ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood: Honoring 'Simply the Best'

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ESSENCE, the number one media brand aimed at African-American women, is honoring 'Simply the Best' Black actresses in Hollywood with its annual Oscar-week soiree.  The fourth annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon – honoring Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Loretta Devine and Viola Davis -- will be held on February 24, 2011 at the Beverly Hills Hotel and will celebrate African-American women who, through their work in Hollywood, have inspired positive images of Black women around the world.

"As women who define star power, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Loretta Devine and Viola Davis unquestionably embody the spirit of ESSENCE with strength, optimism and resiliency," said ESSENCE Communications President Michelle Ebanks. "The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood luncheon enthusiastically honors the achievements of extraordinary women who are 'simply the best' at their craft and boldly encourage millions of other young women who dare to dream."    

The 2011 Essence Black Women in Hollywood honorees – Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Loretta Devine and Viola Davis – weigh in with their thoughts on being a Black women in Hollywood (click through for video):

Angela Bassett (www.essence.com/bwih_angela): "African-American artists have worked hard and fought the good fight for opportunity and inclusion year to year and will continue to do so. If you want to act, produce, write...now more than ever is the best of times. In front of the camera or behind, devote yourself to your craft and give it your absolute best efforts."

Jennifer Hudson: "It is our job as women in Hollywood to create memorable characters and to tell meaningful stories.  Thanks to our predecessors, we don't have to fight to break down impossible barriers, we just have to strive to produce quality work.  This is our time."

Loretta Devine (www.essence.com/bwih_loretta): "To be an actress in Hollywood is always exciting. I think whatever race you are, it's an exciting time to be working. It's a wonderful industry…For Black women--now that Oprah has her network, we have OWN that we can possibly be on. Tyler Perry has so many new things that are coming out. TBS is a whole new world for Black talent. We wish for even more however, now is as good as ever to be a Black actress."

Viola Davis (www.essence.com/bwih_viola): "I think in Hollywood, it is a time when Black women now have no choice but to take matters in their own hands and create the images for ourselves and not just wait for Hollywood to define us. It's up to us to look for the material, it's up to us to produce it ourselves, it's up to us to choose the stories. The baton has been handed to us...so it's the best time!"

As a major event highlight leading up Oscar night, the red-carpet luncheon commemorates ESSENCE magazine's annual Hollywood issue (on newsstands Feb. 11) and each year shines a spotlight on an elite group of talented and accomplished African-American women, among them past honorees Jada Pinkett-Smith, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee, Queen Latifah, Zoe Saldana, Mary J. Blige, Suzanne DePasse, Cicely Tyson, Jurnee Smolett, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Gabourey Sidibe.  

Stay tuned to Essence.com for highlights and behind-the-scenes access to ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood.  Follow us on Twitter @essenceonline #BWIH.  Join in the discussion at www.facebook.com/essence.

Sponsors for the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon include presenting sponsor Lincoln, as well as partner sponsors L'Oreal Paris, Boost Mobile, ING, Moet & Chandon, Pepsi and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

About Essence Communications Inc.:

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media and communications company dedicated to African-American women.  With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First".  The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I & II) and Smart Beauty consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For more than 40 years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at essence.com.

SOURCE Essence Communications Inc.