Anne here. I’ve had so much to say that I just want to be quiet for a bit — and also very clear-eyed.

I will only say that Beyonce and Jay-Z are sitting next to Bernard Arnault and his wife Helene Mercier, a world-renowned Canadian concert pianist.

I hope you find the show as inspiring as I did.

And just remember the Jay-Z deal with LVMH is 50-50. They must find joint decision-making and not engage in a power struggle to get anything major done. It’s all about the way to “yes”.

A certain hip hop star/rapper lied about and defamed Bernard Arnault repeatedly in his own self-interests. He owes Mr. Arnault a public apology within our community.

Kudos to the second richest man in the world [today] for being willing to take a flier on a new deal. ~ Anne

Note: there might be a short delay on the video. Patience.

Of Course Voices of Fire was There

There was really never any doubt. Voices of Fire is a groundbreaking gospel music group that has taken the world by storm. Given the stained-glass in Paris graphic accompanying their weekend release of “Joy, [Unspeakable]”, I assume that Voices of Fire has created this special song for Tuesday night’s Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton opening.

Virgil will be gettin’ his dance moves on — waving to us in a special star constellation coming together in the night sky.

As a confirmed-in-Brazil daughter of the Yoruba deity Oya, the goddess of lighting, wind, storms, change, transformation and destruction — but also social justice — I made a special request to the heavens, once I heard “Joy”.

On this Day Juneteenth 2023

The Louis Vuitton-Driven, French-American Voices of Fire Pharrell Alliance Is About to Hit Warp Speed!

More than once, AOC has written that the debut of Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton represents a staggering new French-American alliance opportunity for those who want to join us in a unified love march. The minute I heard my neighbors singing ‘Joy”, Anne said: “Okay, this Rolls-Royce Phantom is rolling!”

Right after that, Lulu came running across my office waving her iPhone, screaming “Anne, Anne . . . you won’t believe this . . . you know your beloved Statue of Liberty . . . you put it in that post with Mr. Bernard Arnault with the mini Ms. Liberty in DC . . . Anne, America kind of repositioned that gift from France . . . from a branding perspective.”

“Lulu, what are you talking about? Did you check out this AI story before you tell me what has your hair on fire? The Statue of Liberty welcomed immigrants at Ellis Island.”

“Anne, of course I checked out the story; I know you demand verify, verify, verify. But get this, Anne . . . France gifted America the Statue of Liberty to celebrate the end of slavery. They absolutely, positively did, Anne. Here, all the facts are on the National Parks website.”

In 1886, The Statue of Liberty was a symbol of democratic government and Enlightenment ideals as well as a celebration of the Union's victory in the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Edouard de Laboulaye, the French political thinker, U.S. Constitution expert, and abolitionist, who first proposed the idea of a great monument as a gift from France to the United States was a firm supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and his fight for abolition.

“Why don’t I know this information, Lulu? I never learned this history in school.”

“Hey, Anne,” they didn’t teach you about the Mankato hangings of the indigenous peoples either, in the very school in our town where it happened. You learned about that historical fact researching Richard Phibbs’ fashion story about Cherokee Jack.”

“At any rate, Anne, back to the Statue of Liberty, Laboulaye was a cofounder and president of the French Anti-Slavery Society. This society was founded in 1865. In essence, it called upon all nations to abolish slavery. Additionally, the members also raised money that was then given to newly freed slaves in the United States.”

“Lulu, do you have more research you haven’t shown me?”

“Piles, Anne, just piles. Squarespace AI is pulling out the stops for you, girl. I don’t know why you’re paying those other two companies. . . . Yes, I know . . . verify, verify, verify.”

“Alright, Lulu. We’ll be writing about French and American history all week. The more I read; my jaw keeps dropping. We need to get back to Voices of Fire.”

Who Are Voices of Fire?

Formed in 2022, the group came together in a fusion of the visionary minds of executive producer Pharrell Williams — formed in my post Charlottesville-George Floyd chosen neighborhood of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia Beach [where Pharrell grew up]. Pharrell was joined by Bishop Ezekiel Williams, who is also Pharrells’ uncle; and choir director Patrick Riddick in the formation of ‘Voices of Fire’.

The ensemble was born out of a Netflix docuseries titled "Voices of Fire," where Pharrell embarked on a journey to find and create the world's most talented and diverse gospel choir.

In Praise of Diversity to Create LoVe

What sets Voices of Fire apart is the sheer diversity of its members. Coming from different backgrounds, cultures, and age groups, each member brings their own unique flavor to the group.

The choir's primary aim is to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and unite people through the transformative power of music.

Beyond their music, Voices of Fire represents something much deeper. They serve as a reminder that regardless of our differences, it is possible to create something truly beautiful when diverse voices come together harmoniously. They embody the belief that music has the power to heal, inspire, and drive positive change in the world.

On Juneteenth 2023, AOC and LVMH Honor Pharrell Williams

The LVMH press release announcing Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton appointment included the long list of his activist and philanthropy efforts. The last paragraph said:

A longtime advocate against racial injustice, Pharrell was an integral part in the talks with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam about Juneteenth being a permanent paid state holiday and continued to make the push for it to become a national holiday.

Having backed Pharrell out of the gate after Virgil’s terrible loss, it was clear to AOC that Louis Vuitton wasn’t viewing Pharrell’s activism as a negative on his scorecard. I’d say he got bonus points.

All the Vogues, including Vogue Business, are running Monday the Luke Leitch interview with Pharrell.

Anne Was Fired Up Mad!

I had a heart attack the night Pharrell was appointed, reading the fashion press including Vogue Business. It’s true that I contacted them that night and said “You have no bloody idea what is going down . . . you haven’t researched Pharrell . . . you probably don’t even know what hip hop is. I sent them all these AOC links to videos and our stories in the months before the appointment, etc.”

Anne was steamed, but I must have had impact, because they got Leitch on the story a day or two later, and he is great. I didn’t care about the regular Vogues making fools of themselves, but Vogue Business is another matter.

So tomorrow night, it’s about LoVe, says Pharrell. He stresses that he makes clothes for humans — and indeed there were many female models running around the Vuitton offices, writes Leich. “Rumour is that this show will be, in terms of an in-person audience and possibly physical square footage too, the largest ever at Louis Vuitton menswear.”

“Joy” and “Voices of Fire” are referenced in the interview, but nobody will say if they are live in Paris. Their music will be in the show. I looked everywhere but Voices of Fire is mum.

Now a year ago, the headline was: Despite Hurdles, FAMU Marching ‘100’ Band Reaches Paris For Louis Vuitton Performance. It marked a return to Paris for the Band that performed in the 1989 Bastille Day Parade.

So with a HBCU marching band last year, you would think . . .

Speaking of HBCU’s and specifically Norfolk State University, Pharrell gave the commencement address there in 2022. As always with me, another piece of information emerges in Pharrell’s video, for a true sense of his calm, focused way of talking to people. Unlike other people we know, Pharrell Williams does not have a God complex.

That piece of information from Pharrell’s speech is that Confederate currency had slaves picking cotton on it. I find that fact stunning but it is true. In 2001, the New York Times covered the story.

In 2021, the artist John W. Jones, who triggered this investigation into Confederate currencies, had a show at the African American Museum in Texas. Jones painted each of the images — many difficult to decipher and requiring special technology to restore the smudged, dirty currency images that were on the Confederate currencies.

This was not the point I intended to make with Pharrell speaking at at Norfolk State University. The point I wanted to make is very much grounded in the world of Louis Vuitton.

MacKenzie Scott’s Norfolk State University Donation

In July 2021, MacKenzie Scott — formerly Mrs. Jeff Bezos — donated $40 million dollars to the university, the largest single-donor gift in its 85-year history. We have multiple articles about Scott’s philanthropy, but the big difference is that there are no strings attached to her gifts.

Scott assumes that the leaders of the institution know how to handle the money. Like Pharrell, AOC wants to promote LoVe, too, by mentioning the woman who is turning philanthropy inside out in America and having major impact in her efforts to level the playing field for those impacted by decades of racial injustice that she sees clearly with her own eyes.

A Reluctant Transplant

It’s been a very challenging time in America since 2016. I do believe that our American democracy is in a very fragile place.

No single business event in my world of fashion has given me more inspiration and hope for our young people than the Louis Vuitton appointment of Pharrell Williams. This is why I’ve been ferocious like an elephant matriarch in protecting Pharrell’s name and qualifications.

Moving to Virginia was not on my agenda, but after Charlottesville, I began to feel that I had to make a major move in support of American democracy. My cousin Jo and I came to Virginia late in 2017. Still I dragged my feet . . . until the George Floyd murder in 2020. Then I read about Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach and I totally immersed myself in everything Pharrell.

A New Perspective

The Guardian wrote about Point Comfort in 2019. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/The Guardian

It was not my intention to ever be sleeping four floors above land that was occupied by a Confederate hospital. But I do.

If my new apartment building in Virginia was on the 19th floor — like my apartment in New York City — I could probably see Point Comfort from here.

In late August, 1619, 20-30 enslaved Africans landed at Point Comfort, today's Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va., aboard the English privateer ship White Lion. In Virginia, these Africans were traded in exchange for supplies. Several days later, a second ship (Treasurer) arrived in Virginia with additional enslaved Africans. Both groups had been captured by English privateers from the Spanish slave ship San Juan Bautista. They are the first recorded Africans to arrive in England's mainland American colonies.