Essence Atkins is a talented actress who has accomplished so much professionally and personally, but she was still humbled to be a part of the McDonald’s 365Black Power of Inspiration Awards Luncheon.
McDonald’s 365Black Awards launched in 2003 as an extension of the company’s 365Black platform, which celebrates the pride, heritage and achievements of African-Americans year-round. The Awards focus on bringing recognition to those who have made a positive impact in the African-American community and are held in New Orleans during ESSENCE Festival weekend.
The 2017 honorees included Valeisha Butterfield-Jones, Google’s Head of Black Community Engagement with the Game Changer Award; Sanya Richards-Ross, motivational speaker and Olympic gold medalist with the Catalyst Award; Poet Chastity Hale with the Community Choice Youth Award, McDonald’s owner/operator Margaret “Marty” Gillis with the Business Pioneer Award; and Tichina Arnold, actress, comedian and singer and recipient of the Advocacy Award. Essence hosted the intimate luncheon in front of 250 influential and celebrity guests, which included past honoree, journalist Roland Martin; actor Jessie Usher, Tichina Arnold’s ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ co-star; and actor/comedian Marlon Wayans. The luncheon included performances by R&B diva Kelly Price and gospel artist Jekalyn Carr.
She was excited to be asked to host the awards, but especially honored because it’s the first time in the ceremony’s 14-year history that all women were celebrated.
“All five women who were recognized are amazing,” she says, “I couldn’t believe my good fortune to navigate the day with such great company.”
In addition to her incredible hosting skills, Atkins is gearing up for the world to finally see Marlon, her sixth project with Marlon Wayans that focuses on family — even in nontraditional forms.
Marlon is a show about a newly-divorced family weeks out from making it official — right in the midst of the real-life struggle and real love that exists in a family trying to make it work. It stars Essence as Ashley, Marlon’s ex-wife, and is loosely based on Wayans’ real-life situation, where he’s co-parenting with his ex-wife.
“Some people will say it’s a show about divorce,” Essence says, “But no, it’s a show about family. Everyone’s family doesn’t look the same, and we’re ready to talk about it with love, humor and honesty.”
For Essence, being able to collaborate with someone she trusts and has worked with five times prior to this show is meaningful, and she says that chemistry translates into the show.
“I think when you watch Marlon, you believe we were together for 16 years,” she says, “I think you believe that we love each other, that it didn’t work and that everything gets convoluted at times, but we come back to what’s most important — that we’re a team. We might live in two different arenas, but we still wear the same jersey.”
Photo: Courtesy of McDonald's
And it’s not only a personal story for Wayans. For Atkins, this show is life imitating art.
“In my real life, I’m in the process of getting a divorce,” she says, “When I got the part, no one knew that. I had just recently filed. But I was like 'OK God, I’m going to talk about this and bring all of me to it.' Of course, I put it through the prism of Ashley’s perspective, but it felt so healing and serendipitous. And to have it occur simultaneously and to have it be with someone I’ve known for so long just felt right.”
Yet acting is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact Atkins is making in the world. On top of her own career and family, she’s been active in providing service to those in need for years.
One organization that Atkins holds near to her is Jenesse Center, a space that helps victims of domestic violence transition out of their situations. They provide housing for up to two years to domestic violence victims and have a variety of support services to help educate young people to learn what healthy relationships look like and break the generational cycle of violence.
“I grew up in a situation as a child where my mother was a victim of DV, it doesn’t just affect who’s being hit, it affects the whole family,” Atkins says, “This is an organization that’s all-encompassing. It doesn’t just extract you and dump you somewhere new, it’s with you through the whole thing.”
When she isn’t on set or serving her community, Atkins just likes to unwind, read a good book and spend time with the people she loves.
“As I became a mom, I realized that conversation and connection, just sitting on the floor playing with my son eye-to-eye, embracing his imagination, things like that are so important,” she says, “Maybe because we have become so attached to our phones. But I relish and cherish those things now. In the last eight months, there have been some tragic losses in my life. I took time with those people for granted and now they’re gone. My favorite hobby now is being in the present.”
Learn more about the 365Black Awards and this year’s honorees at www.365Black.com or by using #365BlackAwards on social media.
Marlon premieres August 16 at 9 p.m./8 p.m. CT. Check it out!
This post is brought to you in collaboration with McDonald's.
