NEW ORLEANS — On the sidelines, Alabama A&M head ladies’s basketball coach Daybreak Thornton is greater than a strategist—she’s a complete vibe. Thornton’s presence is not possible to disregard, whether or not calling performs or calling consideration together with her daring sport day trend. Her signature seems have racked up over seven million views on Instagram this season alone. Now, the world past HBCU basketball is taking discover. Coach Thornton is about to affix BeautyCon’s extremely anticipated “Play the Sport, Get the Look” panel on the Essence Competition of Tradition in New Orleans on July 5, a celebration of how model, magnificence, and confidence intersect—each on the courtroom and in tradition.
This 12 months’s Essence Competition is very significant, marking the fifty fifth anniversary of Essence Journal below the theme “Made Like This.” BeautyCon’s platform is spotlighting ladies from the South who’re shaping magnificence narratives and pushing again towards outdated, one-dimensional requirements. Thornton embodies that mission completely.
Fashion is an Extension of Self
“My model is certainly an extension of who I’m,” Thornton shared. “It’s assured, intentional, and generally somewhat additional—in the easiest way. That’s how I coach, too. I’m large on presence and power. Your preparation is your separation. Confidence isn’t simply taught—it’s modeled. I would like my gamers to at all times see that in me.”
For Daybreak Thornton, trend isn’t nearly aesthetics—it’s a type of management. Her dynamic seems ship a transparent message to her HBCU student-athletes: You could be highly effective, poised, and unapologetically your self.
“I would like my gamers to comprehend it’s okay to face out, to take pleasure in the way you present up, and to steer with confidence on and off the courtroom,” she stated. “You don’t should dim your gentle to steer. There’s energy in proudly owning who you might be. If I can present up in a daring outfit and deal with enterprise, it reveals them they’ll do the identical in any area.”
Unapologetically You
In an trade the place Black ladies are sometimes pressured to shrink themselves to suit outdated expectations, Thornton refuses.
“There’s this concept that coaches, particularly Black ladies, should look or act a sure approach to be taken critically. I don’t subscribe to that,” she stated. “I present up as myself—absolutely—and I coach with ardour and excellence. That alone shifts the narrative.”
The “Play the Sport, Get the Look” panel will dive deep into how magnificence tendencies born in sports activities tradition affect the broader world, particularly in Black communities. The dialog may also discover how feeling and looking good feeds into the mindset of profitable—on any stage.
The connection between Daybreak Thornton’s HBCU hoops gameday matches and her teaching philosophy is seamless.
“Sport day is a complete vibe, and my look is a part of the power I deliver,” she defined. “Typically the purpose is to make a daring assertion. Different occasions, it’s about feeling grounded and assured in my very own pores and skin. Both manner, it’s a part of the sport plan. How I present up visually issues simply as a lot as how I present up mentally.”
Essence Competition and BeautyCon will run July 3–6, with day by day occasions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Ernest N. Morial Conference Middle in New Orleans. The occasion guarantees a vibrant mixture of tradition, dialog, and neighborhood, celebrating Black ladies in all their energy, magnificence, and brilliance.
