00:00thank you guys it is an honor to be here first of all this is a huge full circle moment for me
00:15because you know this is my favorite event to come to as Ava said it's such a genuine like real
00:20event it's the only one my publicist doesn't have to to force me to go to and it's also the first
00:27event where I walked a red carpet and I remember the day distinctly it was four years ago and I
00:33was fresh off of I think season two of awkward black girl and I was already nervous because I
00:39had to go to the event by myself which awkward black girls don't like to do and my publicist
00:47Vanessa shout out to you girl she was like if you do anything you better walk that damn carpet
00:52and I didn't know what to expect but I knew I had a specific task now so I had to go and I
01:00remember arriving and standing in the red carpet line and the woman in front of me turned around
01:04and it was Sanaa Lathan y'all so Sanaa turned and she smiled at me but I looked down and instead of
01:12saying something I immediately text my younger brother and my sister because I knew they'd
01:17understand and my brother wrote something back back like did you tell you did you tell
01:22her you're a lesbian just for her and my sister wrote something back like say something to her
01:31so I put my phone down and I straightened up and I walked the hell out of that line because I did not
01:38belong there I was not about to be in anybody's red carpet line so when I got back in line Sanaa had
01:43already passed through so I stood there by myself and scrolled through my phone which is an awkward
01:48girl defense mechanism and I looked up for a moment and I met eyes with Nisi Nash who I loved from Reno
01:57911 at the time and she was in the front of the line and she winked at me and waved and I looked at
02:04her like you know me and she just gave me an encouraging look like you belong here girl Asia I feel you I do
02:13not feel like I belong so I got to the red carpet and I was ready I gave the carpet publicist I think
02:18that's what they're called the people that ask you for your name and then shout it out I gave the carpet
02:24publicist my name and he announced Issa Rae everybody and I took a deep breath and then I stepped onto the
02:34carpet hand on my hip ready for the cameras and no sooner than five seconds that I stepped on the
02:44carpet there when I heard oh Leila Ali and everybody turned the cameras and they all turned to this gorgeous
02:54goddess and I stood in the middle of the carpet like not sure what to do until a kind photographer
03:02helped me and he said hey can you move I'm trying to get Leila if you look at the footage from five
03:13years ago you can see me in the background of somebody's interview asking to no one in particular
03:19where do you do we go just this way is that when you try to act like other people look stupid but
03:26you girl she said go this way let's go come on so as I embarrassed yes the hell I was but as soon as I
03:41walked inside I was floored by the number of beautiful black women showing love to one another they were
03:46laughing hugging complimenting one another and just doing that magic thing that black women do and
03:52as I took it all in I remember Vanessa Bell Calloway coming up to me to ask to take a picture with me and
03:57I was stunned so that's basically my red carpet story at my first year at Essence so you can understand
04:04why I'm grateful not only to be here today and have photographers actually want to take a picture of
04:08me but to also be recognized along so many of the women that I love and respect Yara Asia and Janelle you
04:17guys are just the most phenomenal women and I'm just so happy to just be mentioned with you guys it's
04:24such a great time for us love you my first year at Essence black women in Hollywood I got to breathe
04:36the same air as Oprah I listened intently to Gabrielle Union's amazing real as hell speech that year and I
04:44have to shout out Gabrielle who was one of the earliest people to show love to awkward black girl
04:48I remember my brothers texting me hype like Gabrielle Union watches awkward black girl she tweeted about it
04:53she didn't have to do that and it was at Essence it was at that Essence four years ago where I first
04:58met the amazing Felicia Leatherwood who is my natural hair savior so thank you Essence or I'd be
05:04talking to you patchy and bald but that's what Essence is it's black women connecting and celebrating and
05:11supporting and loving black women and I am so grateful for that I love us so much because we give
05:17love and we give life no matter who tries us and we stay on course together so I wanted to take this
05:25moment while I have the honor to be acknowledged here Debbie I'm so sorry you have to stand through
05:29this I love you so much so I want to take this one while I have the honor to be acknowledged here to
05:42count all the ways in which the black women many of whom are in this room have paved the way for me and my
05:47career and obviously it starts with my mother who is here with my dad and my family and she is the
05:53first black woman I've ever loved with all of my heart and the first to love me sincerely and dearly
06:01and because of that I have the strength and confidence to do what I do and ironically she's
06:07where I get all my awkwardness from so thank you for that she and my wonderful father raised five kids
06:15including me two of our oldest sons married amazing black women entrepreneurs my younger sister is a
06:22black woman who I look to as a cool one because she's the only one in our family who can dance
06:26and my my youngest brother is not a black woman so I have nothing to say about him
06:33just kidding I love you he's single get a black woman
06:37but thank you essence for this event and for making us always feel special and loved and magic
06:49and most of all important thank you for this honor and thank you Debbie Allen for standing through all
06:55thank you
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