The Lighthouse Founder Natalie Collier Curates Spaces of Solidarity and Safety for Young Black Women
This organization believes Black girls find power within their access to space and time.
Natalie Collier is the creator of The Lighthouse | Black Girls Projects, an organization where she provides an intimate space of support and safety for Black girls and women.
According to Good Morning America, The Lighthouse uses a holistic approach to the leadership development of Black girls and women, overseeing areas such as elementary educational programs, camps, and funding clinical research.
“We want to curate spaces of safety and solidarity,” Collier said. “Southern Black women in particular, I think, are trailblazers in a lot of ways, that people don’t often consider.”
Angela Grayson, the director of advocacy and organizing at The Lighthouse, said the organization does a lot of work around constructive programming. “So the things that we help women to empower themselves are the tools that we give them to affect change,” Grayson said, noting the importance of conducting research regarding issues that affect Black women.
She shared how research at The Lighthouse enabled an understanding that women need postpartum Medicaid coverage. “Women need that coverage for up to a year because women were dying in what is called the fourth trimester. We were at the Capitol reminding legislators that we are the data. Listen to us. We know what we want and need,” Grayson said.
“We do things that create a legacy for Black women to walk behind us, for Black girls to know that there are places of safety and solidarity for them that they can rest, they can be powerful, they can speak truth to power, whatever they want to do,” she added.
Cristy Craig and Raquel Thomas both participated in the college fellowship program offered by The Lighthouse. The program includes helping students find travel opportunities, paid internships, peer support, and more. Craig said it carried her mentally and financially as she transitioned into adulthood. “They will find a way through their network to align us with people who will make our visions come true,” Thomas shared.
Social Media Reacts to Mo’Nique Coming Out As Bisexual In Netflix Comedy Special
Mo’Nique is the talk of the town after getting remarkably candid about her sexuality in her first-ever Netflix comedy special.
The Oscar-winning actress returned to her comedic roots for a standup show for Netflix, following her legal war with the streaming giant. Toward the end of the one-hour-and-12-minute set, Mo’Nique shared a family story about her religious grandmother and Uncle Tina, who she believed struggled throughout her life due to her grandmother not accepting her gay daughter, as noted by Auto Straddle.
But Mo’Nique recalled how much her grandmother adored her and showered her with love. Their close bond ultimately led to the future Hollywood star withholding her own truth from her family matriarch.
“And I felt, I felt cowardly when my grandmother left. Because I couldn’t tell my grandmother who her granddaughter really was,” Mo’Nique said.
“Cause I didn’t want to be loved privately. I adored how she adored me… So I couldn’t tell my grandmother my secret thoughts. And my fantasies. ‘Cause I didn’t want her to love me privately, and I did not want her to leave this earth thinking she was a failure. ‘Cause had I told her my secret thoughts, she would’ve left thinking that she failed.”
At that moment, the audience was more silent than a church mouse. But Mo’Nique brought back the humor with a crass but lighthearted joke about her sexuality.
“Now I know y’all are looking at me, saying, ‘Wait a minute, b*tch. Are you a m*therfu*kin’ d*ke??’ No I’m not!… all the way,” she quipped.
She finished by recounting how in adulthood she finally found the courage to address her sexuality to her husband and manager, Sidney Hicks. With tears in her eyes, the Precious star recalled Sidney’s response to her coming out as bisexual.
“I said, “Daddy, I want to be with another woman sexually.’ And he looked at me, so beautifully and so patient and so loving, and he said, ‘Bitch, me too!’” Mo’Nique quipped as the audience burst into laughter.
She received mixed reviews and criticism after The Shade Roomposted a clip online.
“Comedians are SUPPOSED to tell us about their thoughts and viewpoints. It’s YAAAAWL who shouldn’t be sharing,” one person wrote. “She was paid MILLIONS to give her VIEWPOINT. You just doing it for free!”
“Y’all.. this lady is a comedian. They are supposed to talk about life experiences in a way that’s funny and relatable,” another person explained. “Y’all already don’t want them talking about others. But now they can’t talk about themselves?”
But some were offended by Mo’Nique’s candid reveal.
“I don’t understand married ppl. They wanna be intimate w/ everyone but their spouse. 🙄keep letting extra spirits in yall relationships,” one user quipped.
“Woooooow. So, Mo’Nique has had an open marriage because she’s bisexual? Well alright. Happy early Pride!” one Twitter user wrote.
“That Requires You To Sit in the Pain”: Golden Brooks on Leaning Into Uncertainty and Starring in Disney’s ‘Saturdays’
Black girl magic and Black boy joy are in full effect on Disney Channel’s new coming-of-age comedy, Saturdays. Executive-produced by 18-year-old powerhouse Marsai Martin, the show stars one of our favorite leading ladies, Golden Brooks. Her onscreen portrayal of Deb Johnson fuses her comedic skills, charismatic nature, and nurturing spirit.
With an extensive resume dating back to the early ’90s (The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Promised Land, Linc’s, and The Jamie Foxx Show), it was her role as Maya Wilkes on Girlfriendsthat stole audiences’ hearts. Regardless of the part, one of the characteristics that resonate most with viewers is the San Francisco native’s relatability, allowing fans to feel connected as her quick wit, light-heartedness, and genuineness project through the screen.
BLACK ENTERPRISE chatted with the award-winning actress about navigating the peaks and valleys of her career, leaning into the power of no, the importance of mentorship, and why Saturdays is the perfect backdrop for showcasing and celebrating the diversity of the Black family.
BLACK ENTERPRISE:Why do you believe you were the right fit to portray Deb Johnson on Saturdays?
Golden Brooks: I take on that family structure very well. I’ve played a lot of moms, some single moms, moms with troubled teens, and all of that. I’m bringing a bit of comedic ability mixed in with that anchor Deb has regarding her family. I tried hard to find a balance to make her likable and fun-loving, but she also puts her foot down in her family life.
I watched with my 8-year-old niece and asked her how she liked the series. She responded, “It shows us that we’re so cool, and it’s so much Black Girl Magic. I love this.”
I love that! When I hear the girls talking about Peyton [Basnight], Daria [Johns], and Danielle [Jalade], what I love is that this is a show about these three girls and their sisterhood. It is Black Girl Magic, and it’s girl magic in general. Because they’re at the forefront of this story, they’re not peripheral characters, and they’re not those characters that come in every fourth and fifth episode. These are intentional characters.
Your niece saying that at 8 years old, she’s feeling empowered. She’s thinking, “Wow, those girls remind me of me. The way they look, act, skate, dress, or talk.” That’s where that empowerment comes in and where you start to form a movement. Saturdays will do that for young people, not just young girls, but also young men.
What are a few key boundaries you’re working on for yourself right now?
Boundaries, that’s a huge one. The boundary in the power of saying “No.” I’ve been so scared to say no because there are very few yeses. There are very few moments where I felt I could say, “Yes.” I found that trickled into many pieces of my life where I felt I was overextending myself. Whether that’s emotionally, physically, trying to do a little bit of everything in one day, or just trying to please many different people in my life.
I realize boundaries and the self-protective mode of no, speak volumes, and learning when I need to stop and do a little self-care, whatever that looks like. But just knowing I need to replenish myself and this vessel because I use it for work, I use it to be a mother. We put out so much, and it’s important for me to learn when I need to pull back.
You said there were very few yeses. What’s the biggest “No” you heard in your career, and what did you learn from it?
There was a great job I wanted many years ago, and I was so hurt that I didn’t get it. I thought, “I’m never going to work again.” When you’re in the middle of it, you feel that that is your end-all, be-all. You don’t think there will ever be another role or job that will give you that.
I remember Tracee Ellis Ross told me when we were shooting Girlfriends, “You don’t become successful by getting everything you audition for, by saying yes to everything you get.” I always remembered that, and I took that to mean that sometimes this journey detours you. There’s a lot of self-deprecation of “Why is this happening to me?” What’s happening to you is you’re gaining a story for yourself and achieving depth for yourself.
Your pain and nos are meant to make that one yes so monumental that you’ve put all that into it. You’ve put all those nos, all that pain, and all of that work into that moment where you can finally “shine.” But you wouldn’t be able to have that moment if you weren’t able to dig deep and do that self-work. That requires you to sit in the pain.
Who are some of your mentors in your personal and professional life who have guided you throughout your trajectory?
I love my community of friends. Regina Hall, one of my closest friends, has been a huge rock in my career and personal journey. We need that person that’s going to pray for us and make us laugh when all we want to do is cry. She’s that for me. My girlfriend, Jill Marie Jones, we connect on a level where we keep each other going. I love that because we know each other’s world, and we’ve been in each other’s world for many years.
In terms of mentors of people, I look up to, I’ve never worked with Viola Davis, but I love her outlook on her self-worth and life. At this point in my life as a mother, an actor, a woman who’s finding peace and just being comfortable with where I am in my world, you need people who match where you are and who are going to take you to a higher psychological hemisphere in terms of how you’re looking at yourself and the world around you.
Michelle Obama, she’s also someone who I love. I love strong women. Strength comes in putting your flaws out there where there’s wiggle room for growth, and that’s where you see someone’s truth. Michelle Obama is very transparent when talking about who she is as a mother, who she is as a wife, and who she is as a woman in this world.
I had a conversation yesterday, and we discussed showcasing vulnerability as true strength.
That’s exactly it. As Black women, sometimes it might be hard for us to showcase that because of all the hats we must wear. Vulnerability, to me, is the most beautiful accessory. I even tell my 13-year-old daughter, “You don’t always have to have it all figured out. You don’t always have to walk around like it doesn’t hurt if something is painful and if something hits deeper than you expected it to. It’s OK to talk about what that feels like.” You are never too young to learn that lesson.
Girlfriends was such a pivotal moment in your career. Looking back and knowing what you know now, what words of wisdom would you tell yourself during that time?
Just listen, Golden, because everyone has a little piece of something you can learn and gain from. You can’t hear it when you’re always enveloped in your own noise. When you’re super young, you have this thing where you think you know everything. I’m a perfectionist. A part of being a perfectionist is you want it done yesterday. I put a lot on myself, and I’m hard on myself. That’s something that I work on constantly.
I love when I pass a certain point, and I can say, “Wow, I would’ve handled that differently two weeks ago or two years ago.” I’ve seen growth in different pieces of my life where I can check that box. I love that I’m a constant work in progress. As we said, the vulnerability and the knowing that you still have a long way to go for where you’re trying to go keeps you evolving, even as an artist.
How Michael Jordan’s Demand Brought Viola Davis & Husband Julius Tennon to ‘AIR’
MichaelJordan’s unimaginable business success with Nike may not have happened if not for his mother, Deloris. In what may come as a surprise to many, Jordan’s mom ensured that he would maintain ownership of his name and likeness.
So, it only makes sense that the GOAT of basketball personally requested the one-and-only Viola Davis, to portray the woman responsible for making us all feel like “it’s gotta be the shoes” in Ben Affleck’s new movie AIR, which details how the relationship between MJ and Nike came to be.
After receiving Jordan’s blessing to tell this story, Affleck says the 6-time NBA champion only had one request.
“And [Jordan] looked at me real straight and—by the way, there’s one line for the mother character in the movie at this point—and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, he wants me to offer this to Viola Davis,'” he told The Hollywood Reporter, “How am I going to offer Viola Davis a movie with one line? That’s not going to happen. But he was like, ‘That’s my mom.’ He was dead serious. ‘Viola Davis, that’s my mom. And that was it. Discussion was over.”
And how did he get the EGOT and How To Get Away With Murder star to say yes?
“Begging. I’m sure it was because I said, ‘Michael Jordan wants you to play his mom.’ It certainly wasn’t ‘Ben Affleck wants you to be in his movie.’ She’s not comfortable with sycophancy or obsequiousness. You can tell it chafes her,” he said. Well, it seems his approach worked as both AIR and Davis’ portrayal have been receiving rave reviews ahead of the film’s theatrical release.
Along with an all-star cast that features Chris Tucker, Matt Damon, and Affleck is Davis’ real-life husband, Julius Tennon, who plays Jordan’s late father, James. The pair’s love story has been well-documented and they’ve occasionally shared screen time but never at this level.
Affleck said the two made it look easy.
“When they ran a scene together I was always like, ‘Just get into it.’ Because they’re married, it doesn’t matter what kind of day they’re having or what they do, it’s going to be real. You see two people who can talk to each other by doing this,” Affleck said.
“It felt like home, you know?” Davis said. About his character’s approach to Deloris’ business dealings on behalf of their son, Tennon said, “He’s got that protective nature, like any husband would protect his wife”.
Former MAC Global Communications Manager, Aja Bradley-Kemp, Starts Natural Hair Movement in Australia
It’s truly a beautiful thing when women can feel seen and heard and connect over their similarities.
Living in Australia and working as a marketer for global beauty brands, this entrepreneur noticed a lack of resources for Black natural hair care. Aja Bradley-Kemp, the creator of the Love My Curls Festival, curated the first beauty event celebrating women in Australia and New Zealand with curly and textured hair. Her entrepreneurial journey launched with the creation of her own agency, Conversate Collective, following her leave as one of MAC’s premier global communications managers.
As a marketer and experiential event designer, she has used her experience to grow consumer, lifestyle, and tech brands in the United States and international markets, including Expedia, MAC Cosmetics, Sunglass Hut, and Reebok.
Bradley-Kemp shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE how working in the beauty industry for over 20 years has led to creating an empowering environment of diversity and inclusion among the Black Australian hair community, as well as in the U.S.
Natural hair care: A mission to unify the Black Australian hair community
Bradley-Kemp identifies herself as a “natural connector” who loves bringing people together. After a journey of trial and error using relaxers, texturizers, experimenting with protective styles, and experiencing breakage in the 2000s, she was determined to find alternative ways to wear her natural curls.
“There’s no holy grail or product cocktail that works for everyone. We all have different needs and lifestyles,” the natural hair guru said. “The more you understand how a product works, what ingredients are in the formula and how it should be applied, the more confident you will be in taking care of your hair.”
Working for global beauty brands including MAC Cosmetics expanded her horizons beyond the U.S., to the Canadian and Australian markets. Providing solutions to the lack of resources for Black hair care and educating women on how to use different natural hair products became a huge part of Bradley-Kemp’s mission for Black naturalistas.
Love My Curls Festival
Aja Bradley-Kemp
Living in Australia for almost a decade uncovered the scarcity of products for Black hair. “During that time [I] could never just run to a store and pick up products for a wash and go or twist out. I either had to have friends and family send them to me or stock up when I visited the U.S.,” Bradley-kemp shared.
Moving back to the U.S. in 2015 opened her eyes to the natural hair movement that was in full swing. “I was just in awe of the amount of products, education, and conversation that was readily available for women here,” she said. “I wanted to provide that access and community to my girlfriends in Australia that were having the same challenges caring for their hair that I was.”
“Our goal with Love My Curls is to cut down on the amount of time, money, trial and error it takes to figuring out what the right products are for you,” she said. “At the festival, in addition to providing access to the brand representatives, we had a full day of live demonstrations, product spotlight sessions and panel discussions to ensure there was plenty of hands-on education being provided.”
The event created an empowering environment of diversity and inclusion amongst both the Black Australian and New Zealand hair communities. “When I set out to create the festival, my target audience, who I thought this would be most beneficial for, was Black women living in the region. But when I spoke with Tomasina Boone, a fellow expat and owner of Curls and Natural Hair Salon in Sydney, she explained how her customers are women of multiple ethnicities and they are all using products intended for black women because of their efficacy.”
Brands and customers were able to connect in ways that they hadn’t previously. For some of the brands, it was their first time visiting the Australia market. Customers were able to get questions answered directly from brand representatives and professional stylists, while stocking up on products that were not readily available in local stores.
Love My Curls became a forum for conversations surrounding the commonalities of the hair journey and experiences as women.
“I was touched to hear stories from young children and grown women about how grateful they were to have a community who could relate to their experiences of growing up in a society where straight hair was the prevailing beauty standard and their natural curls were viewed as unruly and unkept,” Bradley-Kemp said about the event. “While we share some similarities with our Australian sisters, the conversations and challenges for women with natural hair are different in Australia than the U.S. But, at a basic level, Love My Curls is about celebrating our hair and bringing women together who all have the same goal – to get poppin’ curls, a healthy crown, and feel confident in the process!”
Aja Bradley-Kemp
Conversate Collective
Bradley-Kemp founded her brand consulting agency, Conversate Collective, a Black woman-owned agency that helps brands develop lasting relationships with their audience, through the power of shared experiences, specifically with women of color.
“As an agency that specializes in creating experiences for women of color, I now get to work with brands and hairstylists to help them nurture their communities, create inclusive spaces, and get their products in the hands of the people that need them,” she said.
Bradley-Kemp has experience working on hundreds of product releases and had the privilege of launching campaigns with iconic spokespeople like Lil Kim, Mary J. Blige, Eve, and Missy Elliott to raise money for the MAC AIDS Fund and support people affected by HIV/AIDS. Branching out into entrepreneurship led her to work with natural hair brands such as Cantu, Mielle Organics, Shea Mositure, and Mixed Chicks.
“We live in a world that is divided and divisive,” she said, adding that her goal is to continue providing a unifying experience.
NCAA Faces Potential Billion Dollar Lawsuit Regarding Student-Athlete Compensation
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is facing a lawsuit that could possibly set the organization back a billion dollars.
According to USA Today, two former college students, one who played football and another who ran track, are the lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the governing body of about 1,100 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Former Oklahoma State running back, and current Carolina Panther, Chuba Hubbard, and former Auburn track athlete Keira McCarrell are filing the complaint against the NCAA.
Earlier this week, attorneys for the two plaintiffs filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences. In the paperwork filed, they are seeking retroactive damages for thousands of college athletes based on a previous court judgment by a U.S. district court judge in March 2019. That decision stated that basketball and football players were allowed to be given payments for academic achievement in an amount that would be equal to the maximum cash value of awards they could receive for athletic achievement. Based on that explanation, it was determined that the maximum cash value was $5,980.
After the NCAA appealed the decision, the Supreme Court unanimously voted in agreement with the conclusion two years later. This is when the NCAA decided to alter its rules for Division I men’s or women’s basketball players and Bowl Subdivision football players in August 2020. In October 2021, the NCAA allowed colleges and universities to award academic-achievement payments to athletes in any sport after the ruling was released.
The suit states that these student-athletes “did not receive the academic achievement awards that they would have received in a competitive market.” They are seeking triple damages from the NCAA.
The latest case was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California’s Oakland Division. Several lawsuits pertaining to other antitrust suits against the NCAA that were related to college-athlete compensation have been filed there over the past 14 years. In two of those cases before Judge Claudia Wilken, the NCAA were found to be in violation of antitrust law.
The purpose of this litigation is to get a damages award that covers all current and former athletes who competed on a Division I team on or after April 1, 2019 “who would have met the requirements for receiving an Academic Achievement Award under the criteria established by their schools for qualifying for such an Award.”
Report: Clarence Thomas Secretly Accepted Luxury Gifts From Billionaire Republican Donor
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is in hot water after an article revealed that he accepted lavish trips from a powerful donor for more than 20 years.
ProPublica reports Thomas was treated to luxury vacations by billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow. For more than two decades, Thomas has traveled with the Dallas businessman on his private Bombardier Global 5000 jet and 162-foot yacht.
Some of the destinations include the Bohemian Grove, an exclusive California all-male retreat, Crow’s ranch in East Texas, and Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks and Indonesia.
As a public servant, Thomas, 74, makes $285,000 per year so these trips go way above his pay grade. So why is this such a problem? None of the trips appeared on Thomas’ financial disclosures. According to the expose, failing to report the flights violates a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress, and federal officials to disclose most gifts.
In a statement, Crow admitted to giving Thomas the gifts but stopped short at condemning him.
“We have been most fortunate to have a great life of many friends and financial success, and we have always placed a priority on spending time with our family and friends,” Crow said. “Justice Thomas and Ginni (Thomas’ wife) never asked for any of this hospitality.”
This new case just adds fuel to the fire for Thomas’ critics.
Ginni Thomas made headlines a few years ago after being involved in a scheme to overturn the 2020 election. According to CNBC, the seasoned justice has refused to recuse himself from cases involving his wife’s political actions, posing an extreme conflict of interest. Experts in the ethics field and former judges like Virginia Canter, say this shows Thomas’ “disregard of his higher ethical obligations.”
“When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidized by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust,” Canter said.
Thomas has sat on the Supreme Court since 1991 and has long faced scrutiny. In his confirmation hearing to become Supreme Court justice, Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill, who testified that Thomas made sexual advances toward her as her supervisor at the Department of Education and the EEOC.
Video Shows U.S. Park Police Fatally Shooting Black Teenager 5 Times in Back; Federal Investigation Underway
After the public release of bodycam footage, a federal investigation into the fatal shooting of a Black teenager by police officers last month in Washington, D.C. has been launched.
According to NBC News, 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin was killed March 18 after U.S. Park Police officers shot him in the back five times. Video was released Wednesday showing the incident, and Martin’s family is calling on the police officers involved in the killing to be held accountable and arrested.
“In coordination with the FBI Washington Field Office, the United States Attorney’s Office has opened a civil rights investigation into the circumstances leading to Mr. Martin’s death,” the attorney’s office said in a statement. “That investigation—which we are committed to conducting diligently and thoroughly—is ongoing. As this is an open matter, we are not able to provide additional comment or release further information at this time.”
Park police initially stated that two police officers, a Park Police sergeant and an officer, responded to a report of a stolen vehicle early morning before 9 a.m. on March 18 at the 3400 block of Baker Street, NE, in Washington, D.C.
Police claimed that in an effort to detain Martin, he supposedly fled the scene with a USPP officer inside the vehicle. Specifically, the USPP sergeant was “dragged by the fleeing car from outside the vehicle,” which the video appears to contradict. (The officer is seen in the back of the car.) After the police officer allegedly demanded Martin stop the car, the officer said Martin didn’t. That led to the officer shooting the driver. They claimed a firearm was recovered inside the car, which crashed into a house on the 300 block of 36th Street.
The family’s attorney, Andrew O. Clarke, held a press conference Wednesday.
“Dalaneo did not have to die,” Clarke said. “How long will they be able to hide behind their badge to justify taking a life? How long will we as a community have to continue to have the talk with our young Black children because they are treated differently by police? … We will continue to pursue justice for Dalaneo with or without the help of the federal government or the District of Columbia.”
We’re Not Going To Take It: Activists Defend Black Women Being Evicted From Her Detroit Home
Housing rights activists are taking a stand in support of a Black woman being evicted from her tiny home in Detroit.
Taura Brown, a member of the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood, is being evicted from her 317-square-foot home. The 44-year-old, who is battling stage five kidney disease, feels she is being kicked out after being somewhat of a whistleblower regarding the issues at Cass Community Social Services (CCSS). CCSS, is a nonprofit that designed the homes for low-income Detroiters. The group then allegedly received a court order to evict Brown after a two-year legal battle, although her rent was paid on time. “At this point, we are in home defense,” Brown toldThe Detroit Metro Times.
“I’m going to fight this because this is b*******. … I ain’t going.”
Protestors outside Brown’s home have called out the landlord, Reverend Faith Fowler, who is white, displaying a huge banner reading “Reverend Faith Fowler is a fraud!” Brown supporters, like Bob Day, a retired lawyer with Detroit Eviction Defense, feel Fowler is a bad example of what a caring landlord should be. “Faith Fowler is an example of a nonprofit poverty pimp, a white savior, a white supremacist treating people like crap,” Day said.
“We can’t have it. We can’t allow it. And it’s setting the tone for slumlords all across the city who figure, ‘If anybody complains, anybody tries to organize, anybody tries to speak out, we’ll evict them.’”
Things got heated recently when protesters clashed with bailiffs looking to kick Brown out. According to Fox 2 News, bailiffs were able to get Brown’s belongings out the house, but not without a fight. Detroit Police Deputy Chief, Deshawne Sims, said they were there to keep the peace, not start a fight. “We did have to engage on a couple occasions to separate the parties, so the bailiffs could do their job,” Sims said. “We are here only to keep the peace. We are not here to evict anybody, that is not part of the role of the Detroit Police Department.”
Queen Bey Drops a Gem for Disney’s Little Mermaid Halle Bailey
Our newest Ariel is taking the world by storm with advice from her mentor, Queen Bey.
Halle Bailey, the singer of R&B duo Chloe x Halle, recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the “beautiful advice” she received after taking her crown as Disney’s trendsetting Ariel.
From none other than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, the most-awarded and most- nominated (tied alongside her husband Jay-Z) artist in Grammy history, the advice solidified to Bailey what it means to be inspired and resilient.
“She’s always been very, very complimentary and proud of me, and that means the world coming from her, somebody that’s been one of my biggest inspirations since I was 3,” Bailey recalled in EW’s cover story.
Before Chloe x Halle became big stars, it was Bey that was the first of her caliber to recognize the duo’s talent and ended up taking them under her wing. After the sisters posted themselves singing a cover of the diva’s “Pretty Hurts,” it prompted Bey herself to sign them to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. The rest is history.
Now, as the premiere of The Little Mermaid gets closer, Bailey is celebrating the release of her own Little MermaidAriel doll and reminiscing on what Bey said:
“She just told me to stand in my power and to not give up and to know that I can do this and believe in myself.”
Bailey is doing just that.
Bey’s words of wisdom may have followed after the drop of the first trailer of the live-action film last year. The highly-anticipated debut not only accumulated praising supporters but also racist trolls who had an opinion about the casting decision. Bailey decided to block out all negativity and focus on the positive, including all the Black girls who expressed their excitement to see her as Ariel.
In a 2022 interview with People, the actress shared that she cried at the conclusion of filming for the movie.
“I remember at the end of filming, wrap day, I was just sobbing because I truly felt like I had come out of this cocoon with Ariel,” Bailey said.
