Kierna Mayo

Last updated
Kierna Mayo
Born
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, editor, media executive
Years active1990–present
Known for Ebony (editor-in-chief)
Notable workHoney 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.

Contents

Early life and education

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]

Career

Mayo's editorial career began in the early 1990s as an original member of the Mind Squad at The Source , where she worked for four years. [4] [5] Her writing frequently pushed back against sexism in the music industry and blanket criticism of hip hop. [6] She then worked as an urban affairs reporter at City Limits . [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] [7] 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. [8] [9]

By 2000, Mayo had joined LikePepper.com, an e-zine, along with George Jackson. [5] In the years following, Mayo worked as Senior Editor of Cosmogirl and was a founding member of the Hearst Diversity Council. [5]

Mayo worked as Ebony 's editorial director beginning in 2011 and was promoted to editor-in-chief in 2015. [10] [11] [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. [12] [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. [13]

In 2016, Mayo resigned from her position after Ebony's owners sold the publication to ClearView Partners. [14] Later that year she was named senior vice president of content and brands for Interactive One. [15]

As of 2021, she is the vice president and executive editor at the publishing imprint One World/Roc Lit 101. [16] [ needs update? ]

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). [17] She also contributed the essay “Hip-Hop Heroines” to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hip and Rap (2021). [18]

Mayo appeared as a commentator for On the Record and We Need to Talk About Cosby . [19] [20]

She was previously a part of the human rights organization, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. [21]

Accolades

References

  1. ↑ Hicks, Kenneth (2016-03-24). "4 Gems from Kierna Mayo's Interview on the Combat Jack Show". Blavity.
  2. ↑ Ogunnalke, Lola (23 May 1999). "PULSE: HERS; Young, Urban And Glossy". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 Carrigan, Emily (2015-08-15). "Hampton University alumna settling into editor-in-chief role at Ebony magazine". Daily Press. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  4. 1 2 Lustig, Jessica (22 March 1999). "A Taste of Honey". New York Magazine. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Kierna Mayo". The Kennedy Center. January 28, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Joel (2020-02-14). "Slow Burn Season 3, Episode 4: Against Those Thugs". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  7. ↑ Fern, Aneya. "Ebony.com's Kierna Mayo on Digital vs. Print". Adweek. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  8. ↑ "7 Business Lessons We Learned From The History Of Honey Magazine". Essence. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  9. ↑ cbsnews.com/news/honey-magazine-to-relaunch-again-as-honeymagcom/
  10. ↑ "White Cover Girl On A Black Magazine?". NPR.org. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  11. 1 2 McAfee, Melonyce (16 October 2015). "Ebony 'Cosby Show' cover causes a stir". CNN.
  12. ↑ "Kierna Mayo and the Maverick Legacy of Ebony". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  13. ↑ Puente, Maria (16 October 2015). "'Shattered' Bill Cosby on 'Ebony' cover enrages, gratifies Twitter". USA Today. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ Kelly, Keith (2016-06-22). "Former Ebony editor slated to become exec at Interactive One". New York Post. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  15. ↑ "Kierna Mayo Named SVP Of Content & Brands At Interactive One". HelloBeautiful. 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  16. ↑ "Kierna Mayo". Random House Publishing Group. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  17. ↑ She begat this : 20 years of The miseducation of Lauryn Hill. OCLC   1041212001.
  18. ↑ White, Brooklyn (2021-08-24). "Ladies First: Smithsonian Hip-Hop Anthology Honors Women's Contributions To The Genre". Essence. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  19. ↑ Brown, Jeffrey (28 January 2022). "New documentary explores America's 'complicated' relationship with Bill Cosby". PBS. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Lee, Shanon. "How 'On The Record' Is About More Than Russell Simmons". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  21. ↑ "Why We Work to Free Political Prisoners of the Black Power Era". Hammer & Hope. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  22. ↑ Will O'Bryan (January 19, 2012). "Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner nominated for four-part seri". Metro Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  23. ↑ "The Root 100 - 2015". The Root. January 2015.
  24. ↑ Lee, Janet W. (4 December 2020). "Meryl Streep Pays Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Equality Now Gala". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
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