Queen Latifah has something that women connect with. Women like her. No, not like that. I mean they relate to her and see her as real. Just ask Michelle Ebanks, the CEO of Essence magazine, the perennial voice of black women everywhere for close to 40 years. The Essence franchise, which includes the magazine, an online destination and an eagerly anticipated annual music festival, owes its success to consistently tapping into what moves black women, and according to Ebanks, it’s Dana “Queen Latifah” Owens. That’s just one of the tidbits regarding women that Ebanks recently shared with the attendees of the Association of National Advertisers conference assembled in Scottsdale, Ariz.
In a one-on-one with Ebanks, she explained the lasting appeal of the monthly publication. “Essence has developed a unique space in the lives of African American women. And the biggest reason, I believe, is because it’s her voice. Her images … her voice and so those stories are deeply engaging when they are so reflective of her unique sense of self,” she said.
Ebanks went on to say that two decades of seeing strong, affirmative and decidedly feminine images of women in her magazine has had very positive lasting effects on the psyche of its readers.
“Women are transforming life as we know it today and African American women, I believe, are on the forefront. African American women are leading households and they have the leading employment rate amongst all groups of women. They have the highest [rate] of volunteerism, you know, [they are] actively engaged in serving communities and mentoring relationships. So, this is a woman who is very much a nurturer and caring about the relationships, as all women do, but she is out front and on the front lines doing the work of strengthening families and communities. It’s really quite spectacular,” Ebanks said. –stanley yorker
