For 55 years, the ESSENCE brand has proudly driven meaningful impact through intentional, locally rooted activations, and this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture is no exception.
In partnership with hometown hero Master P, ESSENCE’s “We Love Us” Community Day brings together leaders and organizations of all backgrounds to offer a wealth of resources to New Orleans youth and families who may be unable to attend other ESSENCE Festival of Culture programming and events that typically take place in the heart of the city. To switch things up a bit and cater to the broader community, this impactful and carefully crafted event takes place at the University of New Orleans (UNO) Lakefront Arena, where Percy “Master P” Miller was recently named president of basketball operations and is affectionately known as “Coach P.”
Arguably one of the greatest and most prolific hip hop artists of all time, Miller says he is closing his music chapter – after his farewell performance on the final night of the 2025 ESSENCE Evening Concert Series – to focus on giving back to the city that made him who he is today. “I’m going to coach basketball and make history again, helping kids get into college and doing the right thing,” Coach P says. “It was an amazing ride. I put my faith and trust in God and I’m ready for the next chapter.”
One of the main attractions at the all-day, multi-generational community experience was the youth basketball clinic, designed specifically for the next generation of New Orleanians. Coach P and his all-star lineup of coaches – including “Coach” Spectacular Smith of Pretty Ricky and rookie team members of the New Orleans Pelicans – run some simple yet intense drills with the young ballers, while also giving them life skills they can transfer outside of the game, like the importance of teamwork, taking care of yourself and never giving up.
“This is the place to show the kids that there’s more to life than just entertainment, sports,” Coach P shares. “We want to be able to show them the importance of education and making sure you’re taking care of your health. This is the way we’re going to save our kids.”
As youth participation climbs inside UNO’s practice gym, families explore the ultimate health and wealth pavilion inside the main arena, where various resources are being offered by several community organizations, including the Black Heart Association (BHA), Bexa Equity Alliance (BEA), Operation Restoration, and more.
“Wherever our people are is where we want to be,” says Frederick Robinson, co-founder of BHA, whose mission is to save lives and eliminate heart disease in the Black community. “We’re trying to change the narrative of heart disease and bring access, information, education, and empowerment to our people and anyone who wants to take advantage of what we’re offering.”
Robinson and his wife Tara, a three-time heart attack survivor, founded BHA together in 2016 after her final near-death experience. He says God sent her back to do this work, and they have been hitting the ground running and filling the gap within the community ever since.
“We started off just raising awareness…because believe it or not, we, as Black people, are at risk. But the beautiful thing about it is 80 percent of heart disease can be prevented just by lifestyle changes. So we’re just trying to let people know that none of this is a death sentence if we’re willing to kill old habits, old behaviors, old ways of thinking…and put our health at the forefront of our thinking and what we do and how we move. It’s not for us but for the people that we love and the people that depend on us.”
Alongside free heart health screenings, breast cancer screenings were available to guests at no cost as well, thanks to BEA. “We are deeply honored to partner with ESSENCE to bring vital, lifesaving Bexa breast exams directly to the heart of New Orleans,” says BEA’s executive director and six-year breast cancer survivor, Tiara Neal. “This inaugural, community-led event is more than just a service; it is a movement rooted in purpose, equity, and love…because when we meet people where they are – with compassion and care – we help build healthier, stronger communities from the inside out. Thank you to ESSENCE for showing up and showing out for the local community.”
Another community partner helping curate this family-friendly initiative is Operation Restoration, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that supports women and girls impacted by incarceration. “Our work is rooted in supporting and empowering women, making this partnership with ESSENCE even more impactful and meaningful,” says Syrita Steib, the organization’s founder, president and CEO, and cousin of Coach P. “It was really important that we create an opportunity to give back to the community and support the children in the neighborhoods that are adjacent to where the ESSENCE Festival happens. Together, with the help of ESSENCE, Coach P, and all of our community partners, this shows how we are being intentional about how we engage and show love to our community.”
One of the main attractions inside the Lakefront Arena was the Lux Laboratory Neauxla – a new entrepreneurial venture created by the young women part of Operation Restoration’s mentorship program, Operation Girls. Through creativity and connection, these bosses-in-the-making – whose parents have been touched by the criminal legal system – got to explore the meaning of being self-made by debuting their line of lip glosses, candles, and perfumes they all made with their own hands during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. Nearby, financial educator and strategist, Dr. Jatali Bellanton, hosts a workshop to share key insights on building generational wealth. In addition, L’Oréal Groupe – in its shared commitment to promoting a more inclusive vision of beauty through Black joy, artistry, and resilience – joins in on the fun by giving back and offering free products to community day attendees.
“In New Orleans, culture, community and commerce come alive like nowhere else,” says Varsay Sirleaf, ESSENCE’s senior director of community and global engagement. “Our goal with this inaugural Community Day activation is to give back to a city that has given so much to us. By creating a culturally rich, high-impact day of service rooted in wellness, empowerment and community joy, we are not only amplifying ESSENCE’s social mission but also demonstrating the true meaning of loving and taking care of one another.”