On Thursday, June 13, Phil Griffin, President of msnbc, brought together the Essence and msnbc teams for a cocktail reception following the announcement of the msnbc and Essence media partnership and joint-programming plans for this year's Essence Festival. Michelle Ebanks, President of Essence Communications, Vanessa Bush, Acting Managing Editor for Essence Magazine, and Rev. Al Sharpton were in attendance among many other members of the msnbc and Essence community.