Jhené Aiko, Jordin Sparks, Alex Isley Among Honorees At Inaugural Mom Honors
For Mother’s Day, The Purple Agency decided to honor a select group of prominent mothers for their inaugural Mom Honors.
In partnership with Sleep Soul and Culture Creators, they honored Jordin Sparks, Jhené Aiko, and Alex Isley as well as Brooke DeVard (beauty influencer), Dalia Batie (Andra Day’s mother), and Lizzy Mathis (actress/podcast host).
Held at The Sun Rose in West Hollywood, Calif. on May 1, the celebration honored the aforementioned women’s inspirational journeys.
During the ceremony, Yasmine Parrish of The Honest Company moderated a fireside chat with Mathis and Isley alongside founder of Kiva Confections Kristi Palmer, and celebrity hairstylist Angela C. Stevens.
The event culminated with a touching keynote speech from Aiko, who detailed how her dream was always motherhood.
“I always knew I wanted to be a mom more than anything. That was my dream,” said the Souled Out singer and mother of two. She reflected on her emotional Coachella moment when she realized that music was not the “dream” she envisioned for herself. “This is great and I love to do this, but this is not my dream […] It’s fun, but nothing fulfills me more than being a mom,” Aiko confessed.
She reflected on her own mother, detailing how that was her goal growing up. “It wasn’t even the dream to be married; I just wanted kids […] I feel so blessed that my children [daughter Namiko and son Noah] chose me to be their mom.”
In the comments of the video that surfaced of her speech, Aiko clarified, “I love to create in every sense of the word. Creating life and watching my children grow just so happens what to be what I’ve always wanted since a child and has been the most fulfilling TO ME. I love and enjoy what I do for work… I have a passion for writing, imagining, discovering, learning and expressing… so I’ll never stop doing that.”
She shared how she has dreams of “being an English teacher, working with animals, going back to school, finding the mathematical formula for love… but being a Mommy comes first.”
Aiko also spoke on how young she was when her eldest child, Namiko Love, was born and her having to work, instead of able to stay home, to provide stability. Now, she’s able to have it all.
“When I get emotional talking about my dreams of being a mom, it’s because sometimes I feel that in the past I have had to sacrifice my dream of being the kind of mom I’ve always wanted to be, in order to provide for my child (now children). I am lucky to have chosen a career path that I love and feel is purposeful. I am now in a position where I am able to work and travel WITH my children right beside me. It is a dream come true AND THEN SOME. God is good,” the singer concluded.
Other special guests attendees included Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Whitney Alford, Goapele, and Melanie Fiona. Check out some highlights from the first-ever Mom Honors below.
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