Whether you’re a Gen-Z creative, a mental health advocate, or a fashion guru, Essence Girls United Summit delivered on its promise of energizing aspiring professionals. The summit returned on Nov. 5 for its third annual event in Atlanta with a day filled with helpful and engaging activities.
This year’s summit was bigger than ever as it was hosted by influencer Reginae Carter with a live performance from rapper Rubi Rose. The GU Summit Las featured other special guests such as Jayda Cheaves and Dess Dior.
The Summit offered conversations regarding content creation and healthy relationships. The cultural identity panel was led by model Aoki Simmons and featured “Power” actress Paige Hurd, influencer Jessie Woo, and actress Alycia Pascual-Peña. The panelists discussed overcoming the conflict between their dreams and their diverse backgrounds. Being that these women are leaders in their careers, they tapped in with rolling out to discuss how they plan to improve representation both in front and behind the scenes.
During the panel, you ladies spoke briefly about cultural representation on camera. What plans do you have to bring more cultural awareness to the scenes?
Jessie Woo: I am currently producing a show and I look forward to hiring Haitian actors. I can’t wait to talk about a lot of the issues that we face in the community. The show will mirror my upbringing. My upbringing was full of Caribbean and Hispanic influence so I want to bring that to the screen.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think we start with moments like this, coming together and talking about the importance of seeing ourselves on screen. But also staying adamant about the fact that there needs to be more of us. I want to see black women of different shades, different hair textures, and different sizes, be respected because we’re all different. I know there will be a larger magnitude of not only actresses, but producers and writers that will be championing to see more black women respected and depicted in their fullness on screen. Hopefully, I can take part creatively behind the scenes as I continue to mature and progress in my career.
Paige Hurd: When I finally go behind the camera, I’m going to focus on hiring people of color behind the scenes because it’s necessary. We have these beautiful black stories with these white producers telling us how to be black.
Aoki Simmons: I think representation is also important in education, especially in getting young women the education they need. I’m part of the Association of Harvard black women and I often see black girls visiting campus and I’m always trying to keep them motivated. I’m available to help young black women get the education they deserve.
These women are determined to change the game and are expected to make significant strides in their creative industries.
