Tracy Hopkins

Plus: Can’t get your hands on a passport soon enough? 5 tropical island destinations you can enjoy without one.
Before you travel, check for travel restrictions for each destination and requirements for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 viral test.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In Rio, the rhythm is gonna get you, and so is the melting pot culture with deep roots in the African slave trade. Social media influencer Natasha Naila (@theweavewhisperer) partied in Rio with a group of girlfriend...

The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) launched the Louisville Pilot Project in August 2020 to support people who live in Louisville’s 40203 area code where the average annual income is $12,880 for an individual and $26,500 for a family of four. The goal of the four-month program, which ran until December 2020, was to improve the quality of life for community members dealing with serious illness by providing access to care, changing the care model, and investing in trusted partners, such as faith leader driven coalitions, to address disparities in access to care.

You’ll feel transported to the Netherlands on a walk through Curaçao’s capital city of Willemstad.
Reach beyond the beach and soak up local food, art, culture, and more.
Welcome to Curaçao—or, as local residents say, “Bon Bini.” On this southern Caribbean island, sunny skies and azure blue waters abound, and as one of these western-most islands of the Leeward Antilles, Curaçao offers balmy temperatures year round and very few hurricanes.
But there’s more to experience in Curaçao than satisfyi...

For your viewing pleasure: films about vocal legends Mary J. and Aretha, Questlove’s ‘Black Woodstock’ documentary and a new horror flick from Jordan Peele.
Beat the heat and chill out with these four summer flicks in a cineplex near you or stream them in the comfort of your home. Our picks include a documentary about Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige and the much-anticipated biopic about the Queen of Soul, starring Jennifer Hudson.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Te...

‘Sisters’ readers rule! To celebrate our newsletter’s third anniversary, we salute you with a playlist of 26 empowering and inspiring songs.
“We got rhythm. We got pride. We birth kings. We birth tribes,” Beyoncé belts on her celebratory, Black queens anthem, “Black Parade.”
Yaaas, Queen Bey!
You are royalty, sis. So hold your head up high, and don’t forget your place on the throne, no matter what obstacles you may face.
To celebrate Sisters’ third anniversary, we’re saluting you, our majesti...

Whether you’ve read her best-selling classic a dozen times or just discovered her on ‘Red Table Talk,’ this good health guru to the stars can help you thrive.
Back in 2006, I did a wellness retreat with holistic health practitioner Queen Afua, author of Heal Thyself: For Health and Longevity and Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind and Spirit. At the time, I was seeking natural ways to drop pounds and improve my overall health. Queen Afua’s name is derived from her spiritu...

Power your travels with this collection of road-ready new releases and nostalgic throwbacks.
As travel restrictions begin to ease, we can almost see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. And when you’re ready to get back out there and explore by plane, train and automobile you’ll need a soundtrack that satisfies your wanderlust and celebrates your newfound freedom. This playlist of 12 songs perfectly celebrates the highs of romantic love, brotherly love, self-love and travel love. It’s...

Here are 27 fresh and classic jams to set the mood for your next barbecue, picnic or beach outing.
Now that COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the country, and the pandemic is showing signs of slowing down, we’re looking forward to safely hanging out with friends and family we’ve missed sharing quality face-to-face time with. And let’s not forget the closet full of summer dresses, jumpers, shorts, swimwear and caftans we've been eager to show off.
So fire up the grill and prep your deck...

Gaps in the city’s historical tourism offerings inspired a fourth generation Alexandrian to launch a tour company highlighting local Black history.

Written by Tracy Hopkins
About a 4-hour drive from New York City—and less than 10 miles from Washington, D.C.—Alexandria is an easy road trip destination. Gaps in the city’s historical tourism offerings inspired John Taylor Chapman, a city councilman and fourth generation Alexandrian, to launch his Manumission Tour Company (“manumission” means release from slavery) which focuses on the area's Black history. Through walking tours like Chapman's and thoughtful conversations with several Black b...

Oh yes, we’re more than ready to release some tension and get pampered. Plus: Cool cultural things to do while in the neighborhood.
We’ve been cooped up in the house for a minute. So wouldn’t a muscle-melting massage, a soothing facial or pampering mani/pedi feel good right about now?
As COVID-19 guidelines are updated and businesses are reopening, we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that most spas and hair and nail salons have reopened with enhanced safety protocols in place, includin...

Tina Turner, Alfre Woodard, Radha Blank, Taraji P. Henson and Tracee Ellis Ross portray bold women in these inspiring films.

Tina (HBO Max)

Tina Turner is a soul survivor and most of us know aspects of her life’s story well. First documented in the stellar 1993 biopic, What’s Love Got to Do With It, starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as her abusive first husband Ike, and more recently in the Broadway musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Now at age 81, Turner gives fans a...

On May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre began. A white mob burned down more than 1,000 businesses, killing hundreds, in Greenville, an upscale, diverse district nicknamed "Black Wall Street."
To commemorate the centenary of that tragic event and elevate 100 present-day Black-owned businesses, MassMutual and The New York Times joined forces for a digital-storefront initiative, with Sierra Leonean-American artist Sabrena Khadija providing bold illustrations.
The campaign features shoppable NYT...

27 timely songs claim justice and joy, release pain, celebrate pride and honor truth.
“I wish the world were truly happy. Living as one. I wish the word they call freedom someday would come,” Lionel Richie ponders in the Commodores classic “Zoom.”
This month, we observe Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, the holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
And reflecting on the turbulent times that have unear...

Whether it’s fitness, meditation, nutrition-tracking or another activity, starting and keeping a self-care streak can be seriously life-changing.
Note: AARP member Shawn N. Simmons, 51, is on a walking streak with the goal to walk 30 minutes every day for 365 days! Are you celebrating a wellness win like Shawn? Contact us and share your story, using “My Wellness Win” in the subject line of your email. You may be featured in a future issue of Sisters! Shawn, thanks for being an inspiration to ...