Controversy, Discrimination, Just a thought, Magazines, Prejudice, Racist, What she said

Is It Okay To Put White Women On The Covers Of Black Magazines?

The ReadyWriter

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That’s essentially the question that Jada Pinkett-Smith posed to her Facebook friends recently.

There is a question I want to ask today. I’m asking this question in the spirit  of thinking outside of the box in order to open doors to new possibilities.  These possibilities may be realistic or unrealistic. I also want to make it  clear that there is no finger-pointing here. I pose this question with the hope  that it opens a discussion about how we can build a community for women based  upon us all taking a deeper interest in one another. An interest where skin  color, culture, and social class does not create barriers in sharing the  commonality of being… women.

With love and respect to all parties involved, my question is this…if we ask our  white sisters, who tend to be the guardians of the covers of mainstream  magazines, to consider women of color to grace these covers, should we not offer  the same consideration to white women to grace our covers? Should women extend  their power to other women simply because they are women? To my women of color,  I am clear we must have something of our own, but is it possible to share in the  spirit in which we ask our white sisters to share with us? I don’t know the  answer and would love to hear your thoughts.

J

What do you all think? Should white women grace the cover of African-American magazines such as, Essence, Ebony and Jet? Sound off and have a great weekend!

Published by The ReadyWriter

Writer, Published Author, CEO of ReadyWriter Production Company and Blog Talk Radio Host.

121 thoughts on “Is It Okay To Put White Women On The Covers Of Black Magazines?”

    1. Hi Adriane,

      How are things? So glad you enjoyed last weeks show. Nxt weeks will be a wonderful end to women’s history month. So stay tuned and thank you for tuning in. 🙂

      Tracy

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      4. Hey Tracy, Adriane, BBallen, Sane and Anthony 🙂

        Tracy now you got me pressed for next wks show.

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      5. Damn I spoke to Tra and look at all the ass kissing brothas who jumped in here like she was talking to them.

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      12. Hi Tracy.
        Oh God I’m excited to see you here.

        Hello Bballen, Pinky, Gia, Lexy, Shawnia and everyone.

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      14. Queen of this blog, How you doin? I miss you. You be havin a nigga feinin for those Wednesdays conversation.

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      15. Hello Ms. Bell, just sent a question to you offline and downstairs please answer.

        Happy Friday everyone.

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      17. I see why it’s so crowded in this section Ms. Tracy Bell stopped in.

        Hey y’all —-> Ok I’m out.

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      18. Hello to all of those who came after I spoke to Adrianne.

        And…

        Remember, I don’t always engage in conversation with you all but I’m always here. Always working behind the scene… after all, I do have a business to run…

        Everyone have an awesome weekend!

        Tracy

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      22. where we having dinner at tonight?
        —————–
        where u takin her fool.???
        ********
        where he wished he was taking her!!! 😆 a fool and his comments

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      32. Hi Tracy How are you? I’m shocked to see you talking to us today but RESPECT ya busy swag thou.

        Hello Ceo Fam…

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      38. Hello everybody.

        Good to see the one and only Blog Queen dropped us all a long awaited ‘hello’

        😆

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  4. Until white women want to include Black women in their private little woman category, I would say Black women, be Black first and let white women fight for their own shit.

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  5. You have to understand that white women have always been about themselves. So why is this an issue, question or subject now?

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  6. Please understand that no good can come from letting white women grace the covers of major black publications.

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  7. I can’t stand Jada’s ass…..Jada is one of those blacks that act like they’re equal, because massa throws them a few bread crumbs. She need to sit her dyke,butch A$$ down and worry about her daughter being depressed. We don’t care how much white carpet she’s licking. That’s why blacks shouldn’t idolize these narrow-minded celebrities. When they make it they turn their backs on the community and never give back and forget where they come from.

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      1. I can’t stand Jada’s ass…..Jada is one of those blacks that act like they’re equal, because massa throws them a few bread crumbs. She need to sit her dyke,butch A$$ down and worry about her daughter being depressed.
        ————
        sounds like u hate her @pinky

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      3. I AGREEE PINKY, JUST BECAUSE SHE EATS ALOT OF WHITE PUSSY DOESNT MEAN THEY SHOULD GET MORE ATTENTION..
        THIS DIKE ANNOYS THE HELL OUT OF ME

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      4. I AGREEE PINKY, JUST BECAUSE SHE EATS ALOT OF WHITE PUSSY
        ———
        Damn!!!! I hear Will is gay and Jada’s a lesbo. Is that really true y’all? c’mon now. Is that why they have what seems to be some mixed up and fucked up kids? WoW and erbody said they was real hollyweird love. Smh

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  8. Oh, so now that it’s 2013 AD, we should just ignore ALL that we as a culture/people fought for or have accomplished in spite of White oppression/suppression Hell to the NO!…..

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  9. HELL TO THE NO!!!
    All those “white” magazines out there NEVER have anything in them for black women as far as make up, hair styles, clothes etc. THEY have enough magazines out there to put themselves on the cover of, let us have our own.

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  10. Nah I can’t agree…….look at the issue black women have getting on the cover of vogue magazine. they are a major magazine. you don’t see vogue rushing to put african american women on the cover even when it’s being raised as an issue. essence is our vogue keep it black!

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  11. NO NO NO we don’t need to invite them to be on the cover of black magazines they have enough of their own. I do not get or buy Essence anymore once they were sold and they started firing the black women who were responsible for what was fed to us.

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  12. You don’t see white women rushing to buy a Vogue with a Black woman on the cover. When a Black woman is on the cover of any mainstream women’s mag, sales drop. That’s why they don’t put them on the cover. So, Jada start your argument over there rather than asking why Black mags don’t have white women on the cover.

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    1. EXACTLY!! @Nicole,
      Put some real color on the cover of those Vogues’ and Cosmos and then maybe we’ll think about it.

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      2. EXACTLY!! @Nicole,
        Put some real color on the cover of those Vogues’ and Cosmos and then maybe we’ll think about it.
        **********
        I agree!~

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  13. This is done as a in house take over…now watch Essence get shut down. The White Collar way of running a business out of business…..Higher a mole like Jada to ask a dumb ass question such as this.

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  14. lets keep it real y’all. every black business have to have a white person in it to be successful we will not make it depending on OUR OWN people alone because we hate as a race too much.

    I bet u tracy has at least one white girl working with her?

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    1. I bet u tracy has at least one white girl working with her?
      **************
      Felicia, Tracy staff consist of:
      1.) white girl
      2.) her manager who is Hispanic,
      3.) and a black dude I believe her brother.

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      1. Felicia,
        Who can’t sustain success without whites? You do know how long these Black magazines have been around? And we’re talking about a time when most Black people didn’t have two dimes to rub 2gether, much less money to buy a magazine, but Black people had an Ebony, Jet or Essence in their house. Black people took great pride in their publishing. We have a rich history. And one that we alone sustained, against all odds. If you don’t learn anything else from this site, learn that.

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      2. The problem is black people are selling out for a bigger pay day. The pride comes from OWNING something that is ours not starting something and then selling it for a huge amount of green paper that is disposable.

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  15. Black people do not tip the needle for other blacks to succeed, because no matter what black woman is on the cover black women have a reason to complain. Def Jam was sold to whites, BET sold to white,and now The Johnson publishing company sold to whites.

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    1. Good point @ Tamala,
      Time Warner has owned Essence for several years now. That’s what black people do, own something, then sell it to whites who dilute and destroy it- on purpose of course.

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  16. Essence is lost…
    That’s why this magazine has been so awful… they hire whites and latinos for their editorial staff, and put men like Reggie Bush on the cover. I wouldn’t be surprised if their next move was to put a white woman on the cover which is why Jada is asking the question.

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  18. I appreciate seeing our sistahs grace the cover of any magazine, they always stand out. cause they add color to the mix.

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  20. These are different times and black women are obsessed with white fashion and culture more then before.I have seen more black women read people,OK and vogue then Essence and JET.

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  21. This is a reflection of the values held by us. it didnt happen in a vacuum. The selling off of black commodities to white structures and the subsequent diluting of said commodity is how we ended up here. we didnt value things we worked so hard to build and whyty bought it cheap and sold it back to us—-his own way. the effects are real and lasting. ppl say oh this is no big deal, or that is no big deal. but when it comes to our culture ITS ALL A BIG DEAL. hence us having so little respect in the world. forr ourselves OR from others.

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  22. Those magazine are sustained by ADVERTISING, not subscriptions! Black companies usually don’t want to pay the same higher rates as white corporate companies. This is why black publications are entertaining the idea of catering to open minded whites and Latinos. I don’t agree with it, but these publications are following the dollar to stay alive.

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    1. Well said Coco,
      Are Jet, Essence and Ebony still in business? The point was a Black company can stay in business. Black magazines exclusively ran ads from Black companies for years. But as integration rolled along, Ford and Procter & Gamble saw they could get a piece of that Black market so they started advertising in Black magazines, too. And yes, conglomerates pay much more to get that back page than some mom and pop Pomade company but that was also a function of integration. Don’t simplify 50 years like Black people are just cruel to each other in business. Lulu’s Pomade simply could not compete with Chrysler, and Ebony needed to stay afloat, bottom line.

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      1. I own a black company and you are so right. We treat each other so poorly when we do business together.

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      2. Are Jet, Essence and Ebony still in business? The point was a Black company can stay in business.
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Yeah but will they continue to cater to us or chase the money trail? It’s all about the $$$ bill y’all. and if whites bring the cash they’ll sell out in a heart beat.

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  23. The problem with Jada’s question is that she didn’t ask a more relevant question beforehand, which is why black women need to have “black themed” magazines in the first place? I think if Jada answered that question first she would find the answer to her initial question.

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  24. All day. This right here. This question is played. We’ve been asked for 9000 years, where is White Entertainment Television since you have BET. Where is the Historically White College? Where is the United White People College Fund? And where is Miss White America? Um. Every other channel on TV? Every other college in the country? Every other scholarship and every other pageant. Ours were only started because we were banned from the mainstream, like we started this exclusionary mess. Smh

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    1. Jamilla,
      integration didnt work out so well for us 50-60 years ago and i don’t think it’ll be any better now

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  26. Essence will have a slew of white women on its cover before you see tika sumpter on vogue, or brandy on rolling stone. That’s why black mags exsist in the 1st place. to me, jada’s question is nothing more than pandering to her white hollywood friends.

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  30. Now we all know that Charlize would look gorgeous on the cover of Essence and the Queen would look stunning on the cover of Cosmopolitan…………..however, why do we always have to compromise? we don’t have hardly anything, why don’t the big mags do more compromising than I don’t see a problem with ours doing the same thing!!!!

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  31. Is Jada serious with that question?
    Essence, Ebony and Jet exist because we weren’t on the covers of the ‘other’ magazines. SMH, oppression is a serious thing.

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    1. Co-sign!
      That’s the reason why Essence, Ebony, and Jet EVEN exist in the FIRST place!! Other leading magazines weren’t’/aren’t being TRUE “Equal Opportunity” employers to black women.

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  34. I always said we shouldn’t treat others the way they treat us, but until we can get it right within…we can’t branch out, or we shouldn’t. I get sick of blacks being so accepting when it comes to OTHERS but never when it’s our own.

    We desperately need our own. Why do we try so hard to be with everyone else when they have their own and a piece of yours ? GTFOH!

    And fuck their covers !

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  35. I can’t even believe Jada would ask this question. Would a white woman ask such a question? Black people are always so open and accepting of OTHERS and then they use us and are still prejudice against us. Just look at our food, culture, dance and music sure enough Black people created a lot but in a few years it will no longer be ours just ask Adele, Eminem and all the jazz singers and hip hop dancers trying to imitate us…..

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  36. Jada is oversimplifying things. We are not applying a double standard by wanting mainstream publications to be more inclusive. No measures need to be taken to make sure that white women will appear on magazine covers; their faces will be ubiquitous regardless of. Additionally, even though I count some of them among my friends, there are some issues and passions that are uniquely mine because I am a double minority. I need a publication that speaks to my needs (and quite frankly Essence has evolved into a disappointment.) Someone needs to put things into perspective for Jada. She will never receive the roles, accolades, or opportunities that her white counterparts will. Her talent, beauty, or other attributes have not made her a bankable star who transcends race. Until she is on equal footing with them she needs to think strongly about her attitude towards white privilege and what she regards as reverse racism. She gets certain perks, not because Hollywood recognizes her humanity, but because of her hyphenated last name.

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  37. I am sure indians and asians have their own damn magazine. i am sure spanish have their own too. I have never seen a black woman hosting anything on a spanish channel. Yet bet have rocsi’s ass and other spanish women. blacks always want to please everyone. Get the fuck over it Jada.

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  38. i dont care about white folks to want them on black publications. screw those racist bastards. why do blacks have to be so welcoming. they dont give a fuck about us and we shouldn’t give a fuck about them

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  39. Jada is a white wannabe so of course she will ask this question. Why would a black magazine cater to white girls when black women struggle so much to be put on their magazine covers? this is some bullshit. We need to learn to ignore and reject people who dont like us.

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  40. A black scientogist celebrity should be the LAST person anybody black or white should listen to. They’re 2nd class in their cult and sellouts to their race.

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  41. First off why don’t celebs pose the questions like: Why is unemployment in the black community at 13% and rising while other races % decrease? Why do black men out number any other race in prison?
    Answer: because there is still racism and unjust in this country. I believe it was W.E.B. Duboise who said that, African Americans must always have our own until this country is washed of its racism. He said that it is important for us to have our own award shows as well as some magazines that we can pride ourselves in.

    See some of these celebrities, especially those that have crossed over get detached from reality. Things are REAL out here. White people look at the Smiths differently then normal blacks. Sounds silly but it’s just true. Until there is no RACISM in this country, no white woman should be on the cover of Essence.

    Tell Oprah to put them on OWN.

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  42. All of the botox has gone to Jada’s head… Wishing her a full recovery to the person she used to be when she was friends with Tupac. Not Tom cruise.

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  43. White women already grace the cover of EVERY other magazine out there, Black women only have 3 major magazines and we should also let White Women grace those covers too? Let White women spice up the covers of their damn magazines?

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  45. Jada’s question was stooopid. I get the impression she’s trying to TEST how we (as black people) feel. We need our own just like they need their own. Don’t test us Jada, your money makes you acceptable but some of our statuses DO NOT!

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    1. Yes Natasha,
      she was the winner of Tracy’s book. I thought all of Cyrus’ lines were funny. Esp. when dude asked him for a $20 out da blue.

      Congrats Jamilla.

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      2. i thank y’all for the well wishes.

        @acquitta, fyi i do have ms. bell’s book will be gifting someone with the complimentary copy. don’t hate!

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