The inaugural "Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit," which was like Essence Fest meets Circle of Sisters, was held in Atlanta, Georgia, which is known as a hotspot for Black women, creatives, and business entrepreneurs.

The three-day event was held in conjunction with Pepsi and Live Nation Urban over Mother's Day weekend in 2022 (May 6th-8th). It was clear that the mission supported the overall subject of women's growth and empowerment.

"The idea for the event came to us during early listening sessions of my recent album with my family and friends, as well as women in the industry,"

the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul said when the festival was first announced. Each time, the people in the room would tell a tale, frequently about grief or pain, but always ending with pleasure and love, and how their girlfriends, mothers, or sisters had helped them find their voice and courage. We felt like this was the type of experience that people, especially ladies, deserved after two years of being inside and having to endure so much."

She chose Atlanta in particular because "it just feels like this is where we're supposed to be." "There are so many Black-owned businesses, so much Black stuff, and Black women in power," she explained in our exclusive interview. The fans out here aren't playing; they're ecstatic. They truly care about me and show it. Atlanta is entertaining, not that any other city is. Why not?"

VIBE was invited to spend the weekend with Mary and her pals, learning about "The A" on the singer's terms through one-of-a-kind panels, activations, and experiences.

Our weekend began on Friday night (May 6) at the Buckhead Theater, where Ms. Pat, Just Nesh, and Erica Duchess performed in a comedy show. The ongoing pandemic, STD breakouts in Chicago and Atlanta, household life, parenthood, and other topics were all joked about. Many comedians claim that humour arises from the transformation of dark moments into something bright. The star of The Ms. Pat Show on the BET+ channel, who was greeted with a surprise popup from Mary herself, ended the show with a wise word: "take the darkest s**t in your life and when you can laugh at it, you have control of it."