This week, Essence magazine ended its affiliation with TIME Inc. after it was sold to SheaMoisture founder and chair Richelieu Dennis. The game-changing move comes after TIME’s acquisition by the Meredith Corp. in November 2017 and SheaMoisture’s accusation by Unilever and it marks the return of Essence as a black-owned publication for the first time in two decades.
Keeping details of the sale sparse in an interview with the New York Times, Dennis told reporters that the sale was done “to serve and empower women of color.”
“This will give Essence a platform and a voice to serve its consumers, which are women of color. They have allowed us to invest in the business so that we can bring in the infrastructure and resources.”
While Essence was still under the banner of TIME it went through several editorial changes that frustrated the readership, including the hiring of white fashion director, Elliana Placas, and managing editor Michael Bullerdick who later resigned after posting racist comments on Facebook.
Read More at https://afropunk.com/2018/01/controlling-narrative-matters-essence-black-owned/
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