Queen Latifah, Lil Rel, Naturi Houghton & More Attend The “My Black Is Beautiful” Dinner At Essence Festival

Jasmine Alston Photography

Celebs Spotted At P&G Brand’s Dinner At Essence Fest

Queen Latifah announced plans for a new initiative to support people of color behind the camera a surprise appearance at the “My Black Is Beautiful” dinner during Essence Fest.

The “U.N.I.TY.” rapper said she plans to launch the “Queen Collective,” a fund that will finance, distribute and market two films from directors of color and premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Jasmine Alston Photography

“We’re going to give two directors the opportunity to make their films,” the actress, talk show host and artist told the VIP crowd at the Ace Hotel in New Orleans last week, which drew the likes of motivational speaker Lisa Nichols, Naturi Noughton and  comedians Lil Rel and Loni Love,

Jasmine Alston Photo

“Everything will be taken care of, from A to Z thanks to P&G…It’s been important for me to change who I look out from behind the camera to see. There was a time where I looked out behind the camera and I saw mostly white males. And this isn’t taking anything away from those guys, but it didn’t look like the world that I lived in, and it didn’t look like the world that I came from – it damn sure didn’t look like New York.”