Know Thyself sweathshirt available @Alkebulan Ujaama Book Store. Jan 03, 2018. But if I were to see how that goes and hear about the event moving in the right direction and it being the fun and inviting event its supposed to be, Id certainly attend in the future., Nottingham, however, questioned whether Essence could really change BeautyCon or if it was another case of diversity initiatives being whitewashed.. In the essay, Black Female Anonymous tied their efforts to the larger social protest movement that has swept the country. Im very focused on giving back, investing and growing my community, he said. The Epoch Times is looking for writers who are passionate and knowledgeable in the field of classical art. We are hiring for both print as well as online articles. I dont believe in losses, she wrote. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In 2000, Time Inc. acquired a 49 percent stake of Essence from its founders and acquired the remaining percentage five years later. As a woman who writes, and aspires to publish a book, I really admire Susan, and I think that she is one of the most influential women in journalism. Essence has always had a close connection to its readers. 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. We knew they wanted to help Black people with Black hair care, especially with people who do their own hair. - Charles Middlemas Uplifting stories about exceptional Americans. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The Essence motto is Black women come first, and Mr. Dennis said he intended to live up to it. Were never lacking content; were never lacking a story; were lacking an opportunity to compete, she added. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Recording Studio: Great journey, I gave a lot of myself to these sessions. For more than 50 years, ESSENCE has been a leader in promoting Black-Owned beauty brands. So, these Black women in particular, if they come forward, where will they go? As reported earlier by Journal-isms for The Root, the Essence brand was not part of the historic, nearly $3 billion sale of Time Inc. to the Meredith Corp. in November 2017. Essence Ventures was founded in 2017 by Richelieu Dennis, who also. We dont want @Essence to fold, the group said. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Clearly, Ebanks team hopes that Essence wont just evolve, but thrive and survive for the next 48 years. In the Medium essay and on social media, Black Female Anonymous has called for the resignations of Ms. Profet and Ms. Luu; demanded that Ms. Ebanks leave the board; and demanded that Mr. Dennis have nothing to do with running Essence. American Essence magazine is a breath of fresh air in troubled times! "There's nobody who owns a factory like this that could make thousands, 10 thousand pieces or more, that pays New York 48 . Receive updates about new stories in the industry. 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. This major move marks Essences return to being a 100% black-owned company. Its not to say that they shouldnt be able to cater to all types of hair and all types of people, but theres always this desire to cater to whiteness and white features. Mr. Dennis sold Sundial Brands to Unilever that month. Fix it or fold.. I dont know, but I dont have high hopes of BeautyCon being a more Black space.. Whether BeautyCon becomes a platform to help combat those inequities remains to be seen. Under the agreement, the $2.8 billion deal would include Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. A target of Black Female Anonymous is Richelieu Dennis, the owner of Essence Ventures, the parent company of the magazine and Essence Communications. Essence covers African-American beauty and style. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In 2017, it was sold to the conglomerate Unilever, but Dennis remains Sundials CEO and executive chairman. 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. Dennis sold his cosmetics company Sundial Brands to Unilever for an estimated $1.6 billion in 2017. What we now have is an opportunity to have the liquidity to make investments in Essence, said Mr. Dennis. Headwraps by Queen Fatima Chui. Essence Ventures is founded and chaired by Richelieu Dennis, founder of Sundial Brands which owns Shea Moisture. I think its cool that it has pockets. Anyone can read what you share. Essence Magazine is now 100% black-owned. Articles to be published in our magazines will be roughly 900-2,000 wordcount and articles that are published to our online website can be 500 to 1,000 wordcount. THE GRIOT PROJECT: Akron with Umojah Nation Reggae band and student Patrick Warner, poet in training. The original name in concept was Sapphire. You may negotiate rate based off experience and expertise. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Black women deserve to feel safe both in white America and Black America., In a Wednesday letter to Ms. Wanga, Black Female Anonymous asked for a guarantee that Mr. Dennis would not have a role in running Essence and that the three other executives they had identified leave the company by the close of business on Friday. American Essence April 24, 2022 Liberty Tree: A Look at Thomas Paine's Song Celebrating the Beauty of American Freedom In a chariot of light from the regions of day, The Goddess of Liberty. 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. The magazine focuses on fashion, pop culture, music and black life. On Thursday (Jan. 4), Essencethe nations leading African American-focused publicationwas sold by Time Inc. to a newly formed company backed by Richelieu Dennis, a multimillionaire personal-care-products mogul. Ebanks directly links this growth to Essences new all-black ownership. Print fond memoriesThis pocket Bluetooth printer lets you print your precious memories before they hit Instagram. Thats commendable. Under the pseudonym Black Female Anonymous, Essence magazine staffers demanded Dennis resignationalong with other leadership changesafter they said women were systematically suppressed by pay inequity, sexual harassment, corporate bullying, intimidation, colorism and classism and the company had been hijacked by cultural and corporate greed and an unhinged abuse of power. The staffers blasted execs for an ironic turn of events: A publication that was meant to empower Black women instead mistreated and abused the women who worked for it. 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). JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION with Umojah Nation Reggae Band and the Griot Project at the Art & Soul of Buckeye Park in Cleveland. Mr. Dennis said that he was raised by a single mother who read Essence magazine and that his four daughters read it. In a statement on Thursday, Latraviette Smith-Wilson, an Essence spokeswoman, described the essays accusations and demands as unsupported and outdated., The statement also addressed Ms. Ebanks, saying she has had no role in day-to-day operations since her departure, and said that Ms. Collins Profet had already accepted a new role with another company before the anonymous blog was posted.. And you can make your world or break it by your own thinking. -Susan Taylor, When is Kwanzaa and my daily Kwanzaa practice, "I saw the Angel in the marble, and carved until I set him free", Prime my subconscious, one hint at a time. Richelieu Dennis speaks onstage during the 2018 Essence Festival in 2018. 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.). filed for bankruptcy last year after being ravaged by the pandemic. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Follow NBCBLK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. 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 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. As part of the growth plan, we will launch and/or acquire new content verticals and new brands in order to super serve our community of women,says company president Michelle Ebanks, who is leading Essences all-female executive team. It is a magazine that focuses on traditional American values and great American stories. Ebanks will also have equity stake in the business along with the executive team of ESSENCE. The brand was looking for another buyer and has apparently found one with Essence Ventures, which was founded and is chaired by Liberian-American Richelieu Dennis, who also is founder of SheaMoisture (in November, Unilever acquired the parent company for SheaMoisture, Sundial Brands). Ebanks insists this sacred wall will still be honoredand that Essence is not directly owned by Sundial, but rather a separate Dennis-helmed entity. Richelieu Dennis, the owner of Essence Ventures, at the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans. and a graphic artist! His firm, Sundial Brands, was founded to provide hair- and skin-care products to minority women, and was inspired by traditional shea-butter recipes found in Denniss native Liberia. Bain Capital took a minority stake in Sundial in 2015 in a deal that valued the company at roughly $700 million. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. The first time I picked up an issue of Essence magazine, I noticed Susan Taylors picture. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. But while Meredith hopes to cut costs, Essences new owners are planning to investheavily. Im not in the business of selling my soul for a couple of dollars or for popularity, DelSol said. 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? The authors called for the resignation of Dennis and other executives, urged for an advertising boycott and painted a damning portrait of Dennis, including alleging that his surface-level commitment to Black women is driven by greed and a debaucherous sexual appetite, that he has sexually harassed multiple women and has used NDAs to protect his family against liability or disparagement. 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. Dennis serves as CEO and executive chairman of Sundial under the Unilever partnership. This denim skirt is from the thrift store for $3. The company said that there had not been claims or evidence of sexual harassment or misconduct and that it would review any new instances brought to HR. We can now invest in women of color as consumers.. Edward Lewis, co-founder of Essence Magazine, is defending his decision to sell the legacy publication to Time Inc. after recent criticisms from recently . 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. The new company, to be. Sundial Brands announced in November a partnership with Unilever to acquire Sundial. Even with your apology, [victims] still have their trauma and the after-effects. Forbes reports that he and his cofounder and mother Mary owned 51% of the company and walked away with an estimated $850 million fortune, making them two of the wealthiest Black entrepreneurs in the world. Braids by my homegirl Aziza Yasmine. Ebony is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. The anonymous essay was published at a time when many other media companies have wrestled with race and discrimination against Black employees and other workers of color. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Boxing legend George Foreman and actor Khris Davis share inspiration for Big George Foreman film, Deborah Janes Strange Fruit film revisits the past to fix the future in racial reconciliation, Black home buyers considering buying a home 5 ways to purchase a house without a down payment, Rolling out kicks off 2023 Sisters with Superpowers 10-city tour and awards dinner in Atlanta, May 4; tickets available, Breaking the Chains provides job training and opportunities to the youth, Shara McHayle shares how hip-hop inspired her business, Hoop 88 Dreams. Anyone can read what you share. 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. We are hiring for both print as well as online articles. . Essence Ventures started in 2017 and is chaired by founder, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Richelieu Dennis. I spent 30 years of my life breaking down the racial barriers of beauty, he said. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. That superseded the priority of Black hair care.. All rights Reserved. As we launch BRIGHT Magazine this week, I have in my head the guiding voices of SJN's co-founders. American Essence highlights the morals and traditional. The magazine has a circulation of more than one million and its website attracts nearly seven million unique visitors each month. In the summer of 2020, a Medium article was published with damning accusations against Essences owner Richelieu Dennis. 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. Essence currently reaches over 16 million people via social media, print, digital engagement and live events, according to a spokeswoman for Essence Ventures. I thank the entire ESSENCE team for their tremendous passion and unrelenting commitment to driving the brands success. Mr. Dennis, the founder of Sundial. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. Essence Ventures is an African-American owned company focused on merging content, community, and commerce founded by Richelieu Dennis, the CEO and founder of Sundial Brands. But this month, he was back. The group has given Ms. Wanga, the interim leader, until the close of business on Friday to comply. In addition, Ebanks, along with a Black female-led executive team, will have an equity stake in the business. Founded in 2011 by Marina Curry, a Black woman, BeautyCon was a hub of live events before it started to falter in 2019. Mr. Dennis would not discuss the details of the sale. The ESSENCE team has extended the brands reach and influence across multiple platforms, solidifying its position as the premier destination for African-American women serving an audience of 16.3 million, said Time Inc. President Rich Battista in a memo to staff obtained by NBC News. Originally from Liberia, he founded Black beauty brand SheaMoisture and then Sundial Brands, the parent company to SheaMoisture. They also alleged that he tried to force Essence employees and contractors to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect himself and his family members who worked in leadership positions at Essence. We accept that because what else is the ultimate goal in this country?. Continuing in our tradition, we're introducing you to the masterminds behind some of the most popular. Essence, as an archive of Black life, is also a cornerstone in the . Top editors from Refinery29, the New York Times, Bon Apptit and the Philadelphia Inquirer resigned last month in response to journalists calling out their own organizations and now Essence can be added to the list of companies making changes. As the Time-Meredith deal closes, Time Inc. has been quietly selling off its more niche titles, including the lifestyle-focused Sunset and now Essence. We idolize Black capitalism, Black consumerism, and Black wealth over Black people, and I dont see this being an issue at all for them. The Daily Beast attempted to reach out to former and current Essence magazine employees to get their views on Dennis latest business ventures in light of the 2020 controversy. An op-ed, titled "The Truth About Essence" and written by "Black Female Anonymous" was published on Medium on Sunday that outlined allegations of a toxic workplace culture in which Black. This is historical.. 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 . The owner of Black business empire Essence Ventures, who vowed to step away as the acting CEO of Essence magazine after being an awful boss during last year's racial reckoning, is. This is a magazine for Americans who love their nation. Essence magazine is a monthly publication whose target audience is African American women. Copyright 2022 Rolling Out. While [people] say they want to protect Black women, thats a lie. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I think many people dont even know about it because no one cares about Black women. American Essence Magazine is also a nonpolitical magazine that aims to showcase the values and traditions of American culture with stores of the people and places, past and present, that helped and continue to help shape this nation. The executive team will also have an ownership interest in the business. However, they either didnt respond or declined to comment. It is a brand I only see at Target. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The essay is part of an online campaign that includes Twitter and Instagram accounts and a change.org petition, which has collected more than 2,000 signatures. Like SheaMoisure, she said. Although financial details remain confidential, Essences sale comes at a precipitous time for both the magazine and the larger media landscape. A new CEO was named for Essence magazine and the company, which owns several other entities like Afropunk festival and hair care company Naturally Curly, promised that Dennis would be taking a step back. Sources familiar with Essence told Page Six that it is likely that current and former employees wrote the anonymous op-ed. In the same . When we think about power dynamics and who has the power, if the allegations are true regardless of an investigation that took placewhere can these women go? An op-ed, titled The Truth About Essence and written by Black Female Anonymous was published on Medium on Sunday that outlined allegations of a toxic workplace culture in which Black employees are systematically suppressed by pay inequity, sexual harassment, corporate bullying, intimidation, colorism and classism.. The once exalted media brand dedicated to Black women has been hijacked by cultural and corporate greed and an unhinged abuse of power, the writers said in the essay. Later in the essay, the writers said the problems at Essence predated the arrival of Mr. Dennis. We have two magazines: Radiant Life and American Essence as well as an online platform: Bright. Its branding was so popular . Because I hope they dont stray from the culture of Essence. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Essence is Black A.F., Nottingham said, which is beautiful, but how are they going to [integrate that with BeautyCon]? , who will keep her place at the helm of the company will also joining its board of directors. 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. They neglected their niche of Blackness their base demographic of Black women with kinky hair. We wish the ESSENCE team the best and will watch this celebrated brand continue to flourish in its next chapter," he stated. iSoloArtist. (Time Inc.s golf magazines and entire UK division are also on the market.) It tells the stories of real Americans who take individual initiative to make their lives and the lives of others better. Everybody aint lying, she said. The move returns 48-year-old Essence to black ownership for the first time in over a decade, and solidifies the magazines status as the most important minority-owned publication in America. 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. Co-founded by Ed Lewis and Clarence Smith in 1968, Essence has been one of the lifestyle go-to companies for African-American women. The website for Bright is The Epoch Times (see below). Dennis acknowledged that, though progress has been made in the beauty industry in terms of racial efforts, it doesnt mean the problem is solved. He said theres still a need for awareness and education to dismantle structural racism at the root of bias in the community. The anonymous essay suggested that many Essence employees believe he has not lived up to that statement. Im not in the business of selling my soul for a couple of dollars or for popularity, one Black content creator told The Daily Beast. The conversations @richelieudennis and I started a few months ago about his strategic vision for @Essence and the opportunity to be on a team furthering the health/wealth of the global black diaspora, across a portfolio of businesses including @essence, was a win. A win stitched together by a 50-year legacy of black creatives, businesses, and community that I would be honored to be a part of., Ms. Wanga noted that she had learned there are things that need to be better for our team and culture and Im ready to begin that work, adding, Im committed to flourishing while fixing and fastening what needs to work to be in service to our teams, communities and partners. The Essence team denied the allegations in a statement Monday, calling them mischaracterizations and unfounded attempts to discredit our brand and assassinate personal character..