TODAY’S YOUNG BLACK WOMEN ARE BEYOND BOLD.THEY’RE UNAPOLOGETIC. CONFIDENT. DIVINE. MEET

THREE OF OUR FAVES, WHO ARE NOT ONLY EMBRACINGTHEIR UNIQUE GIFTS BUT ALSO REDEFINING

THEIR WORLD—AND OURS

BY BENÉ VIERA • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DENNIS LEUPOLD • STYLING BY ADE SAMUEL

MAGiCBLACKGIRL

84 ESSENCE .COM FEBRUARY 2016

IN HER SPARE TIME YARA SHAHIDI LOVESLOOKING UP JAMES BALDWIN SPEECHES. “TheAmerican Dream and the American Negro” is her toppick. Reading Baldwin’s novel The Fire Next Time is upnext, given that she has already devoured ToniMorrison’s The Bluest Eye. At 16, she considers herselfan “early-onset older person.”

Unlike the sassy, angsty Zoey Johnson she playson ABC’s black-ish, the popular comedy in which shecostars with Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson,Shahidi is grounded in something deeper. She’smeticulous about the projects she chooses and whatthey represent for Black folks as a whole. Those thatare too stereotypical get a polite “Nah.” “When I turndown roles, it’s like not only does this do nothing forme as an actor, but it also doesn’t portray who Iaspire to be. It’s one-sided, one note. I feel like itwould be doing a disservice to my community.”

This kind of atypical thinking for a teenager maymake sense when you learn she’s the cousin of lyricaltitan Nas. Shahidi is far too smart to fall prey to thedark and twisty road that many child stars have gonedown. Plus, she has vigilant parents who monitor hersocial media activity and keep her humble with chores.Born to a Black mom and an Iranian dad who work asa commercial actress and photographer, respectively,Shahidi knows better than to be solely focused onfame. Education and giving back are her passions.

After nearly ten hours on set, she has an honorschemistry quiz with her name on it waiting for her. “I’lldesignate a time this weekend to hang out and be akid,” she says from her trailer. “But I have some verypertinent AP calculus homework that I must com-plete.” That it’s a Friday night is irrelevant. No wondershe maintains a stellar GPA at the Dwight OpenWorld School. Despite her demanding schedule,humanitarian work is a priority: She’s developed adigital meet-up called Yara’s Club and filmed a PSAto encourage girls to go into STEM fields. “Being apart of this reemergence of a movement both pro-diversity and pro-woman is the best part of being aBlack girl,” she says. “It’s more than, ‘I stand for thisbecause I should.’ I stand for this because this is partof who I am as a human being.”

Being apart of this

reemergenceof a movement

both pro-diversity andpro-woman isthe best part

of being aBlack girl.”

Yara Shahidi

Shahidi as Zoey onABC’s black-ish

FEBRUARY 2016 ESSENCE .COM 85

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FOX NEWS IS BLARING ON THE TV AT THE ENGINE CO. NO. 28 RESTAURANTIN LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BUT SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTAND ST. LOUIS NATIVE JOHNETTA “NETTA” ELZIE TUNES IT OUT. After all, shehas heard a lot of the rhetoric before. The 26-year-old is just like one of the eloquentaround-the-way homegirls we all know. The only difference is that Netta’s realnessand ability to speak truth to power has taken her from obscurity to a high level ofvisibility. She has 82,000 Twitter followers, including Selma filmmaker AvaDuVernay, who sent her a private message asking if she needed anything afterbeing arrested during a sit-in at the federal courthouse in St. Louis. Even thewoman who birthed Beyoncé and Solange, Mrs. Tina Lawson, thanked her for heractivism, encouraging her to keep going.

Elzie rose to prominence in 2014 as one of the faces of the Ferguson uprising,which led to profiles in The New York Times and The Atlantic magazine and anappearance on MSNBC as a voice of the new civil rights movement. Since then shehas met with presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and had a seatat the table with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to discuss Campaign Zero—the ten-point solution to end police violence that Elzie helped develop.

But there have been sacrifices, for sure. “When Mike [Michael Brown, Jr.] was killed, Iwould be out protesting on West Florissant and get calls about a job,” Elzie says. “I madea decision to ignore all calls and I kept believing that this is what I should be doing. Yes,I’m broke. It’s not fun not knowing how you’ll pay your bills. I’m hoping the universeshows me some favor.” You can find Elzie in a sea of protesters and supporters acrossthe country, including the Mizzou sit-ins, where she helped call out bias against Blackstudents at predominantly White colleges and universities, last November.

But she’s learned that movement work can be taxing, and without the backing ofher mother, who passed away in 2014, it can be extremely lonely. Although she’s anadmitted introvert, Elzie surrounds herself with a tight-knit circle of Black women andmen who serve as her support system. “I have an amazing group of friends, like myfriends before the movement started, and friends I’ve made through being a protester.”She feels a special affinity for fellow activist DeRay McKesson. “I never thought hewould be one of my best friends. We were in jail together. I think that’s one of our peakmoments because I was just like, ‘I’m not moving if he’s not moving.’ ”

Elzie’s focus right now is on continuing her work on Campaign Zero and Map-ping the Police, including planning for a presidential town hall. Through it all she’slearned that she cannot be all things to all people. “I’m a protester.... I’m not speak-ing for every Black woman. I’m not speaking for every Black person. I’m one of thethousands in the movement. It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than any individual. It’sbigger than any organization. The movement’s still going to be here even if wedisappear tomorrow.”

Johnetta “Netta” Elzie

Elzie has dedicatedherself to being avoice in the Black LivesMatter movement.

86 ESSENCE .COM FEBRUARY 2016

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I kept believingthat this is

what I shouldbe doing…. I’m

a protester.”

On previous page:Shahidi wears a

Moschino reflec-tor paillette dress,

Melody Ehsani ear-rings and AGL Attilio

Giusti Leombrunipatent oxfords.

This page: On Elzie:a Lane Bryant

draped jacket, camiand fringe skirt,Fallon earrings

and “TBar” ring,and Melinda Maria

“Paige” cocktail and“Mia” rings. Cuff,

stylist’s own.

I pulled [myinspiration]from Blackwomen inmy life whoare strong,determinedand leaders.”Teyonah wears a 5:31 Jérômesequin dress, Vita Fede pearlstud hoops, Melody Ehsani“North Star” ring, Rachel KatzJewelry dagger ring and MarciaMoran 3 stone ring.

For clothing details,see Where to Buy.

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DEEP-BROWN BLACK GIRLS WITH CURLY COILS ARE RARELY LEADING LADIES.TEYONAH PARRIS KNOWS THIS. With her fluffy fro, full lips, defined nose and womanlycurves front and center in the controversial Spike Lee film Chi-Raq, Parris joins the exclu-sive sorority of fellow chocolate leads Viola Davis, Gabourey Sidibe and Adepero Oduye,who all boldly remind Hollywood that sisters come in assorted flavors. Less than 24 hoursafter the film’s release, she’s already in Savannah filming her next project. And soon she’llresume shooting season three of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse, in which she stars as Missy,the witty, sophisticated wife of an NBA sports manager.

In Chi-Raq, Lee’s modern take on the famous Greek comedy by Aristophanes,Parris manages to be both spellbinding and titillating, commanding the screen in aglistening gold body chain. Lee knew he wanted the actress to play Lysistrata afterseeing her performance in Dear White People as Coco, the blue-contact-lens-wear-ing, weave-flaunting antithesis of Sam (played by actress Tessa Thompson) who, inthe film, wanted little to do with the Black issues on campus. By contrast, powerfulBlack women, Parris says, served as her muses for her role. “I researched Pam Grier; Iused Assata and Michelle Obama because in Chi-Raq we pull from so many differentgenres,” she says with a precise southern drawl. “I pulled from Black women in my lifewho are strong, determined and leaders.”

Growing up in Hopkins, South Carolina, with her parents and two brothers, Parrisremembers spending summers in the country on acres of land, cutting grass and feedingthe chickens. You can hear the immense pride in her voice in proclaiming her to be a“country gal.” But from an early age she had dreams of leaving those southern roots toshine in front of the camera. Her first on-screen job was How Do You Know oppositeReese Witherspoon, a role she booked the day she graduated from The Juilliard School.

Once in L.A., Parris quickly learned that conquering Hollywood wouldn’t be easy.“For a whole year I didn’t get even a callback. I didn’t book anything,” she says throughlaughter. “My feelings were so hurt.” It was getting the role of Dawn Chambers on thecritically acclaimed Mad Men that kept her from heading back East. Dawn was the ficti-tious advertising agency’s first Black employee, and Parris subsequently became theshow’s first recurring Black costar.

Parris, 28, attributes her cinematic success to relinquishing control to God. At thispivotal moment of the Black girl, she is happy playing her part in images showing usin all our glory. And she’s bringing the whole squad along, because at her core, that’s

just who she is. “When I get an audi-tion I’m texting [my girls], ‘Hey, didyou get this audition? Because youwould be perfect for it. They’re call-ing me in so you should go in,’"” shesays. “That’s how I operate and I feelgood operating like that.”

Bené Viera (@beneviera) profiled

Shonda Rhimes and her Shondaland

casts for ESSENCE last October.

Viera lives in Brooklyn.

Teyonah Parris

Ade Samuel (@adesamuel) is a Los Angeles–based stylist, who describes

her fashion sensibility as “quirky, modern and fresh.” Her work has been

featured in Vogue, Teen Vogue, W, Elle, Glamour and CR Fashion Book.

Parris, who led Spike Lee’s satire Chi-Raq,

costarred with John Cusack.

FOR MORE BLACK GIRL MAGIC, TURN THE PAGE

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Celebs

1. WILLOW SMITH The15-year-old Smith gives life tothe #carefreeblackgirl in all ofus. The singer pushesboundaries, and has carvedout a unique space of her own.

4. KEKE PALMER We lovewatching the 22-year-oldPalmer—our homegirl in ourhead—soar from one careermilestone (youngest talk-show host in history) to thenext (first Black Cinderella

on Broadway).

2. AJA NAOMI KING She usedto freeze up in auditions as akid. Lucky for us, King, 31,overcame stage fright andnow wows as Michaela in How

to Get Away With Murder.

5. ZENDAYA If we were tocrown anyone queen of the“clap back,” it would be19-year-old Zendaya. We lovethat she raises her voice andunapologetically celebratesher Blackness at every turn.

3. FKA TWIGS This classicallytrained British dancer burstonto the music scene in 2012with her debut, EP1. Sincethen, Twigs, 28, has held ourattention with her eclecticstyle and sound.

6. QUVENZHANÉ WALLISSince scoring an Oscar nod atthe age of 9 (!), Wallis hasn’tslowed down. Now 12, and theface of Armani Junior, shemost recently inked afour-book publishing deal.

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...ALSOON OURRADAR

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Athletes

4. SYDNEY LEROUXDWYER Who could forget theU.S. Women’s National SoccerTeam’s epic World Cup winlast summer? The passionateDwyer, 25, was key in herteam’s victory.

5. ALIA ATKINSON Moveover, Michael Phelps.Atkinson is the first Blackwoman to win a worldswimming title: The Jamaicanswam the 100m breaststrokein 1 minute, 2.36 seconds.

1. MO’NE DAVIS A pitchfrom Davis puts competi-tors her age to shame:The 14-year-old is the firstgirl to pitch a shutout inthe Little League WorldSeries. Her #blackgirlmagicis so undeniable, Disneyplans on making her storyinto a movie.

3. GABBY DOUGLAS The20-year-old gymnastmade Olympic history atthe 2012 Games when shebecame the first Blackwoman to win the IndividualAll-Around title.

2. SIMONE BILES ln her13-year career as a gym-nast, Biles, 18, has racked upten gold World Champion-ship medals—more than anyother female athlete in hersport. Next up for Biles?The Summer Olympics.

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4. CLARE BYARUGABAThe impassioned LGBTrights advocate risks her lifedaily—her homeland isnotoriously anti-LGBT. Butthat hasn’t deterred the28-year-old co-coordinatorof Uganda’s Civil SocietyCoalition on Human Rightsand Constitutional Law.

1. BRITTANY FERRELLAND ALEXIS TEMPLETONThis wife and wife duo takes#blacklove to new levels—thetwo met and married afterprotesting in Ferguson.Ferrell, 27, and Templeton, 22,cofounded Millennial ActivistsUnited, a youth-led coalitionthat empowers communities.

2. JESSICA BYRD Afterworking to recruit African-American women to run forpolitical office with superPAC Emily’s List, Byrd, 28,branched out on her ownto create Three PointStrategies—a consultingfirm devoted to diversecandidate recruitment.

3. BREE NEWSOME Needsomething done? Send aBlack woman to do it.Newsome, 30, embodiedthis mantra when she scaleda pole on the grounds of theSouth Carolina statehouseand took down the Confed-erate flag—a revolutionaryact of defiance.

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Activists

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2. RUJEKO HOCKLEYAs assistant curator ofcontemporary art at theBrooklyn Museum, Hockleyis partially responsible forbringing voices from theAfrican diaspora, such as San-ford Biggers, to the forefront.

3. KASHMIR THOMPSONThe Cleveland-born graphicdesigner, 26, turned herhobby into a business, givingus Black culture–centricaccessories our lives werelacking. The cast of Martin ona pillow? Grace Jones on aclutch? Yes, please!

1. HELEN OYEYEMIThe novelist wrote herfirst book at 18, and wasnamed one of Granta’sBest Young BritishWriters. Look out for hershort-story collection,What Is Not Yours Is Not

Yours (Riverhead).

4. LATOYA RUBY FRAZIERThe 34-year-oldphotographer–professorwas awarded a $625,000MacArthur Genius Grant tosupport her project document-ing her family’s impoverishedPennsylvania hometown.

6. NJIDEKA AKUNYILICROSBY The Nigerian-born Akunyili Crosbypaints large-scalepieces that depict modernAfrican and Americandomestic scenes.

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5. ALLISON JANAEHAMILTON The visual artist,31, blends fiction and realityin her multimedia work byusing taxidermy to createone-of-a-kind pieces.

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1. ALEALI MAY The 23-year-oldimage consultant has workedwith celebs such as Kanye andKendrick, and has also foundtime to launch a modelingcareer and a lifestyle blog.

2. RILEY MONTANA Afterworking low-wage jobs in L.A.to support herself whilepursuing a career in modeling,Montana got a break whenshe moved to NYC andbooked a Givenchy campaign.

3. AURORA JAMES In 2013,James founded shoe companyBrother Vellies. She won a$300,000 grant from theCFDA (Council of FashionDesigners of America)/Vogue

Fashion Fund last year.

5. MALAIKA FIRTH In 2013,Kenya-born, England-raisedFirth became the first Blackmodel in 20 years to star in aPrada campaign. (Queen Naomicame before her, naturally.)

6. LEONA “BINX” WALTONThis 19-year-old Tennesseenative sashayed down therunway in an impressive 27shows—from Chanel toPrada—in the 2014 Spring/Summer season.

4. AYA JONES Hailing fromthe City of Light, Jones neverplanned on being a model.But since being discoveredon the Rue de Rivoli, she hasmade strides in the fashionworld: Last year, sheappeared in more than50 shows.

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1. AURORA PERRINEAUThe daughter of actorHarold Perrineau snaggeda major role as ShanaElmsford in the remakeof 1980’s fave Jem and

the Holograms.

1. YAMILÉE TOUSSAINTIn 2012, the 29-year-oldfounded STEM for Dance,a nonprofit that usesdance to build girls’self-esteem and boost theirSTEM confidence.

2. SARAH KUNST Thisphilanthropic investor,28, launched ProDay inOctober. With this fitnessapp, you can train like yourfavorite athletes.

2. DANIELLE BROOKSThere’s much more to Brooks,26, than her larger-than-lifecharacter Taystee in Orange

Is the New Black. Next? TheJuilliard-trained actress is inThe Angry Birds Movie.

The Voices

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3. MACI PETERSON Lastyear, Peterson, 29, devel-oped On Second Thought,an app that allows users torecall “sent” text messagesbefore they’re delivered.

—Compiled by Taylor Lewisand Lauren WilliamsT

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