Stated simply, the time is always right to celebrate the influence and accomplishments of Black women. Such was the case last Thursday night at The Gathering Spot in Los Angeles for the inaugural Black Women in Entertainment Honors.
The event highlighted the groundbreaking work of 11 extraordinary women – Phylicia Fant, Global Head of Music Industry & Culture Collaborations at Amazon Music; Stacey Walker King, Chief Brand Officer at MACRO; Xosha Roquemore, Independent Spirit Award-nominated actress; Codie Elaine Oliver, director, producer and Co-Founder of Black Love Inc.; Yolanda Sangweni, Vice President of Content – Cultural Programming at NPR; Nichol McKenzie Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation; Derrica Wilson & Natalie Wilson, Co-Founders of the Black and Missing Foundation; Estelle, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and actress; and Ashley Laverne Jackson, television writer and producer.
Additionally, Debra Lee, former Chairman and CEO of BET Networks, author and Founder of the Leading Women Defined Foundation, received the inaugural Black Women In Entertainment Honors Icon Award.
On hand to celebrate the honorees were over 100 entertainment executives and creative leaders – from Traci Blackwell, Poppi Hanks, Charles King, Deborah Byrd and Kristin Robinson to Novi Brown, D’Angela Proctor, Tommy Oliver, Quan Lateef-Hill and Aida Rodriguez, to name a few.
Just after introducing pint-sized talent, Savannah Rose Smith, who blessed the crowd with an inspirational poem, journalist and BWIE Honors host, Sylvia Obell, shared a few poignant words about what the evening represented for her and so many others.
“There’s a certain kind of energy in the room tonight,” Obell noted. “The creativity, the leadership, the talent, the influence, the beauty – these are the kinds of rooms I live for, where we get to take some time to empower one another and mirror each other’s brilliance. I feel it’s especially important right now, at a time when the powers that be are trying to knock us off our square. But we know the truth. Black women have always held the power. We are the blueprint, and we will not be denied. And the only way we are going to get through these times is as a community – together.”
Along with sharing stories of their successes and triumphs, as well as the detours and lessons learned along the way, the evening’s honorees were grateful to be among their peers and celebrate what it means to be a Black woman today, meanwhile inspiring those who will walk behind them – all of which aligns with BWIE’s mission.
Founded by award-winning communications executive and ERS Public Relations president, Evan Seymour, Black Women in Entertainment is a national network focused on and dedicated to supporting and uplifting Black women – from emerging talent to established leaders – who work within the entertainment, sports and the visual and performing arts industries.
“It’s powerful to stand in a room that is this Black, this talented, this accomplished, this full,” Seymour said. “During Women’s History Month, to be surrounded by Black women across entertainment, across disciplines and across generations, is not something that I take lightly because rooms like this don’t just happen – they are built.
“As Congresswoman and the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, Shirley Chisholm, once said, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.’ Tonight is what it looks like when we do exactly that. Not just pulling up a chair, but building something of our own…creating space, making room and making sure that the room reflects the fullness of who we are, which is inherently valuable.”
Well said…and well done.
Regina R. Robertson is a Los Angeles based writer and author.