Essence Fest Is 30 & Still The Black Women Super Bowl

For 30 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has connected generations of Black women from all over the world. As a third-time attendee, I was excited to attend this year’s Essence Fest on this milestone three-decade anniversary, not only because I’d get to see superstars like Victoria Monet, Usher, SWV, Janet Jackson, and a host of other household names, but also because I’d be attending the festival alongside my paternal grandmother, Sharon Yates (aka Nana). For all my 31 years on this planet, my Nana has always been the matriarch of our family, but more importantly, she’s proof that if you have a dream, anything is possible. My Nana is the daughter of sharecroppers and one of the first students to go to an integrated school in our hometown of Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Essence Fest is a multi-generational event that has something for everyone — from Gen Z to grandmas — and this year, through sharing it with my Nana, I learned firsthand how healing it is to experience this festival with Black women of all ages and walks of life, living it up in New Orleans.