Did you #ThankABlackWoman today, <<First Name>>?!
March is
(Black) Women's History Month, and I would be remiss if I didn't encourage all to celebrate the richness and strength of Black women and others who are the descendants of Africa (bless up to all my Afro-Guyanese folx!). This month is all about unifying our community through promoting visibility, education, empowerment, contribution and achievement which positively impacts people across the globe.
With that said, I must roll out the yellow carpet and tip my hat to the one, the only,
Yvette Noel-Schure, president of
Schure Media and the woman who stands between the world and
Beyoncé.
The legend of Yvette Noel-Schure looms long in the entertainment industry, but I really know her as the woman who put me on to
Chloe x Halle. At the time, I was the managing editor at
Okayplayer and one of my roles was to find new talent for the site's
"First Look Friday" section. I was familiar with the girls via their
YouTube channel and decided to put on my investigative hat to find out their representation.
Lo and behold, Yvette was the mastermind behind their involvement with
Parkwood Entertainment.
I only heard stories about Yvette and all of them sounded iconic. Much like OKP's illustrious founder,
Questlove, she has a story for almost any occasion, co-starring almost anyone. A self-made entrepreneur and highly-regarded music publicist, this Grenada-born, City College of New York-educated woman on-the-go has repped genre-defying music clients such as
John Legend,
Mariah Carey,
Leann Rimes, and yes,
Beyoncé.
Described as "The Bey Keeper" by many and as "one of the most trusted people" by
Ms. Tina Knowles-Lawson, Yvette has kept love as her North Star and her equally bright smile led to one of the most cherished moments in my career. You know how you can hear someone smiling through the phone? Well, on a decently warm spring day in 2016, Yvette and I were talking like we had been BFFs for years. We were setting up the Chloe x Halle interview when her voice perked up a few octaves to share something I needed to know.
"You know I represent Prince, too, right? And he LOVES Okayplayer!" she said.
Now, pause. There are moments when you think you know where a story is going, and much like everything else involving
Prince, it quickly takes an unexpected turn. "He really loved your interview with Eryn Allen Kane," Yvette shared, making me feel like I had just morphed into
Nelson George or something. Eryn and Prince had worked together during the
Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore,
collaborating on a song by the same name. If I did nothing else in my career, I could rest easy knowing that one of the greatest musicians of all time had read my work. But then, Prince retweeted it on his Twitter, and I felt like a true-blue member of the
Rainbow Children.
Her passion for others is a trait I am most thankful for. Yvette, who is more than just Beyoncé's publicist, is also a wife of forty-plus years, a mother to three children, and an ambassador for
Chime for Change. She consistently champions education, health, and justice for women and young girls everywhere. She frequently gives back to her home country and throughout the West Indies, and whenever she can, Yvette makes sure to create opportunities for those from underserved communities.
I thank Yvette Noel-Schure for the light and happiness she's brought to my life and others, and you can
#ThankABlackWoman like her via all the things:
here,
here, and
here.
Now, allow me to share some healthcare news that you need to know...
