Photo:Essence
Nicole Bridges’ friend, Nadjh Patterson, came to her with an idea to do "something fun with the girls for Black History Month." That something fun resulted in Bridges' daughter and her four friends recreating Essence covers featuring women that inspire them to pursue their biggest dreams.
Excited to transform into cover girls, the girls, who range in age from nine to twelve, chose a broad spectrum of women in various fields. Michelle Obama, the first African American First Lady of the United States. Gabby Douglas, the first African American all-around Olympic champion and the first American to win gold in the gymnastic individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics. Vanessa Williams, actress, singer, and the first African American Miss America. Kerry Washington, the first Black woman to play lead in a network drama since 1974. And Ciara, singer, songwriter, and dancer.
"All of Essence covers and content gets us excited about celebrating US and our Blackness," Bridges told Because of Them We Can. "Essence fosters a huge sense of unity and pride in what we as Black girls can accomplish. We can do anything we set our minds to and Essence reminds us of that on every cover!"
In addition to channeling their inner Michelle Obama, Gabby Douglas, Vanessa Williams, Kerry Washington and Ciara, Kelsi, Aleah, Nadjh, Nia and Naomi also shared their dreams, goals and hobbies on their respective covers (which they nailed down to the tee by the way).
Photo: Samuel Bazemore
Photo: Essence
Photo: Samuel Bazemore
Photo: Essence
Photo: Samuel Bazemore
Photo: Essence
Photo: Samuel Bazemore
Photo: Essence
Photo: Samuel Bazemore
Photo: Essence
"It is crucial for our girls to see beautiful, positive images of strong Black women on the covers of our magazines," Bridges explained. "It boosts their self-confidence and makes the accomplishments of these Black women noteworthy and memorable. It gives them the notion that if they can achieve it SO CAN I! It makes it a reality and real life possibility for their futures!"
Kudos to the parents for reminding us all why representations matters.