ESSENCE’s Black Women In Hollywood Awards is known as the marquee event during awards season in Los Angeles for many reasons, mainly because of how deeply Black women are celebrated, honored, and uplifted during the event. Also, it’s seen as a “family reunion.” This year was no different, as our esteemed guests and, most importantly, honorees felt cherished throughout the afternoon. This year, the 17th annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards occurred Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the gorgeous Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Our honorees included Academy Award-nominated actress and Grammy Award winner Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy-nominated singer Halle Bailey, industry legend Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for STARZ, and screenwriter and showrunner of the All American series Nkechi Okoro Carroll. The actor and Grammy Award-winning rapper and entrepreneur Cliff “Method Man” Smith was the ceremony’s MC.
Coming off the heels of a turbulent year in 2023 due to Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ strikes, the Black women in the film and television industry deserved to receive their flowers for shouldering the ebbs and flows of uncertainty. This year’s luncheon theme was “Radiant Power” to honor Black women’s tenacity and unbreakable strength in an industry that tends to be fickle and unaware of their contributions and efforts. The luncheon called all Black women in the industry to reclaim their power and own their gifts.
ESSENCE has an unwavering commitment to celebrating Black women in all spaces, all year round, but the luncheon was the time and place to acknowledge within the film and television industries. Before the ceremony, Caroline Wanga, President and CEO of Essence Ventures, commented on why that’s important. “As we sit in the current moment, ESSENCE will maintain its steadfast commitment to uplift those that continue to offer their craft and skill as a lifeline of optimism and hope. So adjacent to the ongoing work to democratize wealth, we stand unapologetic about celebrating the Black women within the industry that are the purveyors of the cinematic nutrients that nourish our spirits and souls. As we have for nearly two decades, we will illuminate Black Women in Hollywood that define the entertainment culture the world savors, pursue and attain equity that the establishment tries to withhold, and commemorate the achievements they have attained that continually un-stick floors, un-break ladders, and un-glass ceilings, as the Chief Executive Officer of home, culture and community rightfully deserves,” Wanga stated.
This year’s luncheon was even more unique, as it was by Essence Studios and Red Summer TV and aired on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, with streaming available on MAX and generously sponsored by Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar and smartwater®.
See some of the highlights of the anticipated event below!
The Star-studded Preshow and Red Carpet Coverage
Before the actual luncheon, we had a burgundy carpet filled to the brim with Black talent. From Danielle Brooks to Tia Mowry, Black Hollywood showed up and showed out to celebrate themselves and their peers. Our preshow hosts featured our very own Nandi Howard, Vice President of Content for ESSENCE Ventures, ESSENCE alum Gia Peppers, and social media personality and actress Pretty Vee.
Standout interviews with talent included honorees Danielle Brooks, Kathyrn Busby, Zendaya, Carolina Wanga, MC Lyte, Muni Long, and the founder of ESSENCE, Edward Lewis.
Howard asked the founder of ESSENCE, Lewis, “What is it like to see an event like this transition over the years?” His response? “It brings chills up and down my spine to know that I helped create something, to bring value, intelligence, and beauty to Black women.”
Wanga also shared her thoughts about the next generation of ESSENCE, “There’s something really to be said about visionaries, but it’s another thing to create a cultural artifact that Black women would not be able to see themselves had somebody not founded it.”
Gia Peppers held down the carpet and spoke to Method Man, Joey Badass and Serayah, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, and more.
Performance
To close out the stunning afternoon, Muni Long performed her newest smash hit, “Made For Me,” getting everyone out of their seat to lipsync the lyrics.
Honoree Speeches
The most important part of the afternoon was the honorees’ moving speeches. The first to be honored was actress, singer, and new mother Halle Bailey. Her sister, Chloe Bailey, tearfully presented the award and reflected on their time together in the industry. I can’t tell you how special it is to see everything my sister manifested and worked so very hard to make it come true,” she said.
Halle Bailey: “We are Black women in entertainment, and although we signed up for the challenges of the spotlight, in this current climate, that spotlight burns brighter, hotter, and uninterrupted, whereas the scrutiny of its magnification leaves no concealment,” she said. “I’ve learned from that spotlight over the past eight years. I’ve also, if I’m being honest, been burned by it, too, as we all have, however, it cannot compare to the biggest joy of my life. And that was becoming a mom to my perfect little angel Halo. There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone. Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that,” she shared.
She continued, “With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world.”
Next up, Raising Kanan star Patina Miller introduced STARZ executive Kathryn Busby.
Kathryn Busby: “You have no idea how full my heart is at this moment in time. I didn’t get to this podium by myself. I’ve been fortunate to have tremendous role models,” she told the audience.
She continued, “Coming up in Hollywood, I always felt like I was working two jobs. One, my actual job, and two, the job of representing us, of fighting the good fight, because I was almost always the only Black person in the room. But like the women in my family, I marched ahead. The world needs our stories more than ever; we are defying expectations, changing the industry, and influencing culture. The spark you see in me is only a reflection of you all.”
Yvonne Orji presented Nkechi Okoro Carroll with her award.
Nkechi Okoro Carroll: “Thank you so much to ESSENCE for this incredible honor. True story, I used to sneak into this event. That’s how desperately I wanted to hear these inspirational speeches by these dope Black women. I still have no idea how I ended up on this stage. I want to thank my sister circle for always being there for me and supporting me. I always say it takes a village to raise a writer.”
Teyonah Parris introduced the incomparable Danielle Brooks to close out the honoree speeches. Parris said Brooks knows that just because you’re in Hollywood doesn’t mean you’re of it.
Brooks ended up shitting down the room after her speech and beautiful rendition of the gospel song “I Won’t Complain.”
Danielle Brooks: “First of all, thank you, God, for this moment. Every time I come to this event, I feel the stir in my spirit and the excitement. I feel rejuvenated and inspired. I know it’s because it’s the ESSENCE of Black women in the space that makes me feel that way. As I stand before you in this room, finally be able to hold my head up, as Celie says, and put my shoulders back and look you, beautiful Black women, in the eye, as I stand before you today, seeing all of those faces in that montage of people I’ve had the privilege of working with.”
She continued, “As I stand before you today, getting this honor by ESSENCE, while the Black woman who birthed me, my mother, who nurtured me into the woman you see today, gets to see this moment, I feel like that one in a thousand.”
