Black Excellence
Meet 27-year-old Hanif Johnson, Youngest District Judge Elected in Pennsylvania
Hanif Johnson has had quite a path and story. At 27 he’s not only making strides but making history and inspiring young people along the way.
Hanif Johnson has had quite a path and story. At 27 he’s not only making strides but making history and inspiring young people along the way.
Hanif Johnson is accomplished
Johnson won the seat in the general election for the Dauphin County Magisterial District in Pennsylvania on Election Day last year, becoming the youngest Magisterial District Judge in the state.
The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native began his term in January and will preside over cases within the predominately black state capital.
“Everybody always says, well, we complain about stuff, but we never get up and do anything. This is me getting up and doing something.”
Johnson is no stranger to the other side of the law but used his past experience to make a difference.
The Huffpost reports:
He has been to jail three times and ran through the streets as a teenager before he discovered his passion: track and field. “One day, I decided this ain’t the way I want to live my life, so I started running track. Track actually saved my life,” Johnson said, later becoming a state champion. Johnson currently coaches track and field at Harrisburg High School.
As a student at Penn State University, Johnson ran afoul of the law again, this time as a member of his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. While he was president of the fraternity, he was charged in connection with hazing allegations. “I went to jail for two weeks, then I went to trial. Thank God I won,” Johnson recalled. “That was one of the happiest days; I just felt like my life was going to be taken from me.”
“It’s crazy because I know how it feels sitting across from that judge and that jury when you’re innocent,” he said.
Now, Johnson has an opportunity to make a difference. “Being that I live in that area, they know me, I know the people, I know what’s going on,” the father of one said. “You have single moms that can’t pay a parking ticket; I have the control to make life easier for her, rather than someone from out of town who don’t understand that $100 ticket might be too much for her and she ends up in jail over that ticket.”
Johnson told the Huffington Post his win provided energy in the area to run for in the area to run local government positions such as city council and school boards.
“A lot of people came out the house and voted just because I was running,” he said. “If you want to do something and make a change, then just go out and do it.”
A magisterial district judge is a position elected by residents. A law degree isn’t required for the role; district judges receive training that prepares them for the legal issues they will face and must pass an examination before taking office. They handle traffic citations, minor criminal cases and determine if cases are either thrown out or go on to the Court of Common Pleas, where major cases are heard.
Congratulations Hanif Johnson!
Black Excellence
Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
Honorees
This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.
Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Shavone Charles attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Loni Love attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Nkechi Okoro Carroll attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Danielle Brooks attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Danielle Brooks, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Kathryn Busby attend the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Host Method Man speaks onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Joey Badass, Gail Bean, Patina Miller, Kathryn Busby, Brandee Evans, Da’Vinchi and Shannon Thornton onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Patina Miller attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Tamera Mowry attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Boris Kodjoe attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024
Black Excellence
14th Annual Salute HER Awards Celebrates ‘Women Creating a Legacy’
The sold-out event took place at the historic Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, NY on Thursday, March 7th.
The 14th Annual Salute HER Awards celebrated Black women who have made history and have excelled beyond odds in honor of Women’s History Month.
14th Annual Salute HER Awards Hosts
Hosted by Café Mocha co-hosts Angelique Perrin and hip-hop icon Yo-Yo with pop culture icon Jawn Murray, the sold-out event took place at the historic Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, NY on Thursday, March 7th.
14th Annual Salute HER Awards Honorees
The esteemed group of seven honorees includes:
Ann Tripp, news icon and news director at WBLS-FM and the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, who was the recipient of the Broadcast Legacy Award.
DeDe McGuire, national media personality, philanthropist, and host of the nationally-syndicated “DeDe In The Morning Show”, was the recipient of the Media Innovator Award.
Melba Moore, Legendary singer, and award-winning actress, was the recipient of the Legend Award.
Flo Anthony, famed celebrity journalist, was the recipient of the Media Legend Award.
Alicia Reece, Hamilton County Commission President and founder of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, was the recipient of the Creating the Legacy Award.
Jotaka Eaddy, widely-respected social impact activist, was the recipient of the Champion for Change Award.
Melba Wilson, well-known Harlem restauranteur and founder of Melba’s, was the recipient of the Business Legacy Award.
Purpose
“The purpose of the Salute HER Awards is to bring together women to collaborate and inspire one another by the journey of our honorees. The evening was already so memorable but having Hazel Dukes present made it historic” says Sheila Eldridge, CEO & Founder Miles Ahead Entertainment & Broadcasting.
The Salute HER Awards supports the Mocha Cares Foundation whose mission is to provide families in shelters with transitional housing support to support visit www.mochacaresfoundation.org.
Black Excellence
ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards To Air March 15 On OWN
The highly anticipated event, which takes places on Thursday, March 7th at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, will be hosted by Cliff “Method Man” Smith.
The 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards is set to premiere March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
The premiere awards honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
The highly anticipated event, which takes places on Thursday, March 7th at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, will be hosted by Cliff “Method Man” Smith.
Honorees
This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.
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- Halle Bailey
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- Danielle Brooks
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- Kathryn Busby
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- Nkechi Okoro Carroll
How to watch the awards and participate
The 17th Annual awards will premiere on Friday, March 15 at 9pm ET/PT on OWN.
Fans can visit www.essence.com/bwih2024, to see an exclusive gallery of photos of this year’s honorees.
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Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards
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