Our Hope for ESSENCE Magazine: Goodbye Angela Burt Murray
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 7:00AM The Blogmother Did y'all hear? It seems she's had enough of y'allz whining and complaining and is throwing up the deuce! Angela Burt Murray is leaving ESSENCE magazine. I knew her days were numbered when she went to the left on y'all for complaining about her hiring practices. Her passive aggressive response was not that of a woman who planned on hanging around.
Angela Burt-Murray, editor at Essence magazine for the last five years, "has announced her plan to leave her post and relocate with her family to Atlanta," John Huey, editor-in-chief of Time Inc. told staff members on Friday. "We are beginning our search for a new editor, but in the interim, Sheryl Tucker, former executive editor of Time Inc., has agreed to serve as acting editor-in-chief. Sheryl, along with Marcia Gillespie, former editor-in-chief of Essence, will assist in the search and selection of a new top editor," he said in a memo. Journalisms
I know most of you are anti-ESSENCE, referring to the periodical affectionately as MESSENCE *giggles*
But, I have a love hate relationship with ESSENCE magazine. They've given me tremendous opportunities, like getting to interview Jesse Jackson while he was in India, the day after Barack Obama won the South Carolina Primary. My interview ended up being picked up on CNN.com in the middle of a historic presidential campaign. how cool was that? In addition, they routinely do in depth stories about the abuse and exploitation of Black women and girls, unfortunately you have to flip through the pages of them encouraging Black women to scour strip clubs to find a date, accept all manner of foolishness in a mate (*cough* Kim Porter *cough*), and generally leave the impression that Black women are inherently inadequate. In the end, I don't think Angela Burt Murray liked her reading audience very much.
Susan Taylor LOVED us. She really did and it showed. Angela Burt Murray clearly thought we were broken and needed to be fixed. Irony of ironies, ESSENCE a magazine where Black women were supposed to come first, ended up catering to men. EVERYTHING about that magazine became about pleasing men, adjusting to men, comforting and protecting men, men men men. Men are great. Men are lovely, but Black women who have a freaking clue aren't going to keep shelling out their hard earned money to read about trifling celebrity relationships and How To Catch a Man, Part 1243.
There was a noticeable shift in the editorial direction of the magazine. I have had the opportunity to work with several editors and fact checkers and even someone in accounting and all of those women have always be top notch except for a minor kerfluffel with some ESSENCE publicists who said I wouldn't write anything about ESSENCE unless it was negative :( So not true, but still funny to hear.
Remember our run ins over the past three years such as when they sent employees to this blog to post astroturf comments after I called them out for their pro-stripper dating advice, but I think most Black women would like ESSENCE to DO BETTER!
So with the exit of the Editor Angela Burt Murray hopefully this marks the start of a new editorial direction and digital strategy.
So here are my hopes
- I hope y'all get a new website designer because ESSENCE magazine is worthier of more than a blog masquerading as an internet portal.
- I hope y'all spend as much time compiling lists of Black women who are fabulous as you spend on your various Bachelor auctions y'all run about once a quarter.
- Try putting a non-celebrity on the cover. Take a frigging risk.
- I hope you stop telling Black women that their lives begin and end with men.
- I hope y'all fire WHOEVER is responsible for encouraging your readers to use sex trafficking (strip clubs) as bait to find a date.
- Stop telling us that we have to settle and date men in prison, men with 5 kids, men who are shorter, taller, fatter, thinner, balder, harrier than we are. We're not picky, we just have preferences, deal with them.
- I hope you celebrate child free single hood. It can be totally awesome.
- I hope y'all go find some Black folks who actually have a functioning relationship to put on the cover of your "Black Love" issue.
- I hope y'all use the power of your platform to highlight Black women who are creating a different vision. If Debra Lee is too evil to use the power of her platform to transform the entertainment industry as opposed to attaching herself to it like a blood sucking leech, then ESSENCE should lead the way.
- I hope y'all find some new voices and perspectives in the Black blogosphere and continue to feature Black bloggers in the print version of the magazine. Yay to Afrobella and others who've gotten published.
- I hope you think about the state of Black womanity and help Black women transcend their circumstances instead of exploiting their fears and insecurities to sell more magazines.
So to whoever replaces Angela Burt Murray, good luck and DO BETTER!
Check out our ESSENCE magazine-related posts over the past three years, there are TONS. In retrospect maybe their publicists were right, there are a number of zingers in that archive.
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Reader Comments (16)
Totally agree with you, especially on our preferences. Excellent thread!
<snip>I hope you celebrate child free single hood. It can be totally awesome.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well, I have often called Essence "Messence" because I've read/subscribed to it since the beginning, May 1970; I even still have the very first issue. So, when it started taking turns for the worse, I too called it a "mess" because I was so very disappointed. It was a integral part of my coming-of-age process. (Much like "For Colored Girls" play/book.)
The psychological warfare against us Black women, subtle and not-subtle, is ongoing, but I hope whoever comes on board of Essence will do better by us. We deserve better, we demand better and I really pray the next person, has a clue to take us to the next level of quality magazine journalism. :)
I feel like I'm in the minority, because I felt like Essence had gotten better over the past five years not worse. It was more pleasing to look out; I liked the money advice stories; and there were more articles about saving our daughters than I recall from the 1990s.Previously, I felt that Essence was being directed toward a higher socio-economic group that didn't represent most of us, and I appreciated the shift in demographics towards a more middle-class audience. It appeared to me that in the 1990s, Essence wasn't using any models unless they passed the paper bag test. Within the last past years, Essence has featured models of a all sizes, shades, and hair textures. I did find the increase of articles written by men; the bachelor of the month; and relationsip articles a little off-putting, but I chalked that up to my being married. Also, most women's magazines treat their audiences like they're broken and need to be fixed that's how they sell their wares. By no means is that an apology for their behavior, though.
Ding Dong THE WITCH IS DEAD...hahahahahahahahahaha I'm sorry I couldn't resist, I kid I kid .Hehehehe
Anywho,I've been thinking about what I said on the Jay-Z post about forgiveness and second chances.Because I realized that I really don't have to forgive certain people and entities.At ALL.EVER. I think i'm gonna start using my priviledge of not forgiving more and more.
Buck Mesence to HELL!
They knew what they were doing when they did it.I mean how many Angela Murrays did it take to run messence?
I know some black women will say but we need or have to have some type of magazine but I disagree.The only thing I need personally is some education from a school.Working on that btw.It is time for Essence to go under.If there will be another magazine we need a fresh start.Different magazine different people working at the magazine.A black owned magazine.
I agree @ Truth P....especially in this day and age of black women bloggers and black women engaged other forms of alternative media (zines, newsletters etc) there are so many black women writing about our REAL diverse experiences as black women...creating progressive/radical/grassroots writings..Essence has failed to be forward in their thinking..to reach out to these new radical groups of black women...which is a disgrace because it used to be...now it has basically become a Cosmopolitan for black women...a shame and a waste of a once truly great magazine...I don't think we will ever have it back..mainly because it's under Time, Inc thumb now. They have no investment in empowering black women...they need us to buy products (if you flip through an Essence now...you have to go through 20 pages of advertisement before you get to a half-assed good story smh lol)
Let me add some more:
1) Vanity Fair publishes a young hollywood issue every year. It mostly features young up and coming white actors/actresses. Essence should do that, but it should be young, black hollywood. Upcoming black actors/actreses. Make sure their not too obscure. Meaning they've only done youtube.com, don't have a Sag card and haven't even done a commercial.
2) Stop recycling the same black folks on your covers. Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Jada Smith, Iman, Beyonce, Jill Scott. Stop reshuffling the deck. Your audience isn't fooled. There are other black celebrites than the 10 you constantly use over and over again.
3) Stop putting black men on the cover who do NOT date black women (Reggie Bush) or who have babies by multiple black women and don't marry them (P. Diddy).
4) Re-hire Susan Taylor! Essence was classy back then. No stripper articles.
@Miss Thang - I love your first three points.
1) Lovely idea. Since young Black woman (and men) are routinely ignored by the big entertainment magazines, we need to feature them. A Young Black Hollywood issue would be awesome.
2) Cosign, cosign, cosign. I'm so dang tired of the same entertainers on the cover I don't know what to do. Does it always have to be singers, actresses, or models? Two young Black sisters from Spelman won a "Best Mobile App" prize last week beating out students from Harvard and MIT. Wouldn't they be worthy of a cover? We have Black women business owners, religious leaders, scholars, etc. that could definitely use the publicity as well as showcasing the diversity in our community.
3) Yes, the Black men featured have to love and respect Black women.
4) I would actually like to see a young/younger Black woman in this role. There is certainly room for Ms. Taylor to be a mentor, but we need to develop the younger generation. Or we'll find ourselves in this same position again soon.
I agree with Miss Thang. Also, how about more investigative reporting?
* For example, areas of the country where there is toxic dumping and the BLACK WOMEN THAT ARE ORGANIZING/LEADING THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE TOXIC DUMPS.
* The Black women across the country who are running for elected office that run as Independents, Republicans, etc., not jus those that run as Democrats - our sisters are also politically diverse as well.
* The women of Haiti that survived the earthquake and are trying to rebuild their lives. AN IN-DEPTH REPORT ON THE THREE MAJOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST THAT DIED IN THE EARTHQUAKE. Has Essence even sent an investigative team there yet? No?
* An in-depth report on VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), what it means, how it is re-authorized/refunded, the grants it gives to community organizations to try to prevent domestic violence, rape, stalking, trafficking, etc. A series of articles on the many Women of Color that lead domestic violence/sexual assault programs, etc.
* Black women who have found jobs or created a new job for themselves or others in this tough economy.
* Grassroots, community based, yet-undiscovered fashion designers.
* Black women who are getting MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering, physics, nuclear engineering, math and other sciences, etc.
* THE CASE OF THE SCOTT SISTERS IN GEORGIA . . . .
I think you get my point. I hope Essence will at least give such responsible, quality magazine journalism a try. :)
Word to all of the above! Messence indeed!
As a former reader of Essence based in London well said Miss Thang.Essence used to be part bible part life guide but it is now a collection of nothing about nothing making us feel like nothing.Angela Burt Murray was part of the problem and rather like the women who heads up BET Debra L Lee.Two Black women who are supposed to have our back, shine a light on our greatness and stop feeding negative stereotypes.Essence used to put a smile on my face as I knew I could read about Betty Shabazz, Angela Davies, Alice Walker, Debbie Allen and Black sisters worldwide who are doing great things.I have no interest in Kerry Washington,Reggie Bush, P-diddy and Naomi, Black people who to me do not embody pride, self respect and a strong culture.Where are the scientists, the astronauts, the doctors and teachers.I hope her replacement is a strong woman with convictions and pride, Essence is better than that and has lost its way.Stop following trends and start making them.
Here something to add to the list. Stop telling your readers the importance of getting out of debt/go on a financial diet, and then the next 3 pages our full of designer clothing with nothing under $400...at least add a "how to get this look for less" option!
I decided against renewing my subscription after Reggie Bush was used on the Feb. cover and know lots of other who did the same even before. I think one thing to remember is that some people in charge at Black oriented media outlets don't "fully" identify as Black so it makes it easier to sell us out.
I would like to see Essence feature more Black women with disabilities both on the cover and inside the magazine.
I'm so tired of ppl blaming the Debra Lee 's and Angela Murray's. I think they are doing a great job and if we were a little more supportive, maybe we could work together to make up for their shortcomings. Yeah, so BET is not where it should be, but its successful for a reason. If you don't like it , don't watch it. hmmm...lets start another network... how about black women always complaining?LOL Did it ever occur to you that maybe WE want to read stories about finding a man or maybe we want to read about "our insecurities". Hopefully, Essence will be led by another positive woman! Lets celebrate how far we came and how far we will go...
cali..... you're joking, right?
Hopefully this signals a new beginning for Lessence.