Earlier today Essence Magazine announced the lineup to their annual Essence Music Festival in New Orleans July 6 – 8. Mary J. Blige, Fantasia Aretha Franklin, Charlie Wilson, SWV, Dru Hill, Ledisi, Estelle, Goapele, Vivian Green, and many more are slated to perform over the three-day event. Click here to check out the full roster. Excited about the Louisiana function? Plan on heading that way come July? Let us know. RELATED STORIES: Kelly Rowland To Be Honored By Essence Magazine D-Wade and Gabrielle Union Talk About Love In Essence Magazine [PHOTOS]
First Lady Michelle Obama graces the cover of Upscale magazine’s October 2011 issue. Readers will get a more intimate and relatable view of the first lady as she revisits her life before the White House, shares candid fashion views and discusses the issues that she is working on to positively impact our country and the world. In the October Upscale cover story, entitled “National Treasure,” Michelle Obama opens up to Spelman College graduates about her life as a young black girl in the Southside of Chicago. “Some of you may have grown up like me, in neighborhoods where few had the chance to go to college,” explained Mrs. Obama, who prefers to be called Michelle. The cover story will also detail the impact Mrs. Obama has had on fashion, reasons for her style choices, reflect her comparison to previous first ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy. The feature also covers Mrs. Obama as a wife and mother, coining the term mom-in-chief, highlighting the Obama’s ability to bring a positive image back to the black family. Michelle Obama Graces The Cover Of Essence Magazine Michelle Obama: First Female Public Figure To Appear On Better Homes & Garden
Viola Davis covers the August 2011 issue of ESSENCE Magazine as “Hollywood’s Best-Kept Secret.” The actress (of “Doubt” and “Law Abiding Citizen” fame) is currently starring in the upcoming film “The Help,” based on the best-selling book. Inside, she talks about the struggles black women face, especially as a dark-skinned woman in the industry. “As Black women, we’re always given these seemingly devastating experiences — experiences that could absolutely break us. But what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly. What we do as Black women is take the worst situations and create from that point…” Viola Davis Stars As “The Help” [TRAILER] Taraji Henson and Viola Davis Are Oscar Nominees
