00:00I'm Niecy Nash, and I am here today at the Essence Strength of a Woman Brunch,
00:05hosted by the one and the only, my girlfriend, Miss Mary J. Blige.
00:19No woman is an island. We are not in it alone.
00:23So to find your strength, I think you tap into your faith,
00:27and then you tap into your community.
00:29And then you tap into goodness right after that.
00:33It's the only way.
00:35I feel like women are understanding, united, we're so much stronger.
00:39And I appreciate the strength we have in unity
00:41more than the strength I have in being a woman alone.
00:44Keep walking in your truth, sisters.
00:45Mary, we love you because you always walk in your truth.
00:48I'm so grateful to Mary J. Blige for having me a part of this wonderful lineup of black female excellence.
00:54We just got to represent and be strong in our vulnerability and in our strength and our endeavors.
00:59That album that Mary put out, Strength of a Woman, honey, I needed it.
01:04And it spoke to me on so many levels.
01:06So I'm so honored that I got to share the night with her.
01:09Today she was honored by some amazing women.
01:11And she also got a chance to be reminded of how many women she's held,
01:15not just with her music, but with her testimony.
01:17This is just the beginning again for you, Mary.
01:19You can find your strength because you're a woman and we're equipped to do that.
01:24So don't ever forget that part.
01:25It may not be easy, but it's always possible.
01:28Essence recognizes Mary J. Blige as the most iconic and influential singer in rhythm and blues.
01:35The mayor, in recognition of Essence, they had asked Annie to design necklaces for us.
01:44And the necklaces.
02:01It's what's called an Adinkra symbol.
02:05It's translated into something that has toughness, is imperishable, can overcome adversity, and has endless endurance.
02:18Unburnable self and unburnable God.
02:22And so when we heard those words, the only person we really could think about was Miss Mary J. Blige.
02:27I want to thank Essence for lifting me and encouraging me and helping me to move forward.
02:33And I can't do this by myself.
02:35I'm not the only one going through something.
02:37And me being a celebrity doesn't give me the right to be selfish with these issues and problems that I deal with in front of the world.
02:45So why not speak about them to help someone else?
02:48I can't save the world, and I'm not trying to.
02:50I'm just trying to save myself and live my life.
02:54So thank you for anyone that's listened to me.
02:58This is what indestructible is about.
03:01To not be destroyed.
03:02That's the thing.
03:03When we feel like dying, people like Essence help us to want to live again.
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