What do Angel Reese, Pat McGrath, Marsai Martin and Ayra Starr have in common? While they are all baddies, in every sense of the word, they are also boundary-breakers. They are wave-makers. These groundbreaking women are but a handful of members of the inaugural class of Refinery 29 Powerhouses.
Refinery 29 kicked off New York Fashion Week 2024 by announcing their list of individuals who are “powering new rules and modes of self-expression beyond runways, red carpets” — known as the 29 Powerhouses. This is a catalog of rule breakers who redefine culture and take up space, unapologetically. No doubt the Refinery 29 Powerhouses provide an inspiration to the world.
While the 2024 29 Powerhouses were unveiled on Sept. 5, they celebrated on Saturday night. Afterall, baddies and bosses deserve their flowers, too.
R29 invited guests to NoMo SoHo Penthouse for a toast, a two-step and an opportunity to honor their Powerhouses. Influencers and New York City socialites filled the swanky New York City rooftop, with Yung Miami also sashaying through the soirée. The vibes abound.
Among the Powerhouses in attendance was Justina Miles—an ASL performer who captivated audiences when she signed Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.
“If you’re not going a hundred percent all-out for yourself, then go home and wait until you are,” Miles told ESSENCE. As a deaf performer Miles literally embodied our favorite Bad Gyal’s music and energy, making history as the first woman deaf-perfomer to be featured during football’s big night.
“I love presenting authenticity.” Justina Miles, refers to herself as ‘That Chick,’ and rightfully so. She continues, “People get taken aback and you get to see how they really react in the face of authenticity. When you’re like, ‘Hey, this is me. This is my work. This is what I stand for.’”
Miles grounds herself in her truth and as a deaf performer acknowledges that her work is not without its challenges. “I find that accessibility is really a workload. They look at it as accommodations, but it’s really basic human rights,” she shares.
The performer beams through the Refinery 29 celebration as a living, walking, voguing (yes, sis can dance, okay?!) representation of limitlessness. Her energy is as infectious as her smile. Justina Miles believes that being a powerhouse is synonymous with being a trailblazer. “Take up space, because you deserve it,” she urges. Miles brought a spirit of determination to her 2023 Super Bowl performance and sums it up in five words: “Go big or go home.”
It is this audacity to be unapologetically self-expressive that makes a powerhouse.
Jay-Ann Lopez is founder of Black Girl Gamers (BGG) and also a 2024 Powerhouse. “It’s a full circle moment because Refinery 29 has always supported my platform,” Lopez tells ESSENCE.
The creator initially launched Black Girl Gamers in 2015 as a Facebook group—a place of refuge as the gaming industry is particularly hostile towards Black women. The network evolved into a business that provides consulting, educational opportunities and content creation. Due to the organization’s advocacy, Lopez says that by 2018 there was an uptick in playable Black women characters in video games. “I wanted [Black Girl Gamers] to be not just a safe space, but a progressive one,” she reflects.
In addition to launching BGG, Lopez dabbles in the worlds of fashion and beauty — which comes as no surprise with the very striking cat-eye that she rocks at the R29 inaugural event. Lopez is a multifaceted maven who appreciates that the media organization honors her intersectionalities. She shares what the term “powerhouse” signifies to her.
“The term powerhouse for me means it’s like a self-generating energy, but it’s like from your goal, from your source,” Jay-Ann Lopez tells ESSENCE. “What do you want to change in the world? And it means relentlessly following that goal, whilst advocating for others and opening that door.”
For those who are aspiring to walk in their greatness, Lopez says that a strong community is imperative — find and support each other. Link and build together.
“Find your tribe, your ecosystem that’s going to support you. Because no matter what anyone says, they cannot do it by themselves.”
Indeed the celebrated in the inaugural class of 29 Powerhouses are giving the term “powerhouse” new meaning. While the honorees are so dynamic (containing multitudes) the consistency, I’ve found, is that these individuals all push the envelope—going against the status quo—and inspire the world to do the same.
Be bold. Be unapologetic. And most certainly be true to who you are. Essies, it’s time to enter your powerhouse era.