Shelby Stewart

1 week ago | essence.com | Shelby Stewart

This story is featured in our March/April 2025 Beauty issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here. With beauty brands closing more frequently amid the changing economic climate—plus ongoing attacks on DEI and challenges to support for underserved founders—providing access and opportunity for Black business owners is more critical than ever. The New Voices Foundation, a sister company of ESSENCE Ventures, remains committed to decreasing the resource gaps for entrepreneurs of color.

1 week ago | essence.com | Shelby Stewart

The South Side is shifting—and this season, the women are the ones calling the shots. The Chi, Lena Waithe’s beloved Chicago-rooted series, returns for season seven on May 16, streaming on Paramount+ with the Showtime plan and airing May 18 on Showtime. With a brand new trailer revealed, fans are getting their first look at the next chapter in the series that continues to speak to the soul of a city—and the people who hold it down.

1 week ago | essence.com | Shelby Stewart

(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for M2M Construction) There’s something sacred about a Black cookout. The smoky scent of ribs in the air, two-step anthems playing from a Bluetooth speaker, and aunties doing the wobble in sundresses and sneakers. It’s more than a meal—it’s memory-making. And this summer, R&B legend Charlie Wilson is bottling up that very magic and taking it on the road.

1 week ago | essence.com | Shelby Stewart

It’s one thing to find love. It’s another thing to do it with your mama watching. From the next room. OWN’s latest reality series, #Somebody’s Son, takes the viral hashtag that once celebrated Black women manifesting real, intentional romance and turns it into a full-on dating experiment—with a twist only OWN could pull off.

1 week ago | essence.com | Shelby Stewart

Solange Knowles is returning home to Houston with a deeply personal and community-rooted project that honors the legacy of Black artistry through a multidimensional series titled Eldorado Ballroom Houston. Presented in collaboration with Performing Arts Houston and Project Row Houses, the series unfolds across six evenings of programming at venues including Jones Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the historic Eldorado Ballroom in Houston’s Third Ward.