EXCLUSIVE: An event contractor for Town & Country magazine is revealing her experience with racism at the 174-year-old Hearst publication in a gut-wrenching essay for The Daily Beast https://trib.al/Kl75UAh
After seeing several statements in the wake of the George Floyd killing about their commitment to racial justice, Verneda White just couldn’t take it anymore. In her eyes, the magazine was putting up a big front https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
White’s industry peers warned her that speaking out could be damaging to her career but she is committed to bringing these inequalities to light https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
“My only choice was to press on with the fortitude of the Black suffragettes, the inspiration of Kamala Harris’ unprecedented run, and John Lewis’ iconic final words held tightly to my chest,” White writes https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
What she says she saw every day included an endless parade of blond white women hired to replace the one just before—with little consideration for anyone else—and only one Black low-level editorial staffer during her tenure https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
Town & Country regularly billed A-list Black talent—the likes of John Legend and Michael B. Jordan—to headline their annual summit, an event White’s company coordinated, while lacking any representation on staff https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
White says she was denied opportunities for advancement and was pushed to the side when it came to executing this year’s summit, which was virtual due to the pandemic https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
She sat in for the 4-day summit and listened to Ava DuVernay. That’s when White says she decided to reach out to the EIC and requested an opportunity to address her concerns in an article https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
After one follow-up meeting, the article was effectively canned. White says she was given more empty messaging from HR about their commitment to equity https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home
Read more of this exclusive piece, which includes an account of another Black staffer who finally decided to leave Town & Country after years of being passed over for promotions: https://www.thedailybeast.com/i-experienced-systemic-racism-at-town-and-country-one-of-americas-most-prestigious-magazines?ref=home