Everything You Need To Know Before Attending This Year’s 2022 Girls United Summit
When the Girls United Summit began in 2020, it created a foundation of essential conversations, fellowship, and an overall good time. Fast forward two years later, and that foundation has grown stronger and stronger into a movement. On November 5, 2022, at 10 a.m. EST, Atlanta is the place to be for an immersive experience that young people can look forward to every year.
This year the GU Summit is here to remind Black women that they are living proof of being #ForeverTheBlueprint. Each workshop is strategically designed to remind us that we’ve always laid the blueprint from politics and mental health to content creation and beauty.
We have so many guests stopping by to drop gems and connect with others that could lead to lifelong bonds and relationships. Our panels include boss babes such as our host, Reginae Carter, Jessie Woo, Paige Audrey-Marie Hurd, and Aoki Lee Simmons, and music by DJ Ohso!
Not only is the registration free, but you get so much more than a simple panel discussion. It includes significant conversations through workshops like Slay Your Life: Tips and Tricks, where beauty influencer LaToya Forever will host a Q&A with Kaleah Slay before a masterclass about all things beauty, The Reel You: Embracing Authentic Content Creation will dive into what it takes to organically grow your brand with the content queen herself Donye Taylor, and I Am The Bar: Cultural Identity, Confidence & Hollywood opens the floor for discussion about embracing your culture in the entertainment industry.
Some activations allow you to experience new things and do things you might never do in your everyday life, such as the gaming activation brought to you by Cxmmunity, and providing a space for those to release their inner gamer and maybe enter a community where Black people aren’t heavily represented. “Our purpose is always to encourage and support the incoming generations of Black creatives and forward thinkers who define culture and whose impact is significant to global culture,” Rechelle Dennis, Co-Creator of ESSENCE Girls United.
Speaking of representation, what better place where we can see ourselves than Atlanta, where Black business owners, creatives, and mental health advocates can flourish and connect? There will be 13 Black-owned businesses to support and indulge in during the summit, including Slutty Vegan, Cereal & Cream, Yellowmat Wellness, and Full Bloom By Lauren.
The GU Summit 2022 is all about coming together and giving each other the space to speak freely and vulnerably about things we, as Black Gen Z’ers, have experienced over the last two years regarding mental health, stress, representation and more. “This summit solidifies how impactful directly connecting with Gen-Z can influence our future thought-starters and leaders,” said Nandi Howard, Content Director of ESSENCE and ESSENCE GU. There’s nothing better than connecting and bridging the gap; beauty is our major outlet. Our Beauty Supply Store has everything from a nail bar, hair touch-ups, and one-on-one time with beauty and fashion influencers to drop gems and connect.
Everybody deserves to receive their flowers while they are here, which is why we’re holding our invite-only Future Makes Awards Dinner hosted by multihyphenate Coco Jones which will honor Trinitee Stokes (Education), Chelsea Miller (Activism), Olamide Olowe (Entrepreneurship), and Jayda Cheaves (Content Creation).
You want to attend a stellar event with so many great women representing their fields and being an inspiration to the next generation. The Summit will also stream live on ESSENCE Studios. For more information and to RSVP through our free registration, visit https://girlsunited.essence.com/gusummit2022/.
About Kenyatta: Kenyatta Victoria is an entertainment and culture reporter passionate about music, pop culture, and marginalized stories. She has bylines in publications such as Chicago Reader, INSIDER, Girls United, TransLash Media, and the Chicago Tribune.