At twenty-nine, I had become the second Black person and the youngest ever to helm a Condé Nast magazine. I was now the one holding the pen in one of the most divisive political climates in recent history. Shonda Rhimes coined the term: “First. Only. Different.” Being an “FOD” in your field comes with a unique responsibility and a powerful opportunity: to rewrite rules, to redefine norms, to represent for the communities that haven’t had a seat at the table before. But what good is a trailblazer who isn’t willing to leave signposts along the way that make it a little less confusing, less
...more
