On May 25, 2020, amid a global pandemic, George Floyd gasped for air for nearly nine minutes under the knee of Derek Chauvin, while three other Minneapolis police officers watched him die.
That horrific act occurred while we were putting together this issue, which we had decided would be focused on wellness. In the wake of COVID-19, our goal is to help make you whole and healthy. From highlighting five comediennes who bring the laughs to ensuring your finances are in tip-top shape despite these tough economic times, we’re here for you.
No one is sure when we will beat the virus, but what I do know is that the headlines are no longer about medical deaths; they are about racial ones. While I’ve wondered how the first half of 2020 could have been any worse, I realize the second half offers us an opportunity to leverage these trying times and foster a revolution. This includes staking our claim, as Black women, to wellness of both body and mind.
Only by taking care of ourselves physically can we be better equipped to fight the diseases that plague us, and only by changing our mind-set can we live in harmony with others—regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. That we are still battling for equal treatment of women and Black and LGBTQ+ people is a disgrace to our entire human civilization. Our generation should be marked by tolerance, kindness and humanity. Enslaved Africans once escaped through the woods under cover of darkness. I want us to walk the streets in broad daylight, to not only show the world that we are proud—to be Black, to be gay, to be women—but also educate the ignorant that we are all equals.
This month’s cover story features the inimitable Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning Billy Porter, who stands, as a Black man and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, on the front lines of the culture, raising his voice for us all as an advocate for change in the 2020 election. Now more than ever, we must vote to shift the balance of power and help our country exit the dark ages.
I wish you well, but even more critically, I encourage you to raise your voice and help lead the revolution of minds—so that tomorrow, we can all live together in peace.
With love,
Moana Luu
Chief Content and Creative Officer