Is Essence Losing Its Cultural Edge?
Every July, New Orleans becomes the epicenter of Black joy. More than just a party, the Essence Festival of Culture is a celebration of our resilience, brilliance, and community. For decades, Essence Fest stood as a powerful symbol of Black womanhood, music, business, and freedom.
But this year, something felt different.
And now, people are starting to ask:
Is Essence Festival losing its cultural edge?
The Target Controversy: A Symptom of a Bigger Problem
The 2025 edition of Essence Festival welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, big-name acts like Jazmine Sullivan and Patti LaBelle, and major corporate sponsors like Coca Cola and Target. On the surface, everything looked right.
But one sponsor raised eyebrows—and protest signs.
Target is facing a nationwide Black-led boycott. After championing diversity in 2020, the company has since quietly dismantled its DEI programs, laid off diversity staff, and scaled back its Black-centered initiatives. Meanwhile, it remains a top-tier sponsor of a festival that claims to celebrate Black excellence.
The contradiction hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Festival-goers and activists alike are asking: How can a company that abandoned DEI lead the charge at a Black cultural institution?
Celebrating Culture or Selling It?
Essence Fest has always walked a delicate line between authentic culture and commercial appeal. But this year, many felt the line got blurred.
- Corporate branding dominated the Convention Center.
- Major companies dominated the floor space.
- “Activation zones” looked more like ads than cultural experiences.
Black audiences are savvy. We can recognize game. And increasingly, they’re questioning whether Essence is still about us—or about selling to us.
The DEI Backlash Is Real—and It’s Changing the Vibe
What’s happening at Essence mirrors a larger national shift. Over the past 18 months:
- Major companies have cut diversity roles and budgets.
- DEI officers don’t have jobs anymore.
- Executives no longer feel pressure to publicly support Black initiatives.
In this climate, Essence becomes both a symbol and a test.
If corporations can ditch DEI on Monday and still sponsor a Black festival on Friday, what does that say about their commitment? More importantly, what does it say about ours?
Still a Platform—but Is the Message Getting Lost?
To be fair, Essence continues to give space to young Black entrepreneurs, authors, artists, and creators. Small businesses are selling their wares to the multitudes that walk the convention center. The panels still touch on health, politics, and legacy.
But even those spaces felt overshadowed this year by mega-brand booths and celebrity product pushes.
One entrepreneur said it best:
“We’re here, but we’re squeezed between corporate billboards. It’s like they want our presence, but not our power.”
The Real Question: Who Is Essence For Now?
Essence Festival was created for Black women first, and by extension, for the broader Black community. It was never supposed to be a marketing vehicle. It was a space to celebrate ourselves—unfiltered, unbought, and unapologetic.
But now, with every logo and every DEI retreat, the question becomes louder:
- Is Essence still a cultural beacon?
- Or is it becoming a corporate stage dressed in Black face?
- Can it hold space for truth while accepting checks from companies who’ve abandoned equity?
The discomfort is real. The contradictions are growing. And while Essence isn’t gone—not by a long shot—the trust is wobbling.
Related: NOLA Transforms for Essence
Where Do We Go From Here?
Essence Fest still matters. The culture still shows up. The spirit is still alive in every laugh, song, and connection made in the Dome.
But to remain a trusted space, Essence must evolve with the people—not just the sponsors.
It must ask harder questions. Set stronger boundaries. And remember what made it magical in the first place: authenticity, community, and accountability.
Because if the Black community begins to feel like Essence is no longer about us, it won’t matter how many celebrities hit the stage.
The vibe will be gone. And the trust may not come back.
What do you think? Is Essence still ours—or are we watching something sacred get repackaged for someone else?
👉 Sound off in the comments. The culture is listening.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Essence is tripping Jeff. They need a reboot
They are a white owned company. What did yall think was gonna happen. Can you spell Sell ou_?
Cash over culture? It’s a delicate balance but circling the wagons around our culture and Black entrepreneurship is critical in this political moment. The organizers need a skull session around the points you raise and make some revisions.
I did not attend any of Essence Festival’s activities this year. I used to go to the convention center every year. It was something my cousins and I and friends did as a group. I also attended at least 1 concert each year. For the past couple of years, the lineups have been horrible. The way things are organized or lack of organization has dwindled. Then to top it off, they accepted Target as a sponsor. Are they that out of touch with the history or is it that they only care about the money? Passing the torch to the younger generation is fine Essence, but someone needs to keep them in check about our past. You have to embrace the past. Go back to showing us that our CULTURE matters.
Essence is bound to change. It’s an unfortunate reality. The acts that drew old school crowds are dying. New artists don’t really feel a need to serve their community. If they did, they would honor those that came before them and make ticket prices family friendly. Nowadays it’s all about flash, fake glamour and glitter.
I didn’t feel the vibe this year to attend any events associated with Essence Festival. To live here and look forward to Essence coming it was a big thing to me, my friends, and family, but this year was not the same. I was not the only one stating this and feeling this way. Not to mention Target being one of the vendors there that has rolled back their DEI programs and we are boycotting them is ridiculous. If it’s about the black community and culture then let’s keep it that way and associate vendors that welcome us, our community, and our culture all the same. Do better Essence!
Essence should move the 2026 festival elsewhere. With recent ruling SCOTUS Louisiana is spitting in the faces of our ancestors.
Essence should move the 2026 festival elsewhere. With recent ruling SCOTUS and Louisiana spit in the faces of our ancestors.