Essence Festival of Culture returned to New Orleans on Thursday, kicking off with a press conference featuring the Essence leadership team and top festival partners. Host Toya Wright and moderator Pauline Malcolm–Thornton, Essence chief revenue officer, were joined by sponsors to provide a glimpse of the hundreds of events and experiences taking place at the four-day festival.
Emphasizing this year’s theme of “It’s the Black joy for me,” Essence CEO Caroline Wanga offered words of encouragement and affirmation for the more than 530,000 attendees.
“When you come here, that shoulder rub you got, that head nod from a stranger … is the thing that puts that fuel in your tank, puts that armor
