Kierna Mayo
Kierna Mayo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, editor, media executive |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | Ebony (editor-in-chief) |
| Notable work | Honey magazine (co-founder) |
Kierna Mayo is an American writer, editor, and media executive. She started her journalism career as a member of the original writing staff for The Source. Mayo co-founded the lifestyle magazine Honey in 1999, and was later the editor-in-chief of Ebony. Mayo is the vice president and executive editor of Random House and Roc Nation's imprint Roc Lit 101.
Life and career
[edit]Early life
[edit]Mayo was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She was a fan of hip-hop music during her adolescence, and attended high school at Murry Bergtraum High School with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (of A Tribe Called Quest fame).[1] She received her bachelor's degree from Hampton University.[2][3]
Journalism and editing
[edit]Mayo was an original staff writer and editor at The Source, where she worked for four years.[4] Her writing frequently pushed back against sexism in the music industry and blanket criticism of hip hop.[5]
In March 1999, she co-founded and was named the inaugural editor-in-chief of Honey, a bimonthly lifestyle and fashion periodical geared toward young multicultural women.[4][6] She and her co-founder Joicelyn Dingle sold the magazine and ultimately shuttered it in 2003 due to creative differences with the new owner, as well as financial issues.[7][8]
Mayo worked as Ebony's editorial director beginning in 2011 and was promoted to editor-in-chief in 2015.[9][10][3] A few months into her tenure she attracted both praise and condemnation for a cover depicting the fictional Huxtable family of The Cosby Show in a smashed picture frame.[11][10] The accompanying article, written by Goldie Taylor, contextualized Cliff Huxtable's legacy in light of the scores of women that accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault and misconduct.[12]
In 2016, Mayo resigned from her position after Ebony's owners sold the publication to ClearView Partners.[13] Later that year she was named senior vice president of content and brands for Interactive One.[14]
As of 2021 she is the vice president and executive editor at the publishing imprint One World/Roc Lit 101.[citation needed]
Other work
[edit]Mayo wrote the foreword to Joan Morgan's cultural history book, She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (2018).[15] She also contributed the essay “Hip-Hop Heroines” to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hip and Rap (2021).[16]
Mayo appeared as a commentator for On the Record and We Need to Talk About Cosby.[17][18]
She was previously a part of the human rights organization, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.[19]
Accolades
[edit]- 2015 – The Root 100[20]
- 2020 – Equality Now Gala Honoree[21]
References
[edit]- ^ Hicks, Kenneth (2016-03-24). "4 Gems from Kierna Mayo's Interview on the Combat Jack Show". Blavity.
- ^ Ogunnalke, Lola (23 May 1999). "PULSE: HERS; Young, Urban And Glossy". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ a b Carrigan, Emily (2015-08-15). "Hampton University alumna settling into editor-in-chief role at Ebony magazine". Daily Press. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
- ^ a b Lustig, Jessica. "A Taste of Honey". New York Magazine. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Joel (2020-02-14). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 4: Against Those Thugs". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ Fern, Aneya. "Ebony.com's Kierna Mayo on Digital vs. Print". Adweek. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ "7 Business Lessons We Learned From The History Of Honey Magazine". Essence. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ cbsnews.com/news/honey-magazine-to-relaunch-again-as-honeymagcom/
- ^ "White Cover Girl On A Black Magazine?". NPR.org. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ a b McAfee, Melonyce (16 October 2015). "Ebony 'Cosby Show' cover causes a stir". CNN.
- ^ "Kierna Mayo and the Maverick Legacy of Ebony". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ Puente, Maria (16 October 2015). "'Shattered' Bill Cosby on 'Ebony' cover enrages, gratifies Twitter". USA Today. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ Kelly, Keith (2016-06-22). "Former Ebony editor slated to become exec at Interactive One". New York Post. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ "Kierna Mayo Named SVP Of Content & Brands At Interactive One". HelloBeautiful. 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ She begat this : 20 years of The miseducation of Lauryn Hill. OCLC 1041212001. Retrieved 1 February 2022 – via Worldcat.
- ^ White, Brooklyn (2021-08-24). "Ladies First: Smithsonian Hip-Hop Anthology Honors Women's Contributions To The Genre". Essence. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ Brown, Jeffrey (28 January 2022). "New documentary explores America's 'complicated' relationship with Bill Cosby". PBS. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ Lee, Shanon. "How 'On The Record' Is About More Than Russell Simmons". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ "Why We Work to Free Political Prisoners of the Black Power Era". Hammer & Hope. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ "The Root 100 - 2015". The Root. January 2015.
- ^ Lee, Janet W. (4 December 2020). "Meryl Streep Pays Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Equality Now Gala". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2022.