Many were shocked when news hit that Essence editor-in-chief Constance White was leaving her post at the helm of the magazine after less than two years in the position. It was widely reported that White’s departure was of her own volition, but a new interview with Richard Prince’s Journal-isms reveals that she was fired.
In her own words, White explains that her termination was the offset of several disagreements with Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief Martha Nelson about how black women should be represented by the monthly.
She tells Journal-isms:
“Essence, the nation’s leading magazine for black women, was originally black-owned but has not fared well under Time Inc. ownership, White maintained. Nelson vetoed such pieces as a look at African American art and culture, and “I was not able to make the creative hires that needed to be made,” White said.
She elaborated by email, “When was the last time you saw Essence in the community advocating for or talking with Black women? […] No more T-shirts with a male employee’s face on it being distributed at the [Essence] Festival.”
[…] “I had a certain point of view about black women being central to this magazine. The boss didn’t agree with me and the president didn’t agree with me,” she said, referring to Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications. “It became an untenable situation.”
Read full story via Clutch Magazine here
I am really saddened about this. I should have know that Essence was not black owned, but I didn’t. Why can’t we have any thing of our own? Hair companies, magazines, BET. African Americans’ image has and always will be filtered through a white lens. This is not good!