Essence Magazine has been hit with accusations of sexual harassment, bullying and pay inequity, in a scathing essay penned by an anonymous group of staff members who claim the company has been ‘hijacked by corporate greed and an unhinged abuse of power.’
A Medium blog uploaded on Sunday under the byline, ‘Black Female Anonymous’ called for the resignation of CEO Richelieu Dennis, Essence Ventures board member Michelle Ebanks, COO Joy Collins Profet, and Chief Content Officer Moana Luu, for allegedly creating an ‘extremely unhealthy work culture.’
The company has denied all allegations in a statement, calling the claims ‘unfounded attempts to discredit our brand and assassinate personal character.’
The magazine, which caters to a black female audience, was described as the ‘most deceptive Black media company in America’, as the disgruntled authors claim the company capitalizes on the idea of black female empowerment brand but fails to practice it in the workplace.
The authors of the essay, ‘Black Female Anonymous’ called for the resignation of CEO Richelieu Dennis (center) Essence Ventures board member Michelle Ebanks (left) COO Joy Collins Profet, and Chief Content Officer Moana Luu (right) for allegedly creating an ‘extremely unhealthy work culture’
The anonymous group has accused Essence of authors capitalizes on the idea of black female empowerment brand but failing to practice it in the workplace
The essay includes allegations of abuse, intimidation, wrongful layoffs, pay inequality and mistreatment of black female employees, however it provides little to no specific details on the alleged events.
The group has launched a petition online demanding a change in leadership and urging corporate sponsors such as AT&T, Chase Bank, Coca Cola, Walmart and other brands to immediately ‘divest’ all its partnerships with the company.
The authors accuse Dennis, 49, who acquired the publication in 2018, of having a ‘surface-level commitment to Black women driven by greed and a debaucherous sexual appetite.’
They claim the married CEO has a history sleeping with women on the Sundial staff [the parent company of Shea Moisture sold to Unilever in 2017] and preys on female employees at private company events.
The essay, however, does not provide specifics on his alleged harassment or identify any women involved.
Dennis is also accused of forcing employees to sign non-disclosure agreements in an effort to protect him from potential backlash from ‘wrongful layoffs’ and ‘libelous activity’ and allegedly intimidating black female staff who questioned the legal contract.
They claim some Black female staffers have experienced mental health issues and even ‘repeated miscarriages’ under the ‘malignant’ leadership of Ebanks who joined as president in 2005.
‘Under both leadership of Ebanks and Joy Collins Profet, Chief Operating Officer, staff suffered from intense anxiety, depression, evidenced by signs of extreme weight gain or loss, workforce isolation and surrendered resignations,’ the essay states.
‘It is also sadly, under Michelle’s management that Black female staff on maternal leave or recently returned from work after giving birth, were dismissed from their roles or at minimum threatened with dismissal.’
During a company town hall in 2019, the authors claim Ebanks ‘casually pointed to the door and told staff they could leave’ when they asked about pay raises.
They also allege the company ‘initiated interrogation tactics’ to ‘find the mole’ after a staff member anonymously sent in a complaint to Dennis and Ebanks regarding Moana Luu’s ‘workplace bullying.’
‘Essence’s C-suite leadership team strategically tells the market it ‘serves Black women deeply’ under the safe seal of 100% Black ownership, but for the Black women who makeup over 80% of the company’s workforce, they are systematically suppressed by pay inequity, sexual harassment, corporate bullying, intimidation, colorism and classism,’ the essay states.
‘Essence magazine is failing Black America. When Black media companies become unstable, it triggers the instability of the entire culture. ‘
‘The demand for a new America calls for the complete accountability of all Americans, even those of us in Black America and our cultural institutions. Black women deserve to feel safe both in white America and Black America. ‘
Essence responded to the allegations in a lengthy statement uploaded on its website on Monday, describing the last 24 hours since its release as ‘heartbreaking’.
‘[A]nonymity 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, and otherwise – are unfounded attempts to discredit our brand and assassinate personal character,’ the statement said.
‘[O]ur message is simple – the accusations are false and we fully deny them. We are not succumbing to a cancel culture. We are not going to defame anyone. We are not meeting hurt with hurt.
‘We know there is a lot of pain and a lot of healing that needs to happen in our communities, but we don’t have to destroy each other to heal.’
The essay comes on the heels of Essence’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The Black Female Anonymous group has also launched an Instagram page ‘takebackessence’ as part of their campaign calling for new leadership.