Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an African American actress and model. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on The WB sitcom Smart Guy. She has also starred in the TV series Are We There Yet? as Suzanne Kingston-Persons. In 2013 and 2014, Atkins appeared as "Kisha Davis" in the films A Haunted House and A Haunted House 2.