YOUR VOICE, YOUR STORY: Susan Taylor

Susan Taylor, born and raised in Harlem, began her career as a freelance fashion and beauty expert for Essence, the year the magazine was founded in 1970. She rose through the ranks to become editor-in-chief and then publications director. Named "the most influential black woman in journalism" by American Libraries in 1994, Taylor is the founder and CEO of The National CARES Mentoring Movement.