Essence Festival hosted several events to celebrate all things Blackness and Womanhood in New Orleans, and Essence Festival 2019, as the older generations would say, “Do not owe me nothing!”.

It was a magnificent year for my brand and my life. I was home long enough to close my eyes, jump in the shower, throw some makeup and clothes on, and run out the door to the next VIP experience! I was so busy I didn’t get a chance to blog about all my experiences.

Thanks to the excellent advice of my mentor, I did snap lots of pictures and recorded them for a rainy day like today. Living out my best NOLA Life has gifted me the opportunity to attend so many fabulous events, meet so many wonderful people and eat some of I attended so many fabulous events and met some fantastic people, and as you can guess, eat! But as I stated, Essence 2019 was good to me, and Coronavirus has sat me down to travel down memory lane and share with y’all.

The year was 2019, and I say it like that because Covid 19 came and took over our lives. But this was the year I was invited to attend one of the best well-thought-out events for working women. The event was titled the “Mother of All Member Club” themed events hosted by the Los Angeles-based Jane Club.

The Jane Club was founded in 2016 as an effort to rewrite the role between women and work. With on-site childcare, impactful events, and “a village of amenities,” the club is a place where a working mother’s needs are met. Amenities include anything from car washes to nail appointments to doctor visits.

I decided to “attend The NYDJ Family Festival” with my daughter, which was opened to the entire family that took place at a beautiful historic mansion on Esplanade Ave in New Orleans. The mansion made for the perfect venue, and the area was the ideal backdrop as free women of color owned businesses in the early 20th century in this very neighborhood.

Festival VIPs had access to The Jane Club’s community programming, and Lifestylist and TV Host Tai Beauchamp hosted it. The weekend was jammed packed with a variety of Essence Festival panel discussions, hosted conversations, a private dinner with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and a Sunday gospel brunch with chef Carla Hall.

The vendors treated us to delicious bites, sweet goodies, and complimentary Ciroc cocktails. Tai assisted guests in selecting the perfect pair of jeans, blouses, and shoes,s all gifted to us by NYDJ. From swag bags stuffed with quality brand merchandise to the complimentary spa treatments and makeup sessions, onsite childcare, games, and craft,s plus live music made for a fabulous event celebrating beautiful women from all walks of life.

“It was a full weekend of a  beautiful community, social action, women of color celebrating themselves, and just gathering,” says Jane Club co-founder Jess Zaino. 

From the moment I stepped in the doors at 919 Esplanade Ave, I felt at home. The musky, woodsy smell, the beautiful mahogany floors, the mantelpieces, staircases, and NOLA-inspired hospitality were reminders of life in New Orleans before Katrina.

The Jane Club gift of childcare was priceless. The staff kept Niyah engaged and entertained, allowing me to enjoy the women-centered themed event to the fullest.

The Jane Club rolled out the red carpet and treated us to a weekend of Black Girl Magic and Sisterhood as we celebrated the empowerment of all women. We had a BALL, and as our friends at ESSENCE say, “It’s a party with a purpose!” I can go on about how fabulous the event was and how much we enjoyed ourselves, but I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RPGwDAgESfcWzoQ48

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Culture and Community: Inside the Jane Club’s Essence Festival Inspired Pop-Up

The Jane Club was invited to participate in the Essence Festival at SXSW in Austin, where they had organized a similar onsite pop-up. “We didn’t need to be asked twice!” Zaino exclaimed. The space jumped at the chance to be part of the annual celebration, where around half a million women, especially Black women, would be at the center of the festivities.

To honor the opportunity, Zaino and her crew “kept it New Orleans.” The Club opened its doors with a panel discussion featuring local female artists and an art exhibition called King Woman curated by Mashonda Tifrere of ArtLeadHer. It closed with a Family Festival in partnership with NYDJ denim. Each day, brunch opportunities abounded—and feminist celebrities, creatives, and public figures collided.

“We played the drums with the Ashe Cultural Center,” Zaino remembered, “and enjoyed local music from the Andrews Family Brass Band, street violinist and busker Tanya Huang, local artist Caren Green and the legendary Zion Harmonizers, who launched jazz fest over 80 years ago.”

The Jane Club is a women-focused space that offers a kid’s playroom, beauty rooms, a kitchen, pool, backyard, and meeting rooms (along with various other treatments and experiences). My baby told a few guests there for the event that they were in her pretend house. They followed around as if it was.

Read more at https://msmagazine.com/2019/07/24/culture-and-community-inside-the-jane-clubs-essence-festival-pop-up/

Sources: The Jane Club, msmagazine.com