Femme Fatale reveals 2025 queen and grand marshal
9th September 2024 · 0 Comments
By Makenna Mincey
Contributing Writer
The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale selected their first out-of-state queen, community advocate Yolonda A. Singleton, and Swin Cash, the senior vice president for the New Orleans Pelicans, as their Grand Marshal for the upcoming Mardi Gras season.
The theme of next year’s parade, set for February 23, 2025, is “I’m Every Woman.” It’s a phrase embodied by both women this Carnival season.
“This is beyond my wildest dreams,” said Singleton, a Jackson, Miss., native and owner of Xperience Jxn Entertainment, a successful entertainment conglomerate. Singleton has been a Femme Fatale member since 2017 and serves on the Parade Throws and Social Justice committees.
“As the little girl running alongside the parade floats to now being the Queen-Select of the first African American female-founded krewe, it’s our founder’s [Gwendolyn V. Rainey] vision being seen, and my dream come true,” Singleton said in a press release.
The queen-select for Femme Fatale was chosen for her active role in her community serving as the current national president of the Southern Soul Foundation, the Jackson Public School District Re-engaging in Education for All to Progress (REAP) program, the Rotary Club of Jackson (Miss.) Board of Directors, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women – Central Mississippi Chapter.
“I am not just my sister’s keeper; I am my sister,” Singleton said of the motto she lives by that shapes the advocacy work she does in her community, including supporting victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking and ensuring communities are safe for families.
While giving back to her community, Singleton still has time pursue her professional goals. She has been a registered nurse for 30 years, a real estate investor, a licensed life insurance agent, travel agent, notary public, philanthropist and a financial strategist. She also serves as a co-host on WMPR 90.1 FM’s “Cocktails and Conversations.”
Singleton’s non-profit organization, By God’s Grace, provides food, clothing and other essentials to the less fortunate and those who have been devastated by natural disasters.
“Her commitment to being the best woman she can be, her community endeavors and her professional successes make her uniquely qualified to represent this esteemed group of women. She embodies all a queen should be,” said Joan Cooper Rainey, Femme Fatale’s 2016 Queen and founding member.
The organization also selected Swin Cash, recognizing her professional success as the current senior vice president of operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. She is also a three-time WNBA champion. The new grand marshal is a 2022 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, a 2021 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, a four-time WNBA all-star team select, a two-time WNBA All-Star MVP, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
In 2023, Cash founded She’s Got Time, an organization focused on uplifting and empowering women in sports. The organization provides community resources for its members, creating space for women in the male-dominated industry.
Both the queen-select and grand marshal embody this year’s parade theme: “I’m Every Woman.”
“When you see the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale, you see every woman,” said President Kimberly Early. “Women from all walks of life, from nearly every coast of the country, with every level of success make up MKFF. We truly represent what it means to be a FEMME – the finest of everything that makes Mardi Gras extraordinary.”
This article originally published in the September 9, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
