The Next Generation! Issa Rae, Janelle Monae, Aja Naomi King and Yara Shahidi To Be Honored At ESSENCE's Black Women In Hollywood Event

This year marks the 10th anniversary of ESSENCE’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards, an annual event that celebrates groundbreaking and superbly talented Black women in Hollywood.

And, for the first time, ESSENCE will switch the event from an afternoon luncheon to an exciting evening gala, where the next generation of Hollywood stars will be celebrated. Honorees at this year’s event are Insecure‘s Issa Rae, musician and Hidden Figures star Janelle Monaé, How To Get Away With Murder‘s Aja Naomi King, and Black-ish star Yara Shahidi.

“For the past decade, the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards has paid homage to our modern image-makers – both in front of the camera and behind the scenes,” said Essence Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. De Luca. “This past year has been an exceptional one for diversity in film and television, and with the incredible contributions of Janelle, Issa, Aja and Yara, it is fitting that our 10^th anniversary will honor the future of Hollywood and its continued steps on the path to inclusion.”

The ceremony will be held at the Beverly Wilshire on Thursday, Feb. 23. Stay tuned to ESSENCE.com for exclusive red carpet coverage and behind-the-scenes content from the event.

Congratulations to the honorees and here’s to the next generation of amazing Black women.