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00:00:00good evening everyone and welcome to the second edition of essence essential heroes award
00:00:18presented in part by at&t disney parks disney studios and hyundai i'm actress model and
00:00:25television personality eva marcel and i am so honored to be here tonight these awards are all
00:00:32about recognizing the extraordinary contributions of essential workers meaning whom have remained
00:00:38on the front lines within their respective industries throughout all of 2020 and what it
00:00:43has thrown their way the first editions of the essence essential heroes awards took place during
00:00:48the virtual 2020 essence festival of culture this past july now during our first edition
00:00:55essence highlighted those essential workers employed in the health care industry our health
00:01:01care workers continue to spend their time away from their loved ones day and night to be there
00:01:07for our families during the most challenging years our country and the world have ever seen while we
00:01:13can never truly repay them for all that they've done and continue to do we remain eternally indebted and
00:01:19filled with humble gratitude for their selflessness for sacrifice and their service
00:01:24the second edition of essence essential heroes awards will shine a light on essential workers who touch
00:01:32lives through their work as educators mental health professionals community change agents and parents
00:01:39these next individuals have not only continued to step up to the plate in their own households but
00:01:46they've also extended themselves and lent a helping hand to others in the community in extraordinary
00:01:51ways let's meet the essence essential heroes award recipients for the parents and family
00:01:57category presented in part by disney parks
00:02:00i am mccall franklin i am co-coach and co-creator of cheer image icons girls will come up to me
00:02:15and say you know we want to cheer so we're like okay great you know did you try out for your
00:02:20school and they're like no they don't pick girls like us so we had to just step back and you know
00:02:27like what do you mean like us you know the ghetto girls the hood girls they don't pick us so we
00:02:34decided that we were going to create something for all girls we have boys as well um just so they can
00:02:41feel comfortable and know that cheerleading is for us as well it's not just as as we see a white
00:02:47dominated sport it's not that like there's it's so much more my name is trinket lewis i have a
00:02:54five-year-old son due to covid i started a home school in my basement and created a curriculum
00:02:59that by georgia standards by the end of the school year he'll be in the second grade along with his
00:03:04two other classmates so we start off with yoga we have spanish english language reading history
00:03:11social emotional learning we have a chef that brings in luck kids absorb whatever you give
00:03:18them i have a teacher that comes in it teaches art but he's teaching more like african-centered art
00:03:24you know to hear my son talk about if he were in track would he be as wealthy as mantalusa
00:03:30and i'm like what five-year-old is talking like that parents is a selfless job you don't get a lot
00:03:36of credit for the time and patience and dedication i think you could just you know recognizing me
00:03:43which is recognizing everyone who's doing this who took the challenge to like turn their kitchen
00:03:49or their bedroom or their basement into a classroom my name is yolanda carson and i'm the founder of
00:03:56win jade smiles we are a non-profit organization in texas that provide grief support services to
00:04:03children who have lost a parent i founded the organization in 2014 after my daughter jade who
00:04:10was killed by a drunk driver in 2013 she was only 23 years old she left behind a six-month-old son at
00:04:17the time and my husband and myself were able to help him financially god just put it in my heart to say
00:04:22what about all the other parents the single parents the grandparents the uncles the aunts that are
00:04:27actually raising these children that have lost a mother or father we get involved when the counselors
00:04:34call us you know we work with a lot of social workers at schools and at hospitals as well we get
00:04:40those children in and we love on them and you know we do different activities for them and whatever that
00:04:46child is needing and we're actually able to provide scholarships as well it's just a bond that we've
00:04:52created in the community my name is rosalyn sandifer i'm a wife and mom of two and i am the owner of
00:05:02living in the moment better known as lit mom lit mom is a lifestyle brand and community that is dedicated
00:05:13to uplifting inspiring and celebrating black moms with motherhood right there is no rule book my experience
00:05:24as a first-time mom was completely different second go around and when i became a mom of two under two i
00:05:32created uh the concept of lit mom and what i wanted to do was create a a community and a safe space
00:05:42uh where moms could come could fellowship and could share their experiences um and just speak candidly
00:05:52about motherhood my name is rahisha ross and um the name of my organization is youth community agency
00:05:59we mentor teenage moms and we also do community outreach as well i can't imagine um being a teen mom
00:06:07trying to raise children i just wanted to be able to make a difference and create a second
00:06:12chance during middle of covid we partnered together to be able to assist shelters so that was a huge
00:06:20blessing for us because we were able to literally not just um feed families but we were able to put
00:06:27a family of five into one of our homes and kind of give them the kick start that they needed you never
00:06:33know who's watching you who's watching what you're doing and i always tell people anything that i do for
00:06:39my organization for my organization for people just people in the street i never do it for any
00:06:44recognition but to be recognized by essence magazine and disney is just like where do you go from here
00:06:51so it is it's definitely a blessing it's very exciting and i'm very appreciative thank you to the
00:06:58honorees in the parents and family category and as a small token of appreciation for all that you do
00:07:05on behalf of disney parks we'd like to honor you with a three-day two-night trip to disney world we hope
00:07:12that you and your family have a wonderful time i know i would
00:07:16in the disney dreamers academy family we have a saying that every dreamer has a story
00:07:35but inside each one of those stories are heroes these stories are not possible without the heroes
00:07:42that are within them that sacrifice that contribute that build the dreamer inside the story those
00:07:48heroes are parents guardians caretakers who give of themselves to make sure that dreamers are built up
00:07:55and strong so they can believe in things that are impossible and so that they can reach for even their
00:08:01highest dreams so we pause to celebrate and to cherish the people in our lives who sacrifice who care who
00:08:11encourage the parents the guardians who give of themselves to make sure that we can be everything
00:08:18that we want to be because we never want the fact that our heroes are close to us to make us cherish them
00:08:26less so today we pause to celebrate our heroes our family members who stand up with us and make our stories
00:08:35possible what makes a mother a hero is that they're selfless they give up
00:08:40their own dreams and passions to pour into their kids and help their kids achieve their dreams i think
00:08:46what makes a parent a hero is their commitment to nurture your child to nurture your children to
00:08:54nurture their dreams and their goals their heart desire sometimes to the point where you sacrifice
00:09:00it could be a sacrifice of your finances where you put off getting something for yourself in order to put
00:09:06to finance a dream to finance a dream of your dreamer um sometimes it could be the sacrifice of sleep
00:09:13i know what it feels like to go to work having survive off of no sleep because you stay up at night
00:09:19working on a project with your dreamer making sure that you meet deadlines when you lift up selflessly
00:09:25giving of yourself and you put the hopes and dreams and desires of your loved one your child above your own
00:09:34knowing that it's it's it's it's for the greater but it's something that you are giving of yourself to
00:09:42something bigger something greater that that's heroic
00:09:52our parents uh superpowered me they have i i consider them to have a few of them um one is
00:09:57they're like their unconditional love um you know we we screw up a lot as as kids um and we're not
00:10:05perfect um but another thing that i like to view as another superpower is their ability to take their
00:10:11wisdom that they've used uh in their lifetime growing up and to set that onto us to make us uh
00:10:17better growing up um another thing i'd like to say superpower wise is somehow they're they're always right
00:10:24like always um although it's really frustrating sometimes you can't get around it um it's just
00:10:31something you gotta deal with growing up you always have those i told you so moments when you're
00:10:35when you're just in your own little world um but all of those characteristics and superpowers uh you
00:10:40know create the amazing generation that you see attempting to change the world today i tell my my
00:10:45children all the time when you're going forth with your dreams um don't be afraid there's no barriers
00:10:52um you are your own barrier um and i i tell them all the time to just keep striving keep soaring
00:10:59keep believing you know to be 100 is to in actuality ensure that you have done everything
00:11:06you possibly can to achieve the goals that you want to achieve in life to live out the dreams that
00:11:11you want to live out in your life i definitely believe that mothers are the biggest dreamers and the most
00:11:23fearless dreamers because you're dreaming for two and sometimes three and four and five and all the
00:11:31people that you're responsible for and you're doing it motivated by love and that's the crazy part is
00:11:38maybe i would imagine moms are afraid but yet they love the reality and the possibility of what their
00:11:47children and the people they're responsible for could become more than they're afraid of what it might
00:11:52cost to get them to that place i think that that makes them the biggest and most fearless dream
00:12:03i would like to say thank you thank you thank you because without you all there is no us and it is
00:12:10awesome that you guys have went and passed the torch on to another generation to try and pick up the work
00:12:14of trying to create a better world for the next generation we all know with with all of the pandemic
00:12:21and everything else going on it's a pretty pretty rough environment uh it's pretty gloomy
00:12:26and in reality it is up to us this next generation to try and form that change agent into making the
00:12:33world a better place um so without you guys instilling all of these great morals and positive aspects
00:12:39into us um you know that might not be as possible as it is now if i could say thank you to the
00:12:46parents i would say that you're all heroes because you fuel our dreams you fuel your child's dreams
00:12:54um you are essential to that dream and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you your parents
00:13:04thank you for every sacrifice thank you for seeing us and thank you for walking with us and helping us
00:13:12become even parts of us that we couldn't see yet so thank you for loving us even when we weren't
00:13:17aware of what it really cost you to love us the way you have thank you
00:13:27all of life destiny stands waiting asking you this one simple question who will you be
00:13:36be at disney dreamers academy my life was changed because my mind was changed when i saw people who
00:13:43said that if we could do it you can too so i decided i will be great i will be fearless i will be a
00:13:51dreamer i choose to be 100.
00:13:54that was absolutely beautiful congratulations to all the award recipients in the parents and family
00:14:03category you guys are all so deserving for our next category of the evening we've teamed up with
00:14:09at&t to recognize those essential workers in the mental health industry the honorees in this category have
00:14:16remained hard at work providing the much needed mental health resources to meet the needs of women
00:14:23men and children in several different ways speaking of managing our mental health one of the ways many
00:14:29of us have been able to cope with the stress and the anxiety of not being able to see our loved ones
00:14:35during this pandemic is by relying on virtual forms of communication and here to help us learn a
00:14:42little bit more about the role technology will play in helping to keep our families safe as we head into
00:14:48our first socially distanced holiday season is essence entertainment director corey murray thanks
00:14:56eva hi everyone i'm essence entertainment director and co-host of essence yes girl podcast corey murray
00:15:02it's such a pleasure to be here today to join forces with at&t to celebrate our essential heroes
00:15:08this category is all about people who dedicate their time and expertise to the mental health industry
00:15:14before we get into our heroes for this category i have a special guest here with me today to talk
00:15:19about the few ways we can manage our mental health during the upcoming holiday season
00:15:23by exploring options for connecting virtually please welcome at&t chief diversity officer corey anthony
00:15:30hi corey hello corey how are you i'm well corey we're just going to keep saying our name back and
00:15:38for why was it important for at&t to join essence in highlighting essential heroes in the mental health
00:15:44industry specifically this pandemic um has really emphasized the importance of essential workers and
00:15:52and how they've helped the community how they've helped us sort of move forward and stay safe so when
00:15:56you think of teachers and nurses physicians the fact that they are an essential part of our community
00:16:02and at&t we believe it is is crucial to recognize the importance of these individuals corey um doing
00:16:10these challenging times so look you and i both know unfortunately the stress that is caused by this
00:16:15pandemic is is making people more vulnerable making them more vulnerable to depression and anxiety and
00:16:21so when we think of these workers and the mental health workers they're playing a critical role right
00:16:25now probably more so than before and we need to provide mental health workers um and the other
00:16:31responders more support as they work the really really long hours um to help all of us so at at&t we
00:16:39just understand this is an important community to recognize and support in any way that we can
00:16:43with the covet 19 pandemic still present deciding whether or not to participate in traditional family
00:16:49gatherings during the holidays can certainly take a toll on our mental health for those who will be
00:16:54gathering with a small group of family how can virtual options play a role to make sure we're taking
00:17:00care of ourselves and our loved ones in that setting yeah look for for so many folks that the holidays is
00:17:06already a stressful time um and now you overlay on top of that covet um and for many in our community
00:17:14and others you overlay on top of that the other pandemic around social justice there's just a lot of
00:17:19stress there's a lot of stress um so look one of the things we've been messaging at at&t is we follow the
00:17:26guidance of the scientists that we park with uh partner with our health officials that we partner
00:17:32with and look we we follow the cdc recommendations and and they've been pretty clear that look if you're
00:17:39going to celebrate thanksgiving ideally you can do it virtually if you want to you know have more
00:17:47interaction then ideally again with the people the family that's in your household and then if you
00:17:54don't want to do that then make sure that you wear face coverings your mask and that you social
00:17:59distance and so that's what we've been messaging inside of the business as well core in terms of
00:18:04what we plan to do is it's going to be primarily our household we have a couple of kids senior and a
00:18:10sophomore in high school so we're going to hang out with them and then we may have my mother uh join us
00:18:16as well but so you know it'll be a relatively small group now corey can you tell me how can we learn
00:18:21more about all the options at&t can provide for connecting virtually with loved ones to help ease
00:18:27any anxiety or stress during this holiday season uh yes corey i can so look first let me start by
00:18:33saying um at at&t we take mental health very very seriously and for our own employees we have an employee
00:18:41assistance program um that we encourage them to take advantage of and it offers them support
00:18:47um right and counseling etc to deal with the times that we are dealing with now for our customers and
00:18:54for those of you out there we've also established um a 10 million dollar distance learning and family
00:19:02connections fund that we did a little earlier this year to help families and to help teachers with
00:19:07remote learning and to be able to provide some resources to folks who are who are feeling isolated and
00:19:14and then the last thing i would point out corey is that we're also offering unlimited um at&t home
00:19:20internet so all uh our customers right the home internet wireline customers as well as our fixed wireless
00:19:26customers uh can use their internet connections without concern about any overage or anything like that
00:19:33um and then we have a special offer uh that we put in the marketplace for customers with limited income
00:19:40um where they can get a drastically reduced price point for internet access as well and so corey i would
00:19:48encourage everyone to go out to att.com to our website and there's more information on all of the things
00:19:54that i just mentioned is there anything else that you would like to share with us today yeah i want to
00:20:00reiterate um how important it is for all of us to stay connected during these times for our mental health
00:20:06um just to make sure we're able to support all of those folks and um that we are attempting to support
00:20:12the other thing i'll point out corey is and i use this analogy it's sort of like when we we board an
00:20:17airplane um the flight attendant always tells us right in the event of emergency you put on your mask
00:20:23first before you try and assist other people then we should all be doing the same thing too so make
00:20:28sure you're taking care of yourself during these times and then when you're having fun with your family
00:20:33and you're playing dominoes and spades and you're arguing over stuff that just shouldn't warrant an
00:20:38argument over make sure that you are wearing your face coverings make sure that you are social
00:20:44distancing be safe be safe please and enjoy the holidays corey thank you so much for sharing those
00:20:50tips and yes and wash your hands too keep washing those hands and a huge thank you to at&t for helping
00:20:56us highlight some of our essential heroes in the mental health industry let's meet our essence of
00:21:01essential hero honorees in the mental health industry category
00:21:14i am the co-founder and executive director of the precious dreams foundation it is a non-profit that
00:21:20provides healthy coping tools for kids and foster care and homeless shelters and we provide programming
00:21:26to help them cope in healthy ways when they're dealing with stress anxiety depression or everyday
00:21:34adversity just knowing that there were so many kids in the foster care system and shuffling through
00:21:39homeless shelters throughout the united states regardless of how difficult it got or seemed at times i
00:21:46could not let up this work needed to be done um so i kept going this year has been
00:21:52extremely challenging for those children and when the pandemic happened we quickly pivoted to finding
00:22:02ways to continue to show up but i feel like this work is being done because it is my calling it's what i
00:22:08find purpose in um and it's needed so i'm so grateful i'm a licensed clinical social worker in richmond virginia
00:22:16virginia and i'm the owner and founder of dope black social worker primarily i get into good trouble um
00:22:21it's something that i love deeply it's something that i'm passionate about and something i've been
00:22:25doing for a number of years in the world of raising trouble as it relates to increasing the visibility of
00:22:31black youth and black people eliminating barriers to dreaming for black youth and black people
00:22:36and ultimately just creating a world where black youth and black people are valued and they matter social
00:22:42work really just gave my rage a home it gave my compassion a place to live and it gave me the
00:22:48ability to do this work that i've been doing since i was a kid i know what i'm doing is exactly where
00:22:53i'm supposed to be right now sometimes i get confusion around like what are people seeing where
00:22:57they're thinking like oh we need to recognize her for things and you know get her to stand in some
00:23:02light around some stuff but it's just a lot of good feelings a lot of mixed feelings but it also
00:23:08brings me a lot of hope and a lot of optimism um that folks are starting to recognize all the other
00:23:14voices that have been contributing to this work for generations i am the founder and executive
00:23:21director of silence to shame incorporated i'm also the founder of yeah wellness my father took his own
00:23:27life when i was seven months old and fast forward my best friend took her own life in 2014 and in 2015
00:23:34i had serious suicidal ideation and because of my own depression and anxiety that's why i decided
00:23:41to start silence the shame mental health is a good thing i tell people we all have mental health we may
00:23:46not all have a mental illness but the more that we can educate ourselves the more that we can get
00:23:51the help that we need the more that we can be treated the more we can recover and the more that we can
00:23:57go on living our lives to get the news that i have been honored as an essential hero in mental health
00:24:05like it's like pinch me is this even real i i humbly thank essence and the entire team
00:24:14for just recognizing the fact that mental health is so important and recognizing the work of silence to
00:24:20shame and recognizing me my background in mental health is mostly in college student mental health so
00:24:26before therapy for black girls was my full-time job i have worked in the counseling centers at
00:24:31virginia commonwealth university university of georgia and my most recent job was the director of
00:24:37the counseling center at clark atlanta university every campus that i was on it always felt really
00:24:43important for me to start a group for the black women on campus because they weren't necessarily
00:24:47coming to the counseling center at the same rates as their peers and so we know that there's lots
00:24:52of stigma related to mental health and therapy in the black community so i always wanted to make sure
00:24:57that people understood the resources that were available and let them know that there was a place
00:25:02they could come to talk i am always touched when i get emails or messages on social media that talk
00:25:08about people finding their therapists in our therapist directories so i'm incredibly touched and honored to
00:25:13be receiving this award i am trained as a clinical psychologist i have a master's in counseling and community
00:25:20agencies and i have a doctorate in clinical psychology decolonizing therapy was founded off of my own
00:25:28overwhelm and frustration therapy was often treatment but it didn't always include healing it didn't always
00:25:36include both client and therapists coming together to come up with solutions in a way that wasn't hierarchical
00:25:44so part of what decolonizing therapy does is also look at our ancestral lineages helps us look at
00:25:51intragenerational trauma historical trauma and how these forces and influences ancestrally continue to affect
00:26:00us i am deeply deeply deeply humbled um and honored to be honored
00:26:15up next you all are in for a real treat as we have one of the most talented girl groups on the music
00:26:21scene today and they are going to pay special tribute to our central heroes through song their voices are
00:26:27unmatched their melodies are heavenly and they're here today to bring us two renditions of songs we know
00:26:33and love ladies and gentlemen june's diary hi everyone we are june's diary we are honored to be here to
00:26:42celebrate essential workers and all that they do with the holidays coming there we wanted to stop by
00:26:47and show our gratitude to the essence essential heroes through song one thing we've definitely been
00:26:53grateful for throughout this crazy year is grace so here's our take on amazing grace
00:27:07how sweet how sweet the song that saved a wretch like me
00:27:24me
00:27:29oh
00:27:31close
00:27:34about now
00:27:37i'm found
00:27:41was not
00:27:46about now
00:27:47i see
00:27:50Amen.
00:28:20Amen.
00:28:22Amen.
00:28:24Amen.
00:28:26Amen.
00:28:28Amen.
00:28:37Before we leave, we want to dedicate one more song to today's honorees.
00:28:42Join us as we lift them up and hopefully live your spirits too with Lift Every Voice.
00:28:50Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring
00:29:00Ring with the harmonies of liberty
00:29:10Let our rejoicing rise
00:29:18High as the leaves the sky
00:29:24Let it reach out loud as the rolling sea
00:29:30Sing a song full of the faith that the dark path has taught us
00:29:44Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
00:29:58Facing the rising sun
00:30:10Of our new day begun
00:30:12Of our new day begun
00:30:16Let us march on till victory
00:30:22Is
00:30:28One
00:30:32Whether you follow the sheet music
00:30:38Or you freestyle
00:30:40Play by the rules
00:30:42Or you change the game
00:30:44No justice
00:30:46No peace
00:30:47No justice
00:30:48No peace
00:30:49You have something to say
00:30:50Stay woke and we'll get through this together
00:30:52get through this together our network is here for you to share your story for today for tomorrow
00:31:00dream in black at&t we put you first ah such incredible stories i have to say i am completely
00:31:09blown away and i know you are too congratulations to all of our essence essential hero award
00:31:16recipients in the mental health worker category and thank you again at&t for helping us honor
00:31:22them tonight okay guys i'm gonna take a quick break but don't worry because i am leaving you in great
00:31:28hands here to tell you a little bit about what's coming up next is essence love and relationship
00:31:33director and co-host of essence yes girl podcast and my girl mrs charlie penn thanks eva hi everyone
00:31:42i'm charlie penn the lifestyle director and co-host of essence's yes girl podcast what an honor it is
00:31:48to be here tonight to help celebrate our essential workers and their stories if you're just joining
00:31:53us for the second essence essential hero awards here's what you've missed so far with a little
00:31:58help from our friends at disney parks we kicked off tonight's show by honoring outstanding parents who
00:32:03have gone above and beyond in 2020. despite everything they've been dealing with as parents
00:32:08themselves during this crazy year they still found time to make the well-being of others a priority of
00:32:14theirs we also teamed up with at&t to honor essential workers who have dedicated their time
00:32:20and energy in the mental health field i know i've definitely been trying to practice some serious
00:32:24self-care this year and i hope you all have too and of course we also got to hear two unforgettable
00:32:30acapella performances from the talented ladies of june's diary so many beautiful moments so far and we
00:32:36still got more in store up next you're in for another musical treat courtesy of grammy award nominated
00:32:41musician john baptiste enjoy hello it's john baptiste here and i am representing the pixel film soul
00:32:49whoo this film is incredible this film has so many teaching moments about pursuing the thing that makes
00:32:56you who you are thing that makes you special that thing that god put in you that is your thing and it
00:33:04applies to anybody you know there's a lot of music in the film joe the main character is a pianist
00:33:08and i i am his hands and the music in the film was something i'm honored to work on but even more so
00:33:16i love the story because it honors joe who's a a teacher and it has so many lessons for those of us
00:33:23who think they're past the prime of their life you can find something in your life that can reignite your
00:33:30spark for living if you just continue to believe and have faith everybody's soul has something special
00:33:36about it so i really think that this film in the holiday season is going to give you
00:33:41a um a jolt of optimism especially after the year that we've had many of us are struggling
00:33:46and the essential workers i applaud you we love you so much for all that you have done to
00:33:54keep the train moving you know the train could have stopped we we've been through so many bumps
00:34:00in the tracks and we could have just went off the rails but you know the essential workers are the
00:34:05people who are keeping us on track and i think that people like dr archer and all of the great people
00:34:11who are being awarded now in this program are part of that tradition of the american can-do spirit
00:34:20and overcoming adversity and the black community being at the core of that so i i love to represent my
00:34:27people in this film the first black pixar lead soul um and also musically jazz music our cultural music
00:34:35our music that came from so many generations so many of our ancestors to kind of culminate into this
00:34:43american classical music this art form that's changed the world so blending the animation and the jazz
00:34:49together what an honor um i want to play a song that's in the film that i composed entitled born to play
00:34:55and this this happens in the film when the main character joe who's the teacher is a kid he's
00:35:01he's maybe 10 years old and his father brings him to a jazz club for the first time and this is the song
00:35:07that he hears the band playing and that's when he knows at that moment hearing that band on stage
00:35:13that joe himself was born to play
00:35:27he is
00:35:29of
00:35:33do
00:38:07I was born to play.
00:38:10It's my reason for living.
00:38:13Hello?
00:38:21What the...
00:38:24What?
00:38:25Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!
00:38:26Help! I'm not done!
00:38:28Holy... Oh, my goodness!
00:38:29hmm this week the council these are so missing this is heaven no is it he double hockey sticks
00:38:44no it's the great before this is where new souls get their personalities quirks and interest before
00:38:57they go to earth here we are don't worry you can't crush a soul here that's what life on earth is for
00:39:06oh that's my life can you help me get back come on
00:39:16this won't be a disaster that's for sure
00:39:22life is full of possibilities you just need to know where to look
00:39:42don't miss out on the joys of life
00:39:44like uh pizza i can't smell we can't we can't taste either all that stuff is in your body
00:39:53no smell no taste or touch see
00:39:58okay i get it disney and pixar soul
00:40:04get ready your life is about to start start streaming december 25th
00:40:12wow does anyone else have goosebumps shout out to john baptiste for that amazing performance
00:40:19our next category of honorees have selflessly dedicated their hearts minds and creative
00:40:25expertise to ensuring that our kids stay educated inspired and exposed to new opportunities even in
00:40:33the midst of a pandemic from constantly creating new ways for our young people to learn to establishing
00:40:40safe spaces where they could even go when the world seemed to turn upside down these individuals have
00:40:45served as a constant reminder of why we are eternally grateful to our teachers and community educators
00:40:50together with disney studios we are proud and grateful to bring you the essence essential hero awards for the educator category take a look
00:40:59i'm jamie fox star of disney and pixar soul the film about a middle school teacher with a passion for jazz our teachers have always played an intrinsic part in what makes us us this year even though they've had to reinvent what teaching looks like the heart of what it means to be an educator still burns bright we are our total
00:41:05I'm Jamie Foxx, star of Disney and Pixar's Soul,
00:41:10the film about a middle school teacher with a passion for jazz.
00:41:15Our teachers have always played an intrinsic part in what makes us us.
00:41:20This year, even though they've had to reinvent what teaching looks like,
00:41:24the heart of what it means to be an educator still burns bright.
00:41:29We are proud to honor these educators and administrators
00:41:32who have done extraordinary work during this unprecedented time
00:41:35to inspire students to keep going.
00:41:39Take a look.
00:41:39I'm the founder and CEO of Inspiring Minds.
00:41:42Inspiring Minds is a youth organization.
00:41:44We started back in 2006.
00:41:46We've worked with over 4,000 kids throughout the city of Warren, Ohio.
00:41:50And our whole goal is to reach people, reach young people where they are
00:41:55and help them to be successful using education and exposure.
00:41:58So education means a lot to me because I think,
00:42:01especially being a black male growing up in the environments that we have to come from,
00:42:05we a lot of times get put in the box and we get pigeonholed.
00:42:07Like all we can do is be an athlete, you know, or entertainer.
00:42:10And I had the opportunity to realize that life was so much bigger than that.
00:42:14Probably one thing that we've been known for is our exposure component.
00:42:17We've taken our kids to New York, to LA, to Puerto Rico, to El Salvador, and even to Africa.
00:42:22And again, the goal is to show them that there's a huge world outside of there
00:42:26and to begin to get them to dream, you know, outside of the environment that they normally come from.
00:42:30So to watch a student come through our program, go to college,
00:42:34and then come back and give back to other young people that's just like them,
00:42:38like that's probably one of the most rewarded things.
00:42:40It feels really good to be recognized, you know, and represent my people,
00:42:44you know, represent our organization and represent our kids.
00:42:47And recognizing, you know, little people like me and little old Warren, Ohio,
00:42:50you know, who are trying to make an impact for our people.
00:42:52Hi, my name is Danielle Jones.
00:42:54I am a educator here in Chicago, Illinois.
00:42:57I've been teaching for about seven years.
00:43:00I'm an art teacher.
00:43:01I'd say the first time I started out is more like, I want to help, I want to save, I want to fix.
00:43:06But getting to know the kids, you learn they don't need to be saved or fixed.
00:43:10In general, as the art teacher, normally we get called like the specials class,
00:43:14and we kind of get pushed to the side, and the core class is like the math, the science.
00:43:18But I think creativity is something that is really important, especially in a time like this with COVID.
00:43:22I think creativity is what has been able to get us to the point where we are.
00:43:28So the fact that I was picked for this, I'm very honored.
00:43:30And I just appreciate the people who thought of me enough to give me this opportunity.
00:43:35Hi, I'm Ashanti Murdoch.
00:43:37I lead talent and racial equity work with KIPP Indianapolis Public Schools.
00:43:41I taught high school English on the south side of Indianapolis for some time.
00:43:45And during my time in the classroom, I just realized the importance of having teachers and leaders who are worthy of our students.
00:43:53So I oftentimes think when I am interviewing teachers who want to work for our school, our organization,
00:44:00like are these teachers really worthy of our students?
00:44:04At KIPP Indy, we serve nearly 100% black and brown students,
00:44:09and nearly 100% of our students receive free and reduced lunch,
00:44:14which means that they are at or below the poverty line.
00:44:16And so for me, this work is just deeply meaningful, and it's definitely my life's work.
00:44:22It's wonderful to be appreciated for the hard work that all of our team does day in and day out.
00:44:28I'm Dr. Peter Archer.
00:44:30I am a former middle school band director from the Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School, 74, in Bayside, Queens.
00:44:41I taught there for 34 years, and it's been a joy teaching 6th and 7th and 8th grade middle schoolers instrumental music.
00:44:52And I also play the trumpet professionally in various venues throughout the New York City area.
00:45:00It's important to encourage students, and through my music, through my teaching,
00:45:06it has always been a plus to give them praise and encouragement, even when they're struggling.
00:45:13Look at all of the professional musicians that started in our program at school.
00:45:22And what they've accomplished through music, and they are professional musicians, and that is their career.
00:45:29One of my students, Camille Thurman, for example, she's at Jazz High Lincoln Center with the Marcellus.
00:45:35Josh Holcomb with his band, Lucky Chops, and there are many others.
00:45:40So when I see that, it really inspires me, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment.
00:45:46Well, I'm truly humbled by Essence and Disney for this honor.
00:45:52And I'm thankful, and truly something that I did not expect, but it's a sense of, I feel a sense of joy, and I'm truly grateful.
00:46:06Thank you to all of our heroes.
00:46:08You are essential.
00:46:10I remember one time my dad took me to this jazz club, and I swear the next thing I know, it's like this guy floats off the stage.
00:46:29That guy was lost in the music.
00:46:31He was in it, and he took the rest of us with him.
00:46:34Streaming this Christmas on Disney+.
00:46:37Life is full of possibilities.
00:46:39You just need to know where to look.
00:46:43What do you want to be remembered for?
00:46:45Soul.
00:46:46Rated PG.
00:46:47Streaming December 25th.
00:46:48Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we held at the twilight's gleaming?
00:47:15Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight?
00:47:27O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
00:47:38And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
00:48:02Oh, say, does the star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
00:48:30Brave, brave, brave.
00:48:49What a powerful tribute that was.
00:48:51We cannot make it through this 2020 elections without our ballot counters and our poll workers.
00:48:58Anyone dedicated to making sure that every vote is counted, we thank you and we salute you.
00:49:03Okay, so we're almost at the end of our program, but we do have one more category left and a very special surprise to go along with it.
00:49:12Like everyone we celebrated this evening, this last group of honorees are truly real-life superheroes who have changed their communities for better in more ways than one.
00:49:24Through their work and nonprofit organizations they've created, these inspiring individuals have provided vital resources and helped their communities get through the difficult times when it was most needed.
00:49:35Let's meet the Essence Essential Heroes Award recipients for our Community Change Maker category, presented in part by Hyundai.
00:49:44Hello, I'm Ola B.C. Boyle, Vice President of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy for Hyundai Motor America.
00:50:01We are honored to be part of the second annual Essence Essential Heroes Awards that recognizes African-American community leaders who have committed themselves to making a difference during the pandemic.
00:50:17With African-American communities being severely impacted by COVID-19, it feels good to partner with such an iconic brand that has meant so much to our people and has taken the time to honor those that are carrying the torch to ensure individuals have the resources to survive.
00:50:41It really does take a village.
00:50:44At Hyundai, we believe these awards align with our philosophy of progress for humanity.
00:50:52And like you, we are focused on helping to protect the community during these uncertain times.
00:50:59Our Hyundai Hope on Wheels program established 23 COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites to communities hit hard by the virus.
00:51:09We provided $4 million in grants to increase access to testing.
00:51:15In addition, we offer our customers job loss protection, clean assurance, and contactless service to provide drivers peace of mind for themselves and their families.
00:51:28Now, let's take a look at the honorees for community change makers sponsored by Hyundai, where creating change is also a part of our DNA.
00:51:42My name is Charles Johnson IV.
00:51:45I am the founder of 4 Cure 4 Moms, a nonprofit organization dedicated and committed to reducing the maternal mortality rate in the United States.
00:51:55African American women are dying four to five times as often during childbirth as their Caucasian counterparts.
00:52:024 Cure 4 Moms is an organization that we founded to pay honor to my wife, Kira Dixon Johnson.
00:52:08We were over the moon we found when we welcomed our second son, was expected to be a routine scheduled C-section, and walked right into a nightmare.
00:52:17For more than 10 hours while we begged for help, 10 hours while she was in excruciating pain, they worked on her for some time, but they weren't able to save her.
00:52:25Our hope is that mothers will be able to be there at the first day of kindergarten, right?
00:52:32And mothers will be there at graduations.
00:52:36Mothers will be able to dance at weddings, right?
00:52:38All of the things that Kira was robbed of, it's truly an honor and truly an honor.
00:52:43And just thank you to all the other honorees.
00:52:46It's really an honor to be associated with all of you.
00:52:50So the Brooklyn Combine was started as a sort of response to what
00:52:56we were seeing in our neighborhoods and what we're seeing around us pretty much in Brooklyn.
00:53:03If you're from a certain neighborhood in the community, as a young black male, young black or brown person,
00:53:11you are in the way of this society.
00:53:14And we came together to create a think tank and a think tank that could ultimately create solutions
00:53:25by building with the people who are under the alienation and coming with the academic
00:53:31and mentoring program that will hopefully bring through critical thinking and self-determination.
00:53:37It wasn't difficult for us to figure out what work was to be done.
00:53:41It was more, what work are you going to do?
00:53:43Black women are not just responsible for saving this republic at the moment, right?
00:53:48They have been.
00:53:49Right, but they have been saving this republic for a very long time.
00:53:53So to have an organization which is run by black women recognize the work
00:53:59and see us as able partners, efficient partners in this work that we all are tasked with doing, that's special.
00:54:09My name is Jacqueline Nickelberry and I'm the co-founder of the Global Gift Registry,
00:54:14which is an online gifting initiative that I started during COVID-19 at the very beginning of the pandemic
00:54:20in the United States. We are a grassroots fundraising effort that helps nonprofit organizations who
00:54:27services homeless women, children and families. I ran past a homeless pregnant woman who was sleeping
00:54:33on a cement bench and I doubled back and I said, are you okay? And she said, no. I said, can I help?
00:54:39And she said, yes. I said, would you like to be in a shelter? And she said, yes, they're all full.
00:54:43Two days later, with the help of some really good friends here in Miami who are inside the shelter
00:54:49system, we were able to get her placed in a shelter. I worked with the shelter and I came with this idea
00:54:54for the Global Gift Registry. I called over a hundred of my closest girlfriends from around the world and
00:55:00asked them would they stand with me as a hostess for an online registry. We were able to raise $36,000
00:55:06dollars and over 2000 items in about 12 days. My daily prayer is that my parents are proud of me.
00:55:15And so for my community and a community of black women, because I am, I stand first as a proud American and
00:55:22second as a prouder black woman to recognize my efforts and to say job well done just means the world
00:55:29to me. So thank you. My name is Karen Washington. I'm a farmer and an activist. I tell people I grow
00:55:35food. I feed people body and mind. Right now I'm on a crusade to make sure that everyone has the right
00:55:41to food that is fresh and that is healthy because of food and water are both human rights. Black farmers
00:55:48are diminishing and so right now I'm on this journey to really make sure that that Pandora's box is open
00:55:56and that there are resources, there are money, there's capital, there's opportunity for black farmers
00:56:02through me and through the work that I am doing. It's just a reminder of how great
00:56:06um the African diaspora is and I'm so proud to be part of that and thank you so much. My name is
00:56:14Shirley Raines. I'm founder of Beauty to the Streets. Beauty to the Streets founded and came from my pain
00:56:21actually. I lost one of my sons when I was in my 20s. He died in an accident five days from his third
00:56:27birthday and I was completely devastated and broken. I was pregnant with my oldest daughter when that
00:56:32happened and I just went into a bubble. A friend asked me to feed the homeless with them one day
00:56:38and I went to feed the homeless and when I went out there it was like a sea of broken people. I was
00:56:42like oh my god like this is where all the memes are like I understood their pain. I understood their
00:56:48feeling of being lost. I understood how they felt like no one was there for them. I understood how they
00:56:53felt like I can't make it from day to day like this trauma. What I'm going through is too much. Now I have a
00:56:58purpose behind the memory and a pain. Now when I wake up with the memories and the pain I'm getting
00:57:02dressed and I'm getting ready to go out and take care of my community that also has some memories
00:57:07and pains that are relatable to mine. So now if I'm gonna hurt at least I'm hurting while I'm helping
00:57:12other people. So I really don't do it for the recognition, the honor. I do it because I really
00:57:18care about my community. It feels good to be acknowledged but like I always say I want people
00:57:23to pay attention to the message that we're spreading and not so much the messenger. I'm nothing
00:57:29but a broken person out there trying to do my best to make sure that people know that someone cares
00:57:33about them. I'm actually doing this so more of a spotlight can be shined on the homeless community
00:57:39that we can see what's going on with out there in the streets so we can understand that there are
00:57:43people hurting that that need our help. One of the best parts of my job is being introduced to
00:57:50women that look like me who are dedicated to helping others. Shirley, we know that when you first started
00:58:00you were driving your own car to transport items to those in need and we at Hyundai want to thank you
00:58:10for your sacrifices by donating a new 2021 Hyundai Elantra to help you keep moving forward and changing lives
00:58:24one person at a time.
00:58:28Shut up! Are you kidding me? No freaking way!
00:58:40You stated that not all queens live in castles. Some live on the streets. Well queen
00:59:04today you live in the hearts of those who work at Hyundai and we thank you for your tireless efforts
00:59:16to bring beauty to the streets and connect to those who are sometimes forgotten. Thank you. I'm humble.
00:59:24I'm very humble. I don't even feel like I deserve all this attention. I've never had a new car ever
00:59:30before in my life and um thank you Hyundai. I am just I'm I'm humbled. I can't believe I got a new car.
00:59:49Ah now that is how you close it out with a bang. Congratulations to Beauty to the Streets founder
00:59:56Shirley Raines on your brand new Elantra girl. Congratulations. Well beautiful people our time
01:00:02together tonight is just about over and the second edition of Essence Essential Heroes Awards is coming
01:00:09to an end. But what a magical night it was. Sending so much gratitude and so much love to all of tonight's
01:00:17honorees and to all of the essential workers who have kept our country afloat this year. Thank you
01:00:23all so much for tuning in and a very special thank you to AT&T, Disney Parks, Disney Studios and
01:00:30Hyundai for helping us celebrate and honor all of these phenomenal agents of change. Thank you Essence
01:00:37for having me and have a great night.
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