LOS ANGELES — For nearly two decades, the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards has been one of the most anticipated gatherings in the industry. With a red carpet filled with sisterhood and camaraderie followed by an intimate and inspiring ceremony with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, the awards have consistently honored the Black women who have paved the way while uplifting those shaping the future.
This year was no different, with honorees including model and TV personality Tyra Banks, actresses and singers Cynthia Erivo and Teyana Taylor, and television legend Marla Gibbs.
Actor Aldis Hodge hosted the event, admitting he was both honored and humbled to take on the role.
“I feel lucky, to be honest,” Hodge said. “Everyone we’re honoring tonight is a giant in their own right. And to be able to be here in this particular time for me is amazing. So I feel very privileged.”
Tyra Banks, who received the first ever Luminary Spotlight Award, came armed with words of wisdom as she smized and sashayed her way down the events cream carpet alongside her guest for the awards, her mother Carolyn.
“Don’t forget how special you are, because there’s going to be so many people that tell you that you’re not,” Banks said. "You stay focused and you stay ten steps ahead. Study harder. Work harder and you're going to get yours and then you're going to even surpass those naysayers. But you gotta stay focused."
Singer and actress Ryan Destiny, who has carved her own lane in Hollywood, shared her own lesson she learned from other women in the industry: “Go into the room and fully take over it and be OK with that and stand in that,” she said.
While the ceremony was a celebration, it was also a call to action — with honorees and others alike reminding that Black Hollywood still has work to do to ensure its stories are told, seen, and valued.
Honoree Raamla Mohamed, an LA native and the writer and showrunner of "Reasonable Doubt," spoke about the importance of being able to tell authentic Black stories without compromise.
"I’ve been able to tell my story, like my Black authentic self, and it be successful,” Mohamed said. “Sometimes you have to choose — like, 'What do I want to sell? Will people respond to it even though it’s Black and authentic?' And I was able to do that, and people have been responding of all races.”
When asked about recent statistics from a UCLA study indicating that Black actors had taken a decline in on screen roles last year, Mohamed said Black storytelling was too profitable to not prosper.
“It’s going to take executives believing in our work,” Mohamed said. “The more successful a show like 'Reasonable Doubt' is, or 'Bel-Air,' or 'Found,' or 'Paradise,' the more they’ll see that diverse storytelling works—and then they’ll keep doing it.”
'Euphoria's' Nika King believes it's up to Black creators to forge their own path.
“We gotta start doing our own thing. Unfortunately, we can’t wait to be validated in an industry that doesn’t really value us when we obviously have value,” she said. “First and foremost, we gotta just turn inwar. Start from the foundation — our community, our producers, our writers, directors, actors — and build from there.”
The following day, Essence Hollywood House took over downtown LA, shifting the focus from celebration to strategy. With the theme "To Altadena With Love," the all-day event featured panels with industry insiders discussing the connections between Altadena and Hollywood, the realities of Black Hollywood, the power of storytelling and the need for greater ownership in entertainment. Altadena was recognized as a Black creative hub that has nurtured Hollywood talent for generations — including Disney’s first Black animator, Floyd Norman.
“It was a wonderful place to live,” Norman reflected. “So no wonder people in the creative community sought out Altadena as a place to buy a home and raise their children.”
But Norman didn’t just want to reflect — he wanted Hollywood to know it could step up.
“In making motion pictures, you have to be able to raise money,” Norman said. “We have people who are very good at raising money. That can be a real asset to Altadena. We’ve got the community behind us, the Hollywood community behind us, the creative community behind us, and that’s going to help rebuild Altadena.”
Between the Black Women in Hollywood Awards and Hollywood House, the focus was spread across multiple aspects of the industry. But together, they made a clear statement: Black Hollywood is here to stay.
"There’s nothing that has ever been given to us that we haven’t been able to overcome,” said marketing executive and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John. “And this is not one of those moments where we’ll ever stop.”
