[3] [4] Lewis and Smith called the publication a "lifestyle magazine directed at upscale African American women". Since 1970 Essencehas been the premiere fashion and culture magazine for women of color. A target of Black Female Anonymous is Richelieu Dennis, the owner of Essence Ventures, the parent company of the magazine and Essence Communications. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION with Umojah Nation Reggae Band and the Griot Project at the Art & Soul of Buckeye Park in Cleveland. Similar uprisings have taken place at The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the womens lifestyle website Refinery29. Like SheaMoisure, she said. Posted in Art, Ethinicity, Culture, Identity Tagged African American History Month, black history 365, black history month 2017, susan taylor essence, susan taylor history, susan taylor interviews, susan taylor time inc, who owns essence magazine And the mid-sized Penske Mediaowner of Variety and Robb Reportjust snapped up Rolling Stone. American Essence highlights the morals and traditional. As a classicist, he's at ease with the ancient world but often brings a historian's insightful perspective to current . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. I see you, with my black panther intuition, They say, you made your bed, now lay in it! So, I make sure I dwell in a spiritual, spirit-filled bed. It's nearly a 200-mile commute home for historian Victor Davis Hanson from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he travels once a week, to his quiet family farm in the fertile Central Valley of California. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. About - Essence Celebrity OTE - Meagan Good Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover Digital Cover Method Man Digital Cover Zazie Celebrity News 'Yes, Girl!' Podcast Entertainment Black Celeb Couples. Im very focused on giving back, investing and growing my community, he said. https://t.co/q2BGN0pxNF pic.twitter.com/CbLQlpK9Qz. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. THE GRIOT PROJECT: Akron with Umojah Nation Reggae band and student Patrick Warner, poet in training. It will serve as a guide to make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality, help you avoid costly mistakes, assist in financial preparations, serve as a resume of sorts for future potential business partners and much more.. Our objective is to make it into that by making it inviting, by diversifying subjects, by being inclusive in the brands, by being intentional in the commitments.. American Essence magazine is a breath of fresh air in troubled times! What we now have is an opportunity to have the liquidity to make investments in Essence, said Mr. Dennis. In the same . Co-founded by Ed Lewis and Clarence Smith in 1968, Essence has been one of the lifestyle go-to companies for African-American women. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Time Inc. announced Wednesday that Essence Ventures, LLC, an independent African-American owned company, acquired Essence Communications. The magazine has a circulation of more than one million and its website attracts nearly seven million unique visitors each month. After the former CEO Michelle Ebanks stepped down in March, the company announced that Dennis would have direct oversight of the company while it searched for a new CEO. Speculation Centers on Value of Successful Festival. The Epoch Times is looking for writers who are passionate and knowledgeable in the field of classical art. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine. The company owns . Altogether Richelieu and the Dennis family directly and indirectly buy the silence of current and former Essence Black female employees who fear backlash of Richelieus massive financial and social capital, the authors wrote. I read her letter from the editor and it became my favorite part of the magazine. The new company, to be. Bennett Raglin / Getty Images For SheaMoisture, Lifestyles publisher Meredith buying Time Inc. in Koch brothers-backed deal. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Richelieu Dennis had the title of interim CEO. We know that we work for you and nothing makes us happier. More curiously, his history with beauty brands, which will be core Essence advertisers, also raises questions about the magazines ability to truly separate its business and editorial sidea core value of traditional media that is quickly eroding in the age of advertorials and native advertising. It tells the stories of real Americans who take individual initiative to make their lives and the lives of others better. Essence has always had a close connection to its readers. Essence is Black A.F., Nottingham said, which is beautiful, but how are they going to [integrate that with BeautyCon]? Continuing in our tradition, we're introducing you to the masterminds behind some of the most popular. It is with great joy that we announced that Essence is under new ownership and is now an independent African-American-owned company. The spokeswoman added that Ms. Wanga would oversee the independent review of the Essence workplace. Citing an abusive work culture, the essays writers also said that Black women at the company are systematically suppressed by pay inequity, sexual harassment, corporate bullying, intimidation, colorism and classism.. I could live life on the beach, but it was very cold near Lake Erie. filed for bankruptcy last year after being ravaged by the pandemic. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. With this sale, the legacy of essence is back in the control of Black owners. Instead, he framed his latest venture as part of a mission to fight racism in the retail industry. Starting with the magazine in 1970, it has expanded globally, eventually leading to the annual Essence Music Festival in 1995 and online website ESSENCE.com. The new journey on which we are embarking will be fueled not only by the passion we have (and have always had) for Black women, but also that Black women will be at the helm as we move forward.. In the summer of 2020, a Medium article was published with damning accusations against Essences owner Richelieu Dennis. The reason is because of the racist structures that existed in mass retail., He said hair care products were once racially segregated on store shelves but, thanks to his efforts, retailers have come to realize theres a much bigger market opportunity when you engage in Black brands on a fair and consistent basis. I thank the entire ESSENCE team for their tremendous passion and unrelenting commitment to driving the brands success. We may earn a commission from links on this page. However, they either didnt respond or declined to comment. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. When you have someone that dominates space that already provides windows and opportunities for women of colorand Black women in particularif Black women speak up, what other spaces are there for them? Essence Communications Inc., the 48-year-old mutliplatform brand that owns Essence magazine and the annual Essence Festival, has gone back to black (ownership), having been acquired by Essence Ventures LLC, an independent African-American-owned company, Essence Ventures announced in a press release. Black Women In Hollywood To Know: Creatives | Essence Meet the writers, hair stylists, costume designers, and all around creatives who are setting the standard today. It does not store any personal data. Bain Capital took a minority stake in Sundial in 2015 in a deal that valued the company at roughly $700 million. The company announced Tuesday night that it had appointed Caroline Wanga to be interim CEO and that they would launch an independent investigation into the workplace culture. IE 11 is not supported. And while BeautyCon devotees have described the event as an inclusive community that allows beauty and lifestyle enthusiasts to network, meet their favorite influencers and get discounted makeup, Black influencers have not always felt welcome. Essence CEO Richelieu Dennis Resigns Following Scathing Op-Ed (Page Six), These Mother-And-Son Entrepreneurs Went From Selling Soap On Harlem Streets To An $850 Million Fortune (Forbes). Clearly, Ebanks team hopes that Essence wont just evolve, but thrive and survive for the next 48 years. 40 Founders Of Black-Owned Hair Care Brands You Should Know About | Essence At the helm of these beloved brands are Black business owners who've made it their mission from the beginning to. Essence magazine is a monthly publication whose target audience is African American women. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Mr. Dennis, the founder of Sundial Brands, a Black beauty products company, bought Essence from Time Inc. in 2018. 1028 on display. . Got it from H&M for $10 a year ago. It is owned by Essence Ventures, an independent African-American owned company focused on merging content, community, and commerce to meet the evolving cultural and lifestyle needs of women of color.. Ebony is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. The company hired two law firms to conduct an investigation, which found that staff felt overworked and underappreciated but concluded that Dennis didnt engage in behavior that would have amounted to unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation. (The anonymous writers of the Medium article did not speak to investigators.). Savor each page [of American Essence]. With a circulation of over 1 million and some 8.5 million monthly readers, Essence is hardly nicheand it should have been appealing to major publishing corporations. Anyone can read what you share. African-America backing, she notes, is not only symbolically important, but ownership is an important pillar of economic empowermentand directly builds wealth and strengthens communities of color., Black media insiders also applauded the Essence deal. We wish you could have been in the room to see the excitement and pride on the Essence Teams' faces as we gave them the good news, according to a statement on the Essence website . Michelle Ebanks will continue to serve as president of ESSENCE Communications and will join its board of directors. Essence, a 48-year-old monthly lifestyle magazine, has a majority-black readership. In addition, it represents a critical recognition, centering and elevation of the Black women running the business from solely a leadership position to a co-ownership position.. Founded in 2011 by Marina Curry, a Black woman, BeautyCon was a hub of live events before it started to falter in 2019. In 2017, it was sold to the conglomerate Unilever, but Dennis remains Sundials CEO and executive chairman. Edward Lewis, co-founder of Essence Magazine, is defending his decision to sell the legacy publication to Time Inc. after recent criticisms from recently . Shanygne Maurice, creator of beauty product reviews on a YouTube channel called TooMuchMouth, said she had a rather unpleasant experience as a Black creator at the last BeautyCon but actually sees the Essence buyout as an opportunity to make the event more inviting and inclusive for Black influencers and enthusiastsgiven Essences history in the Black community., Im not sure if Id participate in the first one [under Essences ownership], she said. Essence Ventures started in 2017 and is chaired by founder, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, In addition, the all black female executive team of, Jalen Hurts Reaches $255 Million Deal With Help of All-Women Management Team, Drake Opens for Lil Wayne During Welcome to tha Carter Toronto Tour Stop, Chance The Rapper Talks Conversation With Dave Chappelle At Black Star Line Festival, Chance The Rapper & Vince Mensas Ghana Festival to Include Erykah Badu, T-Pain & More, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Woman At the Center of Emmett Till Saga, Has Died, Dwyane Wade Moved His Family From Florida Due to Anti-LGBTQ Policies, Controversial Talk Show Host Jerry Springer Has Died, Red Table Talk Canceled as Meta Ends Facebook Watch Originals. The essay also had criticism for two other Essence leaders, the chief operating officer, Joy Collins Profet, and the chief content officer, MoAna Luu. I like my face in this, though. We are hiring for both print as well as online articles. This flare shirt is amazing! Anyone can read what you share. Please email all questions and submissions to jennifer.diane@epochtimes.nyc. An anonymous post on Medium that said it was written by current and former Essence employees is part of a social media campaign for change at the groundbreaking Black media brand. A person who identified herself as a representative of the essays writers, contacted through the Black Female Anonymous Instagram account, declined to be interviewed for this article. Reporters, poking around, have unearthed intriguing connections: a documentary co-produced with Steve Bannon; a donor who worked at the secretive hedge fund run by the Breitbart benefactor Robert. Best-known for massive magazine brands like Time, People, and Sports Illustrated, Time Inc. bought Essence more than a decade ago, back when the publishing company was one of Americas most formidable media giants. The magazine was founded in 1970 as a black-owned publication for black women who, coming out of the Civil Rights era and in the midst of a new feminist wave, were eager to read not only about fashion and beauty but careers and spirituality too. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. That reality was reflected by Johnson Publishing Companys sale two years ago of Ebony and Jet to a private equity firm in Texas, creating a void in black-owned media companies.