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Susan L. Taylor

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For the American biochemist, see Susan S. Taylor.
Susan L. Taylor
Taylor in 1998
Born (1946-01-23) January 23, 1946 (age 78)
Harlem, New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materFordham University
Occupations
  • Editor
  • journalist

Susan L. Taylor (born January 23, 1946) is an American editor, writer, and journalist. She served as editor-in-chief of Essence from 1981 through 2000.[1] In 1994, American Libraries referred to Taylor as "the most influential black woman in journalism today".

Early life

Taylor was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City to a Trinidadian mother and a father from St. Kitts.[2] She grew up in East Harlem, where her father owned a clothing store. She was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school.[3] As a teenager, she moved with her family to the New York borough of Queens.[4]

Essence

Taylor started her career at Essence, a magazine for African-American women, in 1970, the year the magazine was founded. Her first position at the magazine was freelance fashion and beauty editor.[1] At the time, she was a divorced single mother without a college degree.[5]

By 1981, Taylor had risen to become editor-in-chief, a position she held until 2000.[1] During the 1980s, she attended night school and earned a B.A. from Fordham University.[5]

In addition to her editing responsibilities, Taylor had success building the Essence brand. She was executive producer and host of Essence, the Television Program, a syndicated interview program broadcast on more than 50 stations for four years during the 1980s. In the 1990s, she began Essence Books.[5]

Taylor's monthly inspirational column, "In the Spirit", became a popular feature of the magazine. She published three volumes of selected columns.

In 2000, Taylor was promoted to publications director. She left the magazine in 2008.[1]

Several news outlets have published stories regarding trans model Tracey Norman, in which it is said that Taylor played a direct role in her exile from the industry after her transness was discovered.[6][7][8] Taylor has vociferously denied these accusations, and has said that she had always suspected Norman was trans.[9]

Awards

In 1986, Taylor received a Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.[10] In 1987, she received the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications.[11][12]

The Magazine Publishers of America gave Taylor its Henry Johnson Fisher Award, considered one of the industry's highest honors, in 1998. She was the first African-American woman to receive the award.[1][13]

In 2002, Taylor was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame for her work at Essence.[14][15]

Exceptional Women in Publishing presented Taylor its fifth annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing award in 2003.[16]

In 2006, the NAACP gave Taylor its President's Award.[17]

Taylor is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority; she was inducted on July 13, 2013.[18]

Personal life

In 1989, Taylor married writer Khephra Burns at their home in upstate New York.[19] Taylor's daughter, Shana, owns a beauty supply business and is married to NBA Hall of Fame inductee Bernard King.[5]

Published works

  • In the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor, 1993.
  • Lessons in Living, 1995.
  • Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives, 1997. Co-authored with Khephra Burns.
  • All About Love: Favorite Selections from "In the Spirit" on Living Fearlessly, 2008.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Arango, Tim (December 28, 2007). "Essence Editor Is Leaving Magazine". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Taylor, Susan L. (April 1992). "Journeying into the Light". Essence. ProQuest 223175138.
  3. ^ "Susan Taylor - Celebrating Black History Month". ELYSIAN Magazine. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  4. ^ Taylor, Susan L. (April 19, 2010). "Susan L. Taylor Talks Back to The Root". The Root. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d McHenry, Susan (November–December 2004). "Black Publishing's Inspirational Godmother". Black Issues Book Review. ProQuest 217755161.
  6. ^ Yuan, Jada; Aaron Wong (December 14, 2015). "The First Black Trans Model Had Her Face on a Box of Clairol". The Cut.
  7. ^ Feldman, Jamie (August 17, 2016). "Here's What We Can Learn From Tracey 'Africa' Norman's Triumphant Return To Modeling". HuffPost.
  8. ^ Hoby, Hermione (August 21, 2016). "How Tracey Norman, America's first black trans model, returned to the limelight". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Yuan, Jada (December 27, 2015). "Susan Taylor Says She Wouldn't Have Outed Tracey Africa". The Cut.
  10. ^ "CANDACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1982-1990, Page 3". National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Archived from the original on March 14, 2003.
  11. ^ Dougherty, Philip H. (February 17, 1987). "Women's Group Names Matrix Award Winners". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Matrix Awards Hall of Fame". New York Women in Communications. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  13. ^ "Henry Johnson Fisher Award Recipients". MPA – The Association of Magazine Media. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  14. ^ Carr, David (May 2, 2002). "Magazine Award Winners, if Not Profit Champions". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  15. ^ "Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame". American Society of Magazine Editors. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  16. ^ "Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award". Exceptional Women in Publishing. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  17. ^ "The 37th NAACP Image Awards Winners". NAACP. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  18. ^ Clifford, Patricia (August 6, 2013). "Delta Sigma Theta Centennial Celebration, Convention". Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  19. ^ "Society World". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. October 16, 1989. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
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