Four years ago, Rechelle Dennis, along with co-collaborator Sophia Dennis, set out to curate a digital community for young Black women aimed at advocating for Zillennials by amplifying their voices and providing a platform for them to grow professionally and personally. Through candid conversations with members of the boundary-breaking generation to understand their needs and wants and how to meet them where they’re at, the two launched Girls United, under Essence, and have shifted the cultural landscape ever since. With Essence‘s Girls United, Rechelle and Sophia curate annual summits that speak to all things Black culture from entertainment and politics to entrepreneurship and the arts, by inviting industry insiders to share their insight with the masses.
Each year the masterminds behind Girls United establish a thought-provoking theme to center the summit’s panel topics and event activations around. Following up form last year’s “Forever the Blueprint” theme, the summit marked its fourth return to Atlanta, GA with the “Era of Disruption” theme, shining a light on inspiring individuals who have defied the status quo in the industry by showing up as their true selves shamelessly. Gathering Gen-Z and Zillennial creatives, entrepreneurs, digital creators and more in the same room, Rechelle took the lead in kicking off the star-studded event.
Familiar faces who provided their own words of wisdom, along with Rechelle herself, included sister-duo Jordyn and Jodie Woods on the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship, fashion designer Aleali May and music engineer Brandra Ringo. Similar to the aforementioned influential individuals, Rechelle has dedicated time and energy to her craft by being a leader to a new generation of culture shifters and empowering them to enter each room, professional or otherwise, as their true, authentic selves.
