OWN TV’s “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” star Melody Shari, hosted her 4th annual “Mimosas with Melody” highlighting an evening of opulence at the luxurious Biltmore Ballrooms in Atlanta.
This black tie affair, themed “A Time for Change,” brought together a stellar lineup of special guests, business leaders, and community influencers.
The theme was very fitting for this year’s event. With it being the first year Shari opened it up to being co-ed, she tapped lawyer, actor, and U.S. political candidate Hill Harper, as the keynote speaker to help drive her messaging forward.
Among other special guests were actress and model Claudia Jordan, businesswoman Courtney Adeleye, actress and singer Drew Sidora, businesswoman Dr. Chanita Foster, financial investor Chris Sian, music executive Devyne Stephens, celebrity stylist J. Bolin, and celebrity publicist Ivan Thomas, just to name a few. The event also featured women’s and men’s panels where these thought leaders engaged in critical dialogue addressing issues facing the Black community.
Education, entrepreneurship, and leveraging the power of the Black dollar were themes that took center stage and echoed throughout the evening. In an exclusive interview with ADW, Shari emphasized the importance of coming together and creating unity within our communities.
“We need to get behind our communities. But not only get behind our communities, get in our communities and start doing the work,” Shari said. “There’s so much that we need to work on, improve on and it takes us being willing to get in, be boots on the ground and work to bring about equality in education. To bridge the gap when it comes to equity and the funds that are in the Black community. We’ve got to get in there and show how to use that money to create income and wealth versus spending on things that don’t bring about a return.”
“Mimosas with Melody” showcased a captivating red carpet featuring dazzling ensembles, delectable cuisine and of course fresh mimosas.
Furthermore, the elegant event featured a fundraiser for Harper. He’s currently embarking on a campaign running for U.S. Senate, representing the state of Michigan. ADW caught up with Harper following the celebration. He highlighted the broken healthcare system as one of the key issues that prompted him to seek political office.
“Our healthcare system is broken,” Hill said. “The number one cause of personal bankruptcy is catastrophic medical and healthcare debt. It’s literally a poor tax. Poor people are affected much more by any type of disability that comes along because there’s not equal coverage in healthcare.”
Speaking about the event’s focus, Shari emphasized the importance of collective action. “That as a collective, we can do so much more,” she stated. “Our keynote speaker, Mr. Hill Harper, did an excellent job in putting into perspective for all of us what it means to come together as a collective.”
Harper echoed the sentiment of collective empowerment. “Our power is in the collective,” he said. “If we leverage our collective power, we scale. We’ve got to understand our collective power and get back to that.”
As the night came to a close, attendees mingled and danced, ready to take action and drive forth positive change within their communities. The 4th annual “Mimosas with Melody ” exuded the collective strength and resilience of the Black community. It spotlighted a bold new political candidate and highlighted the importance of unity, empowerment, and advocacy.
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