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Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kelly Price has long been proving her love for Black women and her support at this year’s McDonald’s 365 Awards Luncheon was just another way to do so. Stopping by the Gold Carpet before the start of the event, the ESSENCE Festival 2017 performer had some motivating thoughts on why Black women should continue to stand solid at this uncomfortable time in their lives.
“We’ve always had to be,” she said. “We’ve not had a choice. We’ve had to uphold ourselves, uphold our children, uphold our men, uphold our churches, and uphold our communities. It’s never not been our job.”
“I think what is happening is that there’s a weariness that’s been developing and a bit of hopelessness. If we can kind of just push back into people and remind them that their labor isn’t in vain we can get them to feel that they have to continue because they really do have to continue. Even in being tired and weary, your labor isn’t in vain.”
Price, who has advocated for Black women in the past went on to remind women to stay strong because things won’t be like this forever. “Raising our babies is not in vain, empowering our men is not in vain, but we’ve got to learn how to take care of ourselves in the midst of that to be able to take care of the rest of the world.”
With this year being the first time in 365Black Awards history to have a full female honoree panel, Price expressed her gratitude for being able to experience the event. “I’m a woman and I’m a woman’s woman,” she told ESSENCE. “I love to see women celebrated and I love to be a part of women celebrating each other. This is just necessary for me.”
This year’s McDonald’s 365Black Awards honored Tichinia Arnold, Sanya Richards-Ross, Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Marty Gillis, and Chasity Hale and was hosted by Essence Atkins.