“We need each other. We ain't shit without each other. This world is against us. We are at the bottom of every pay grade, everywhere you go, the Black woman is the last to be thought about. We don't have time to compete with each other, to go against each other, to fight with each other.” Taraji P. Henson

HelloBeautiful, a digital content property owned by iONE digital has released its latest cover featuring the unparalleled Taraji P. Henson. In this HelloBeautiful digital cover feature, Henson opens about her personal journey in motherhood and how being a mom has translated throughout her career. The Golden Globe winning Actress sat with HelloBeautiful to share details about being a single mom to a 28- year-old son all while navigating her career. Henson states “No one can prepare you for that. I don't care who talks to you, no one can prepare you, you just got to jump in and get your feet and your hands dirty. You learn as you go because there is no book that can teach you. There is no book that can prepare you, really, because everybody's story and circumstances are different.”

While giving us a front row seat to her life as a mother, she also provided an inside look on starring beside Quinta Brunson in the popular sitcom, Abbot Elementary, and how being a mom has finally come full circle in her acting career. Henson states “At first it was like, ah, mom? Why can't I be her sister?,” Henson says. “Then I looked at her age and I said, Bitch, because you old enough to be her mother. Like, stop playing,” she says with a laugh. “I'm not going to fight age. I'm going to age gracefully.”

With a career that keeps her moving and a successful hair care line, the Academy Award Winning actress makes sure that she is prioritizing her health and setting a stellar example for Black Women everywhere. Henson states” I think we are under the misconception that just because someone is small that means they're healthy,” she says. “Or just because someone is on the heavier side, that they're not healthy, and that couldn't be furthest from the truth. I was small, I was within my weight from my height and my age, and I was unhealthy.” Untangling fact from fiction is essential to the future of Black women’s wellness. Maybe one day society, and by proxy, the entertainment world, will deprioritize aesthetics and embrace vitality. I’ll bow my head, but should I hold my breath?

Hub Credits:

Photographer: Dalvin Adams

Digi Tech: Andrew Ngu

Cover Story: Brooklyn R. White

Managing Editor: Shamika Sanders

SVP of Content: Allison McGevna

Photo Assistant: Nick Sutjungdro

Makeup Artist: Saisha Beecham

Hair Stylist: Tym Wallace for Mastermind Management Group

Wardrobe Stylist: Wayman + Micah

BTS Video: Melody Araujo, Sam Akinyele

Video Editor: Tyler Harp

Creative Director: Jordan Benston

Production: The Oracle Media

Fashion Credits:

Look 1: Jean Louis Sabaji

Look 2: Gurav Gupta

Look 3: Jean Louis Sabaji