00:00Good evening Essence!
00:06Come on y'all, give it up for Big LA!
00:11Yes, New York and Brooklyn in the house.
00:14I am Lillianne Majeed, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for L'Oreal Group.
00:21And I am so excited to be back for another year with you all.
00:25Tonight we are not just celebrating being made like this.
00:29We are also celebrating firsts and the power of feeling seen.
00:34And I say first because I need you all to know that L'Oreal, L'Oreal was the first beauty partner
00:43to sign a multi-year deal with the WNBA way back in the 90s.
00:49The first y'all, we saw them first.
00:53And it's because we knew then and we still know now that beauty and sport have the power to uplift and transform the human spirit.
01:06And as the first, I love that we have inspired so many people to pop in to supporting the WNBA.
01:16But look, when y'all go online shopping, when you go visit the shelves, please remember that L'Oreal has been ten toes down for the WNBA.
01:26Because we believe that every single athlete and every one of you deserve to feel seen and considered.
01:40And as the fourth largest advertiser in the world, we are obligated.
01:47It is our obligation to do just that.
01:52And that commitment continues with one of our 38 brands, Essie, and the partnership that they signed with the WNBA champions.
02:05The New York Liberty, the WNBA champions, and I will tell you, yes, that we have been rocking with the W.
02:14We have been rocking with the Liberty, not because it is philanthropy, because we have seen firsthand that Liberty fans,
02:22they support the brands who care about the things that they care about.
02:26But enough of me, it is my honor to introduce y'all to my girl, girl, my girl, girl, and a leader who inspires greatness every day.
02:37The Chief Executive Officer, I am saying it out entirely, of the New York Liberty, Pia Clark!
02:47Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Lily and Essence Festival.
02:53It is so, so, so incredible to be here.
02:56I'm so at home with a crowd like this, and it's just a beautiful display of us.
03:02To be a part of a league with players made up of predominantly our community, I have to acknowledge in this room,
03:10many of you, the same black men and women who have been holding up the WNBA, showing up for our team,
03:17showing up for our women for nearly 30 years.
03:20As the reigning WNBA champs, like Lil said, and yes, we are ready to run it back this season,
03:27our focus remains to lead on and off the court.
03:31At the New York Liberty, everything we do is with intention to be authentic, authentic to our players,
03:38to our incredibly diverse fan base, to women, to moving the culture forward through sport.
03:46That's why having partners like L'Oreal and Essie is truly game-changing for our team.
03:52It's about more than just a logo.
03:54It's about shared values.
03:56It's about real support, Lil, real support.
04:00For our players, it means being backed by a brand that genuinely celebrates who they are,
04:04both as competitors and as women.
04:08Essie stands for individuality, confidence, self-expression,
04:12the same qualities our athletes bring to the court every day,
04:16and the same qualities our mascot, Ellie the Elephant, represents.
04:21From her style to her persona and her moves, y'all already seen her moves,
04:28Ellie was created by black women.
04:30She empowers and celebrates who we are, amplifies the ways our community is changing and setting the culture.
04:38Essie's support helps us claim our space, embrace our unique beauty, and lead with confidence.
04:46Ellie, should we show them how we do it in Brooklyn? Should we show them? Y'all ready?
04:52We ready? Do it with us, y'all. Do it with us.
04:56And get you on the way to find me.
04:58Yo, what's up? What's poppin'?
04:59You boy, you bustin'.
05:00Party time.
05:01Squilla Hill.
05:02Party time.
05:03Let's go!
05:04Webstar.
05:05We back.
05:06Young B.
05:07Shy porn.
05:08Batman's look.
05:09Ride that wave.
05:10Let's ride that wave.
05:11Ho.
05:12Clap it up.
05:13Ho.
05:14Clap it up.
05:15Ho.
05:16Clap it up.
05:17Point to the right and ride that wave.
05:19Wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave, wave.
05:23We
05:53It's
06:23Pop it then you dip it and then you do the split and work it twerk it jerk it show them that you
06:40DJ are you spans
06:53Let's give it up one more time for L'Oreal group and Big Ellie.
07:10Thank you Essence, stay beautiful.
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