Essence Denies Toxic Workplace Allegations After Anonymous Call for Resignations

As it marks its 50th anniversary this month amid a multi-weekend, virtual edition of its annual music and culture festival, Essence finds itself on the defensive, refuting allegations of a toxic work environment rife with corporate bullying, intimidation and pay inequity made in an anonymous letter released Sunday, which called for the resignations of several of the magazine's executives. Purportedly written by current and/or former staffers who said they withheld their identities for fear of retaliation, the letter, titled "The Truth About Essence," accused CEO and owner Richelieu Dennis and other senior executives of fostering an "extremely unhealthy work culture" at the publication, which they said upheld a "longstanding pattern of gross mistreatment and abuse of its Black female employees," which make up over 80% of Essence's workforce. "The testimonies on Twitter and Instagram by a mighty chorus of brave Black women uncovered the racial bias and discrimination in America’s white-owned mass media organizations. This led to resignations followed by recent corporate promises to do better," the letter stated. "But Black women at Essence have been forced to remain silent. We fear cannibalizing the public narrative for Black Lives Matter and civil rights 2.0. We also fear losing our jobs or being banished from Black cultural spaces." The letter detailed a litany of alleged transgressions by management, including "tactical bullying" and "malignant and histrionic... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-30 17:51:48 UTC ]
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Black Writers’ Guild calls for sweeping change in UK publishing

More than 100 authors join new body calling for the industry to address deep-seated inequalities in output and personnelMore than 100 writers including Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Malorie Blackman have called on all major publishing houses in the UK to introduce... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-15 17:08:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #major publishing #bestseller charts #significantly addressing #racial inequality #raising awareness #british publishers #george floyd #malorie blackman #benjamin zephaniah #sweeping change #guild calls #black writers #uk publishing


Missouri Newspaper Publisher Resigns After Printing Racist Cartoon

Bill Miller Sr. has stepped down as the Washington Missourian's publisher but is still the paper's owner. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2020-06-11 17:50:02 UTC ]
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EIC’s at Bon Appétit and Refinery29 Resign Amid Criticism

[caption id="attachment_181520" align="alignright" width="171"] Adam Rapoport[/caption] Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief at Bon Appétit since 2010, is stepping down from that role after a photo of him in an offensive Halloween costume resurfaced online Monday amid allegations from current and... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-09 15:00:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hey @refinery29 #$400 million #eventually return #eller apologized #sinha-roy accused #hollywood reporter #freelance journalist #hiring freeze #wide range #original mission #divergent points #immediately begin #transitionary period #barberich implied #statement monday


We need to call out the lack of support and erasure of Black British voices

Using terms such as BAME and PoC makes it harder to call out the lack of support and erasure of Black British voices (often working class and male) from festivals, prizes, agencies and organisations set up by non-Black PoC in the name of ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-09 05:56:06 UTC ]
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Waterstones responds to staffers' call to support Black Lives Matter

Waterstones has said Covid-19 closures means a charitable donation to Black Lives Matter is not currently possible despite a petition set up by booksellers calling for the chain to financially support the cause. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 15:36:16 UTC ]
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Poets Call for Change at Poetry Foundation

An open letter to the Poetry Foundation signed by more than 1,800 individuals issued in response to the organization's recent statement on the killing of George Floyd and other current events calls for significant change at the organization, including the resignations of its president and board... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #george floyd #open letter #poetry foundation #significant change


7 important books for building an anti-racist workplace

Add these to your reading list if you want to create a truly inclusive work environment. As massive crowds fill the streets to protest police brutality following the death of George Floyd, many people are also taking another important action: reading.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-06-04 07:00:55 UTC ]
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Book publishers sue Internet Archive for allegedly enabling piracy

When libraries around the US began closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Internet Archive (IA) responded by creating a “National Emergency Library,” a collection of 1.4 million books from its free e-book repository Open Library. Pu... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-06-01 19:33:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #libraries #e-book #coronavirus pandemic #doors due


Three Agents Resign After Red Sofa Literary Owner's Tweet

Three literary agents affiliated with Red Sofa Literary, a boutique agency in St. Paul, Minn., resigned this past weekend after its principal tweeted that she was calling police to report looting on her block. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coronet acquires Adult Virgins Anonymous

Coronet has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Adult Virgins Anonymous, a novel about two 20-something virgins who meet at a support group, by YA writer Nicole Burstein, writing under the pseudonym Amber Crewe. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-29 09:42:46 UTC ]
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BA calls for trade support as bookshops gear up for 15th June reopening

The Booksellers Association has called for publishers to support the sector in getting back to business after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday (25th May) that stores could reopen from 15th June. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-26 03:20:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #booksellers association #15th june #bookshops gear #ba calls #trade support


How indie rocker Mikel Jollett overcame the toxic events in his life

"Hollywood Park," a new memoir from the frontman for the Airborne Toxic Event, recounts his childhood in L.A.'s Synanon cult — and his recovery. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-20 16:33:40 UTC ]
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Call the author

Nobody wants a story when they cannot breathe, wrote author Sarah Perry, in a piece published in the Guardian last week, that detailed her passing crisis of confidence with her craft. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 22:38:44 UTC ]
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Viking wins three-way auction for Langford's farming 'clarion call'

Viking has scooped an “urgent clarion call” for the British farming industry by Sarah Langford in a three-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 01:34:01 UTC ]
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McGraw-Hill and Cengage call off planned merger

Publishers McGraw-Hill and Cengage have mutually agreed to call off their planned merger. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 10:50:25 UTC ]
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McGraw-Hill, Cengage Call Off Merger

The inability to reach an agreement with the government about which divestitures the publishers needed to make to allow the merger to move forward led to the deal being canceled, the companies said. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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8 of This Week’s Most Telling Marketing Stats, From Earnings Calls to a Surge in Fashion Sales

In the midst of all our town halls, Latin dance breaks and golf tournaments on Zoom, April zoomed by at an alarmingly rapid pace. With the calendar turning to May, it's officially Q1 earnings season. Plus, Nielsen dives into what sports fans are watching in the absence of sports. Here are the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-05-01 20:05:11 UTC ]
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Defining the essence of American conservatism (and excluding Trump)

A roster of diverse writers, past and present, explain the ideals of their movement. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-30 15:58:46 UTC ]
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U.K. Booksellers Call for Government Help

With sales at some bookstores down by as much as 80% since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the U.K. Booksellers Association has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer outlining steps the government can take to support the industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BA calls on government to support sector with retail space 'furloughing'

The Booksellers Association has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak asking for a series of measures to support booksellers during the Covid-19 crisis, including allowing retail spaces to be "furloughed" and help to keep the supply chain open.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-28 12:49:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #booksellers association #covid-19 crisis #support booksellers #retail space #ba calls