Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Zinzi Coogler have been announced as Essence Magazine‘s 2026 Black Women in Hollywood (BWIH) honorees. The theme of the 19th annual awards luncheon, which will be held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on March 12, is “Off Script,” “reflecting a shift in how Black women are navigating Hollywood,” a press release stated.
Infiniti is being recognized for her breakthrough performance as Willa Ferguson in One Battle After Another, which earned the actress nominations from the Golden Globes, Actor Awards, BAFTA Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
Washington, who was first a BWIH honoree in 2012, will be honored this year for her work both in front of and behind the camera as a Golden Globe and Tony-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer through her Simpson Street production company and New York Times best-selling author.
Tony and NAACP Image Award-nominated actress, director and producer Jackson is being celebrated for her nearly 40-year career across the stage and screen, as well as her philanthropic and civic contributions to the arts.
Proximity Media founder, Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated producer Coogler is being recognized for “her development of critically and culturally acclaimed multimedia projects,” including her latest film Sinners. Alongside that honor, an additional luminary spotlight will highlight the women behind the technical and visual crafts of the film, which includes cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, production designer Hannah Beachler, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, hair designer Shunika Terry-Jennings and actresses Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson.
The BWIH awards ceremony and preshow will premiere on Essence‘s YouTube channel and feature additional presentations of the winner of the Essie’s Choice Award, as well as the inaugural Creators’ Award presented by Smartwater. The latter spotlights nominees chosen by the magazine’s editorial team, with the final winner selected by Essence‘s newsletter subscribers.
