Kierna Mayo Explained

Kierna Mayo
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Writer, editor, media executive
Years Active:1990–present
Known For:Ebony (editor-in-chief)
Notable Works: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

Early life

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

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.[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] 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.[10] [11] 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.

Other work

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hicks. Kenneth. 2016-03-24. 4 Gems from Kierna Mayo's Interview on the Combat Jack Show. Blavity.
  2. News: Ogunnalke. Lola. PULSE: HERS; Young, Urban And Glossy. The New York Times . 23 May 1999 . 1 February 2022.
  3. Web site: Carrigan . Emily . 2015-08-15 . Hampton University alumna settling into editor-in-chief role at Ebony magazine . 2024-06-22 . Daily Press . en-US.
  4. Web site: Lustig . Jessica . A Taste of Honey . New York Magazine . 31 January 2022.
  5. Web site: Anderson. Joel. 2020-02-14. Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 4: Against Those Thugs. 2022-02-01. Slate Magazine. en.
  6. Web site: Fern. Aneya. Ebony.com's Kierna Mayo on Digital vs. Print. 2022-02-01. Adweek. en-US.
  7. Web site: 7 Business Lessons We Learned From The History Of Honey Magazine. 2022-02-01. Essence. en-US.
  8. cbsnews.com/news/honey-magazine-to-relaunch-again-as-honeymagcom/
  9. News: 2013-04-03. White Cover Girl On A Black Magazine?. en. NPR.org. 2022-02-01.
  10. Web site: Kierna Mayo and the Maverick Legacy of Ebony. 2022-02-01. Chicago Magazine. en-US.
  11. Web site: McAfee . Melonyce . Ebony 'Cosby Show' cover causes a stir . CNN. 16 October 2015 .
  12. Web site: Puente . Maria . 'Shattered' Bill Cosby on 'Ebony' cover enrages, gratifies Twitter . USA Today . 16 October 2015 . February 1, 2022.
  13. Web site: Kelly. Keith. 2016-06-22. Former Ebony editor slated to become exec at Interactive One. 2022-02-01. New York Post. en-US.
  14. Web site: 2016-06-16. Kierna Mayo Named SVP Of Content & Brands At Interactive One. 2022-02-01. HelloBeautiful. en-US.
  15. Book: She begat this : 20 years of The miseducation of Lauryn Hill . Worldcat . 1041212001 . 1 February 2022.
  16. Web site: White. Brooklyn. 2021-08-24. Ladies First: Smithsonian Hip-Hop Anthology Honors Women's Contributions To The Genre. 2022-02-01. Essence. en-US.
  17. Web site: Brown . Jeffrey . New documentary explores America's 'complicated' relationship with Bill Cosby . PBS . 28 January 2022 . 1 February 2022.
  18. Web site: Lee. Shanon. How 'On The Record' Is About More Than Russell Simmons. 2022-02-01. Forbes. en.
  19. Web site: Why We Work to Free Political Prisoners of the Black Power Era . 2023-04-22 . Hammer & Hope.
  20. Web site: The Root 100 - 2015. The Root. January 2015 .
  21. Web site: Lee . Janet W. . Meryl Streep Pays Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Equality Now Gala . Variety . 4 December 2020 . 1 February 2022.

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