like Danielle Brooks and Halle Bailey will be honored.
Rapper/actor Cliff “Method Man” Smith will serve as host at the star-studded event honoring Black women with noteworthy achievements in film and television, Variety reports. The ceremony is slated for Thursday, March 7, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and will honor Brooks, Bailey, writer/producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and President of Original Programming at Starz Kathryn Busby.
The event will spotlight the “strength, grace, and
influence” of Black women in media in the wake of an unprecedented year in Hollywood that included historic writers and actors strike. Brooks’ award comes at a pinnacle in her career as she earned her first Academy Award nomination for her reprised Tony-nominated and Grammy-winning performance as Sofia in “The Color Purple” musical.Bailey is a six-time Grammy-nominated singer and leading actress who took her acting career to new heights starring as Ariel in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” and portraying a young Nettie in “The Color Purple.” She also just received her first solo Grammy nomination after receiving her first five alongside her sister in their group Chloe x Halle.
“The intersection of joy and justice is where community thrives. We don’t ever need to diminish our collective power and accomplishments; due to the work we are still doing to exist equitably,” Essence Ventures president and CEO Caroline Wanga says of the honorees.
On the television side, Carroll is an acclaimed screenwriter & showrunner of the hit CW series “All American” and “All American: Homecoming,” and NBC’s “Found.” Over at Starz, Busby has overseen the continued expansion of the network’s hit “Power” franchise and green-lit the upcoming “Outlander” prequel “Blood of My Blood.”
“The past year tested this intersection within one of our most sacred cultural realms, when the entertainment industry faced the gridlock of stakeholder value and worth. Livelihoods and legacies were at-risk as the fight for economic inclusion mandated resolution,” Wanga said.
“In parallel, the assets that the industry creates as a direct infusion of joy that propels our community through the depth and breadth of life, were stagnated as a clear and just outcome stayed uncertain. While parts of the incongruence have stabilized, there is still significant work to be done to create sustainable change.”
The 2024 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards is produced by Essence Studios and Red Summer TV and will air on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and stream on Max/Discovery+.
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