The fifth and final episode of Time Of Essence culminates with the highlights of the tragedy and triumph the legacy brand faced since its inception in 1970—problems amongst the founding members, changes in editorial leadership, and even a buyout from Time Inc. Despite this, if there’s anything viewers have learned watching each episode of this series, ESSENCE prevailed.
The 2010s was an era of Black woman glam—Beyonce announced her pregnancy of her first child, Blue Ivy Carter at the VMAs in 2011, Bravo’s Real Housewives Of Atlanta was the shining star amongst all the franchises, and the digital age marked a rise in memes. Black stars were taking center stage.
“The 2010s, going into 2020, while there was a lot of progress, it outlined a lot more disparity,” said ESSENCE Ventures President and CEO Caroline Wanga. “This wasn’t going to be a decade where we were just going to sit.”
At the start of the decade, the magazine was purchased by Time Inc., and former ESSENCE Editor-In-Chief Susan L. Taylor was out, and Mikki Taylor would soon follow. Angela Burt-Murray would take the reins and become the new EIC, but of course not without a few hiccups along the way. In ESSENCE’s long and storied history, the magazine has always highlighted Black love in the February issue. However, Burt-Murray, wanted to shake things up—instead of a couple, she placed then-NFL hotshot Reggie Bush on the cover. Nonetheless, his burgeoning career at the time made it difficult to get a photoshoot with the former New Orleans Saints running back, so Burt-Murray opted for stock photos.
The magazine received backlash for the cover, considering that Bush was dating socialite and reality star Kim Kardashian at the time. “This man is not a representative of Black love,” said former ESSENCE writer Jamilah Lemiuex. “He’s in a relationship with a…
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