Culture

Every year on June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth, a day that marks freedom, history, resilience, and the continued progress of Black Americans. While many people know it as a holiday filled with cookouts, music, festivals, and family gatherings, Juneteenth carries a much deeper meaning that deserves to be remembered and honored. Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas were finally informed that they were free, more than two years a

Monica Simmonds is an Experiential Marketing, Community Engagement, and Social Impact Strategist and Principal Consultant of Solomon Simmonds Enterprises. She partners with retail, pharmaceutical, CPG brands, and national nonprofits to design and execute high-impact community activations across multiple cities nationwide. Her work lives at the intersection of brand and community where strategy becomes experience, and experience becomes measurable impact. But at home, her most

After a decade away, Beyoncé isn’t just returning to the Met Gala, she’s redefining her place in it. For 2026, she steps in as co-chair alongside Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, leading a night themed “Fashion Is Art.” Her last appearance was 2016. But Beyoncé has never been an artist who simply “attends.” She arrives with intention, or not at all. This moment signals more than a return. It’s a shift. In an era where fashion leans heavily on spectacle, Beyonc