Essence workers: Mag a ‘fraud’

ESSENCE magazine is being rocked with scandal as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. A disparaging article titled “The Truth About Essence” was published on Medium.com on Sunday under the byline Black Female Anonymous.

“We present ourselves under the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, intimidation and the maligning of our media careers,” they wrote. “We demand the immediate resignation of Chief Executive Officer Richelieu Dennis,

Essence Ventures board member and former Essence Communications CEO Michelle Ebanks, Chief Operating Officer Joy Collins Profet, and Chief Content Officer Moana Luu.”

The article alleges a toxic work environment that black women face at a magazine geared toward them. They claim CEO Dennis’ “surface-level commitment to Black women is driven by greed and a debaucherous sexual appetite.” They allege that Dennis, who sold his company Sundial Brands (including Shea Moisture) to Unilever in 2017, “has a history of sleeping with women on the Sundial staff . . . and for the women who don’t seemingly consent, he openly sexually harasses them at private company events.” The authors did not provide specific examples of harassment.

They’re giving Essence execs five days to respond. “On Day 6 we release personal testimonials of pay inequity, workplace bullying, layoffs while on maternity leave and immediately after giving birth and sexual harassment. Step down now,” the collective wrote on their Instagram.

Essence denied the claims in a statement: “The last 24 hours have been heartbreaking . . . Anonymity does not negate accountability. Facts will always matter, and we are not afraid of the truth. The allegations and mischaracterizations throughout — whether of pay inequity, intimidation [or] otherwise — are unfounded attempts to discredit our brand and assassinate personal character. Further, accusations of sexual harassment or misconduct are extremely serious matters, and we fully understand the gravity of the implications.”