#ebonyowes
-
Ebony Magazine Removes CEO Willard Jackson Amid Investigation Into ‘a Number of Transactions’
I believe the phrase is “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” but “I tried to tell, y’all” works perfectly fine, too. For years, The Root has reported on the myriad of struggles that have derailed the once-revered Ebony Magazine. From its failure to compensate contributors to taking The Root to court for calling that shit out…
-
Exclusive: Yes, Ebony Magazine's Website Is Down. But Why? Here's an Explanation
Ebony Magazine has been going through it. Once a sanctuary for black achievement, the legacy publication has stumbled into its 75th anniversary year battered by bankruptcy filings, unsettled debts to contributors, abrupt layoffs and class action lawsuits that have tarnished its reputation as a beacon of cultural pride. To add insult to injury, The Root…
-
The #EbonyOwes Saga Continues: Former Employees File Class Action Lawsuit Against Ebony Magazine
In what could be the final chapter in the tragic #EbonyOwes saga, The Root has learned that seven former employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against Ebony Magazine and its parent company, private equity firm Clear View Group. The complaint, which was filed on Wednesday, names Ebony Media Operations LLC; CVG Group LLC; Michael Gibson,…
-
Exclusive: Ebony Magazine Allegedly Fires Online Staff Without Pay
Life comes at you fast. Or at least if you’re on the digital team at Ebony Magazine. The Root has learned that the once-revered publication allegedly fired its online editorial staff without pay on June 7, according to two sources. Former social media director Joshua David and an additional source who requested anonymity out of…
-
So Ebony Magazine Took Us to Court
OK, so remember that whole #EbonyOwes thing? Of course, you do. Because if you’re an avid reader of The Root, you remember us broaching this subject from the first time it became a trending topic in 2017, all the way up to our final update last November, aptly titled “Dear Ebony Magazine: FU, Pay Your…
-
![Dear Ebony Magazine: FU, Pay Your Writers! [Corrected]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/25213405/zdfjcwlujp3nrtnitj3e-300x169.png)
Dear Ebony Magazine: FU, Pay Your Writers! [Corrected]
“I write things for money.” There it is. My official slogan since I first started writing professionally back in 1996. Head over to my personal Facebook page, and you’ll see it written in my intro. If I were to get a hood tatt, that’s the phrase I’d have my cousin ink into my neck with…
-
Mourning the Living: On Finally Winning the Lawsuit Against Ebony Magazine
Have you ever had a feeling like you were mourning the death of something that was still alive? On Feb. 27, after months of back-and-forth, canceled court dates and a stringing along that felt as if we were never going to come to an agreement, 43 writers settled their lawsuit with the once powerful Ebony…
-
50 Years After Kerner Report Criticizing Representation of Black People in Media, Some Say It Wasn’t Taken Seriously
Media Were ‘Shockingly Backward’ on Blacks Tweets Show Media Are Considered Clueless . . . Income Inequality, Wealth Gap Have Widened Tapper Blasts Politicians Who Meet With Farrakhan Unity Votes to Dissolve Indian Country Today Revived; Trahant to Edit Amy Holmes to Co-Host Conservative PBS Show Brazile Calls Russian Hacking ‘National Emergency’ RTDNA Asks Journalists…
-
#EbonyOwes Series Finale: Ebony Magazine Settles With Unpaid Writers
After stiffing dozens of the country’s best and most popular black journalists for years, the iconic Ebony magazine entered into a settlement agreement with a group of writers who had gone unpaid for freelance work dating back to 2015, according to documents obtained by The Root. When I was growing up, in my home there…
-
Thoughts on #EbonyOwes From a Man Who Owes His Career to Ebony
It was October 2011. I was in New York City for an Essence magazine photo shoot and feature on relationship bloggers—a collective that included Demetria Lucas (A Belle in Brooklyn), Jozen Cummings (Until I Get Married) and Anslem Samuel (Naked With Socks On). The shoot was at 5. I got downtown early so I could…