Image via Amaiya Mills

By Kayla Edelin and Amaiya Mills, Staff Writers

Essence’s Girls United launched its fourth summit titled “Era of Disruption.” The GU Summit provides an exuberant experience for Black women and girls to connect and uplift one another.

The event featured special guest panelists who are driving change in diverse fields. They engaged participants in conversation, and they  provided wisdom, laughter, and enjoyment. 

Mariah the Scientist and Aliyah’s Interlude were selected performers of the evening. Both artists delivered mesmerizing performances of their new hit singles, leaving the crowd in awe.

Additionally, a speed mentoring session presented guests with the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with industry professionals.The event also featured workshop sessions with industry professionals, facilitating discussions on a range of topics.

There were designated spaces for women to enhance their beauty, offering on-the-spot services for makeup, hairstyling, and even tooth gems. Wellness shots were also available, and there was a dedicated area for crafting flower crowns.

The event received sponsorship from five companies: Aflac, Cantu, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, and McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden. In addition to these sponsors, there were supporting partners involved. 

Rechelle Dennis is a co-founder of the Girls United summit by Essence. Her educational journey began at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where she was a member of the UCLA gymnastics team. 

We had the opportunity to step into the press room and speak with Dennis about the importance of the GU Disruptor Summit and how it is catered to young HBCU women within Georgia.

Dennis was asked to elaborate on the impact of her platform. 

She said,  “the goal has been to really make sure we are doing that and giving them, again the resources to do that , but also giving them the visibility, letting them know that this is possible, this can happen, there are other women doing that,can help them do that and are encouraging to do that and creating this network and community of people that can help them and support them in that.” 

Girls United Disruptor Summit is an event that caters to the needs of black women within the United States. This event gives us the ability to network with women of color within the professional fields we are interested in.

Copy Edited by: Colin Royal, Managing Editor of Print