Grammy Award winning legend Chaka Khan will salute 33 women of the greater New Orleans community and their remarkable life changing achievements in the first graduation ceremony to be held at this year’s 18th annual Essence Music Festival.
According to Essence, Khan will deliver the commencement address and will give a special performance to celebrate these women’s evolution and passage into their new lives through her Super Life Transformation Program.
“The SuperLife Transformation program has been an oasis of optimism as these women whom we celebrate are likely to become the entrepreneurs and leaders that this country needs,” says Chaka Khan. “After witnessing their transformations in the past year then to come full circle and commemorate their triumphs in this wonderful and memorable occasion will be one of my fondest days to remember.”
One year ago, Chaka Khan’s The Chaka Khan Foundation, in conjunction with the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies and Essence, partnered on the SuperLife Transformation Program, an in-depth life and community-altering transformation process for deserving women who wished to accomplish their lifelong goals.
To launch the program, these women first gathered at the 17th annual Essence Music Festival and met with Chaka Khan and author/inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant before embarking on an extraordinary journey of personal and community improvement.
With the help of community partners, agencies, and mentors, these selected women ages 18-35 realized their dreams from starting their own business to finishing school to reclaiming their health in a structured one-year program. Now one year later, each of these women will return to where their journey began-on the Essence Empowerment
Experience stage at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center-to be commemorated in a spectacular graduation ceremony Saturday, July 7 in front of an audience of 5000 people.
Essence invites the public to join and extend their heartfelt congratulations to the graduates in this special event to be held from 9:00-10:30am Saturday, July 7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
