sexual misconduct
Richelieu Dennis Steps Down As CEO of ESSENCE Amidst Investigation
Source: Rich Polk / Getty CEO of ESSENCE Communications Richelieu Dennis has stepped down from his position amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. On Wednesday (Jun 30) the iconic publication released a statement revealing that Dennis has reportedly “stepped down” as CEO while the magazine conducts its independent internal investigation over the claims written in an anonymous essay posted over the weekend, adding that Caroline Wanga will be acting as interim CEO while they undergo the process. “It is of critical importance to us that there is no doubt or question about who we are, what we represent, and what we believe in,” the statement said. “Yesterday, in step one, we addressed the accusations made in an anonymous blog post, as well as our ongoing transition in rebuilding th...
Anonymous Essay Slams ESSENCE Mag For Alleged Sexual Misconduct, Unfair Business Practices Towards Black Women
Source: Rich Polk / Getty Essence Magazine is coming under fire as it celebrates its 50th year anniversary for allegedly mistreating its Black women employees—only this time it’s supposedly at the hands of other Black women. On Sunday (Jun 28) in an anonymous essay posted to the Medium, the author-listed only as “Black Female Anonymous”-discloses unfair business practices used by the iconic Black publication including sexual misconduct and harassment, unfair pay, and abuse of power by senior staff. “We present ourselves under the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, intimidation, and the maligning of our media careers,” they wrote. “We demand the immediate resignation of Chief Executive Officer Richelieu Dennis, Essence Ventures board member and former Essence Communic...
Former CEO/Publisher of OkayPlayer Abiola Oke Responds To Allegations, Victims Fire Back
Source: Phillip Faraone / Getty Former CEO and Publisher of OkayPlayer and OkayAfrica and Founder of OkayMedia, Abiola Oke, has responded to the allegations of discrimination and sexual misconduct. On Thursday (Jun 26), Abiola Oke took to social media to respond to allegations that he subjected Black women employees to a hostile working environment. As previously reported, the news of the ill-treatment was exposed after former staff writer Antionette Isama took to social media to air out grievances for the Black women who worked for the organization and were subjected to lower pay, inappropriate behavior, gaslighting, and sabotage among other grievances. Oke responded to the allegations via Twitter with a seven-page letter, apologizing for the unfair practices before noting that he has alw...
Former Employees At Complex & OkayPlayer Speak Out About Experiences of Racism & Sexism
Source: JC Olivera / Getty At a time when companies across the company are reckoning with their toxic work cultures, media companies are now on the chopping block for their role in treating employees of color and women unfairly and subjecting them to abuse. According to published reports, Complex is now under scrutiny by former staffers for perpetuating what they describe as a racist and sexist workplace, with many speaking out despite their nondisclosure agreements. In an open letter posted to Twitter, former employee Tiffany Wines wrote about the “daily microaggressions Complex culture is notorious for,” and specifically called for the resignation of senior employees, Jay Salim and Arman Walia. “Complex Networks would and could not exist without Black art, Black consumers, and Blac...
