Born in New York in 1946. In her early twenties, this young entrepreneur started Nequai Cosmetics; one of the first companies to create beauty products for African American women. Although her product line was well received in African American communities and in the Caribbean, Taylor was interested in expanding her career. When she heard that Essence, a fledgling publication catering to African American women, was looking for a beauty editor, Taylor approached Editor-in-chief Ed Lewis for the position and was hired in 1970.
Although Taylor never attended college, she was a licensed cosmetologist who understood the specific needs and concerns of black women. Her monthly articles were popular with African American females who were historically undervalued and underrepresented by media companies. Taylor soon became responsible for fashion as well as beauty, and in 1981 she was promoted to editor-in-chief, a post she held until July 2000, during this period In March 1986, Taylor was elected vice president of Essence Communication, Inc. and later became the senior vice president in 1993. She was the host and executive producer of Essence, the country’s first nationally syndicated African-oriented magazine television show, the Essence Awards show and the Essence Music festival.
Under Susan’s expert guidance, Essence experienced phenomenal growth. Its monthly readership soared to more than 5 million, reaching black women all over the world. Capturing the hearts of Essence readers was Susan’s monthly column, “In the Spirit,” which addressed themes such as family, faith, self-esteem and health. Her motivational features culminated in the popular books, In the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor and Lessons in Living. She also authored a third book ‘Confirmations: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives’ with her husband, Khepra Burns. Taylor also became a popular speaker on the lecture circuit.
Although she recently stepped down from her duties as
editor-in-chief, Taylor remains the chief editorial executive responsible for
the overall vision, articles and images of the publication. In 1999 Taylor became the first African
American woman to receive The Henry Johnson Fisher Award from the Magazine
Publishers of America, the magazine industry's highest honour. In 2002 Taylor
was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame, which
celebrates the career-long records of excellence, creativity and impact of a
select group of highly influential magazine journalists. Taylor's visionary
leadership was acknowledged when the NAACP presented her with its first
President's Award in 2006. She maintains a high profile in the community, where
she is a staunch advocate for the nation’s poor. She is also an avid supporter of
Edwin Gould Services for Children, a foster-care agency, and serves on the
advisory board for Aid to Imprisoned Mothers and a host of organizations
dedicated to moving the Black community forward. Her passion and focus are on
creating equity in education and turning around the nation's failing schools,
which, she says are "the pipeline to prison."
Most recently Taylor has been focusing her attention on the
ESSENCE CARES initiative. She launched this call to action to the African
American community at the 2006 Essence Music Festival. It is a massive
mentoring campaign that asks every able adult and our leadership—elected and
appointed officials, educators, business, religious and secular leaders and
college students—to rally their communities to guide and secure our vulnerable
children who are crying out for help. The goal is to create the largest
mentoring campaign in the history of the nation and increase high school
graduation rates among African American students by 10 per cent annually.
Taylor is also a co-founder of The Future PAC, the first
national political action committee devoted to providing progressive African
American women opportunities to hold more federal- and state-level political
offices by creating a network of support and funding. In addition, Taylor and
Danny Glover co-chair a capital campaign to raise money to build housing in the
rural areas of South Africa. She serves on the board of the Joint Centre for
Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C., and is an official on the
Louisiana Recovery Authority, which she joined to assist the devastated people
of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.
