Sunday Brunch with True Beauties

By Sydney Bennett

Sunday Brunch with True Beauties

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by The Media Girl’s Foundation. The Foundation is newly formed by Chundria and Nekia Nichelle, two women in Chicago Media with a passion for motivating girls. Their mission is to educate and inspire girls and women through media arts including Television, Film, Journalism and Radio. “Media” in the foundation’s name is an acronym for motivated, educated, dedicated, and individually amazing. That’s exactly how I felt after attending the Beauties Brunch.

The event was free and open to girls of all ages. When I arrived, I was happy to see faces from a few friends. The turnout was great. The number of young girls that had come out was definitely a success. Before I arrived girls received free manicures and were in line waiting to receive tasty treats, all provided freely. Shortly after arriving, the hosts began with presenting themselves and the speakers of the day. There was something I was able to take from every speaker.

Nikeya Young, a plus size model, talked about the importance of a confident walk. She picked volunteers from the audience and had the girls represent different types of walks. Audience members commented on what each walk revealed about the girl. A key phrase that became popular after the event from Nikeya was, “A queen never looks down.” She was referring to their stature in walking and encouraged girls to stand tall and confident.

Natalie King, another model shared fashion tips. She gave the basic essentials that every girl needs and demonstrated how to transform a basic outfit to a night look. She allowed audience volunteers an opportunity to do a quick personal makeover with the tips they had gained. The girls did great! I stopped and wondered if I had a sense of style at such a young age, many of the girls there were pre-teens. Perhaps the most important bit of advice Natalie shared, was to have the total package. Although, she is a model, she is also a college student working on a PhD. She gave the girls beauty tips, standing as a powerful example of the potential of their minds.

There were other inspiring women panelists including Sukmeke Rainey Watkins (Producer, WCIU), Cassandra Gaddo(Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine, Editor), CeCe Gonzales & Melinda Joseph (Dynamic Event Planners), Anita Rechell Vaughn (WVON, Executive Producer), Tisha Lewis (FOX Chicago News) Maisha Wynn (Word Wynn- CEO & Uptown Media Group- Regional Advertising Director), and Tammie Souza (FOX Chicago News Meteorologist).

The special guest appearance was from actress/singer/dancer, Naturi Naughton. She is well known as member of girl group 3LW. She gave the girls a very motivational and personal testimony on how to deal with rejection without letting it steer them away from goals. She even sang a song from, Fame, a movie she was in.

Overall, The Media Girl’s Foundation True Beauties Brunch was a great event that motivated me to continue the journey that I am on in college and see the potential of my future.

Sydney Bennett is a junior from Chicago, Illinois. She is a Mass Communications major with minors in both Sociology and Art & Design. She is President of Ambassador's for Christ(AFC) and a member of their Gospel choir at Saint Xavier.