“Essence” – Kerry Washington covers the #Woke100 issue

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ABC/Heidi Gutman(LOS ANGELES) — Kerry Washington is slaying Essence‘s May issue as one of the “Woke 100.”

Washington is named Essence‘s “woke honoree” in the issue, joining the list of those who are changing the game in film, television, social justice and more. A few of those nominees include Tarana Burke, Jemele Hill, Anita Hill, the late Erica Garner, Robin Thede, Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe, and Black Panther costume designer Ruth Carter.

Washington, who last week took her final bow as Washington D.C. fixer Olivia Pope on ABC’s Scandal, is also reflecting on what her hit character has meant to her.

“I feel like whenever I play a character, I feel she comes into my life to teach me something,” Washington said. “I’ve never had the privilege of playing a character for this long, but of the many things Olivia Pope has given me is this sense that anything’s possible, that there’s always a way through.”

Essence‘s May issue hits newsstands nationwide Friday, April 27.

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