Like many of you, I grew up on ESSENCE. My mother had a subscription, and even before I understood everything I was reading, I’d devour the pages, imagining my future as an ESSENCE woman. The covers featuring gorgeous, empowered celebrities were as impactful as the ones with community leaders like AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton (December 1994), former gang girl Isis Sapp-Grant (August 1998) and the first Black President, Barack Obama (January 2009).
But in February 2015, we went without a cover subject for the first time in our history, instead spotlighting these three words: Black Lives Matter. Six years later, we’re here again.