Rechelle Dennis on Empowering Gen Z Women of Color Through Essence Girls United and the GU Summit
Photo Credit: Essence GU
In 2019, Rechelle Dennis, alongside her sister Sophia, saw a major gap in the Essence brand—there wasn’t a platform speaking directly to the young, vibrant voices of Generation Z. Determined to create something that truly resonated with young people of color, they brought their vision to life by launching Essence Girls United (GU). What started as an idea within the Essence family has now grown into a dynamic community of 109,000 strong, where influencers, celebs, students, and trendsetters come together. I sat down with Rechelle to talk about how GU is shaking up the scene, empowering the next generation, and what’s next for the platform as it continues to elevate young Black women across the globe.
Nuee: Thank you so much for sitting down with us. Thank you for taking the time to tell your story and spill some positivity on 247 Live Culture Magazine. And that is one of the biggest things that we do. We amplify ourselves on being one of the upcoming and biggest platforms to highlight positive stories in pop culture. And your story is positive with everything that you're doing.
WE TALKED WITH RECHELLE DENNIS IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, CHECK IT OUT BELOW!
Rechelle: I love it. I love positivity.
Nuee: There's so much gossip and slander, but we need more outlets that can fill our cups up with positive stuff, make an impact on us, and inspire us to get out there and do what God has called us to do. So, thank you, Rachelle, for answering your call from God and for sitting down and talking to us. The first question that I wanted to ask was because we're going to be talking about the GU Summit, how big it has gotten, and how it has grown. What was the initial spark that led you and your sister to create Girls United within the Essence brand? And how would you say it has evolved over the past five years?
Rechelle: Yeah, I think to put it shortly, what has allowed us to evolve and why it was originally started was because of the lack of content catered and geared towards young women. You know as women we are trying and have all these aspirations. You know, I think a major conversation that has been happening, like you see on social media and everything, is the lack of spaces for young adults, you know, for girls that are just trying to figure out, you know, what their life path is. So, that's really what prompted it and understanding that we also, as a generation, deserve to have platforms like Essence speak to us. And so, that was what the, you know, what the main focus was and what the goal was. And it was all about a lot of the youth in the office coming together, a lot of people fresh out of college, a lot in the first year of their job, and just being like, okay, how do we speak to this audience? How do you cater to them? How do we make sure that Essence is speaking to them and meeting them where they're at? So, that's really how it came about and what was great. It was like a collaborative thing with a lot of youth in the office.
Nuee: I love that. I love that. It's inspiring to hear that a company like Essence, which has inspired and, you know, did so much for the Black community over so many years, that you guys are actually listening to what, you know, what your employees have to say and the people part of the company have to say and the gaps that they're going through to make sure that everything is being fulfilled on the content end, which is amazing. So, this year's summit is being described as bigger and bolder. What can attendees expect this year that's different from the previous years that they've attended?
Rechelle: Yeah, I mean, what's amazing about it is just seeing our audience grow. Like, our first summit in 2020 was virtual. 2021, you know, we were still kind of in COVID, trying to get out of COVID. It was that weird space. So, for a lot of it, you know, we were figuring out, like, where do we meet this audience? How do we bring them into what we're doing? Because in a lot of ways, this was new territory for Essence to go into. And so, you know, as we've been very focused on serving our audience as much as we can, as intensely as we can, you know, knowing what they like, what they don't like. Knowing who they're interested in, what are also some of the issues that they might be dealing with, especially being in the stage of life that they're in. And so, you know, with that, we've been able to use a lot of that insight to understand how to build a better Summit every year. And that has allowed us to get bigger and bigger and even bolder, you know, as we step into, you know, what our hashtag is for this year, our next era, our new era. So that's really what a lot of it has been, focusing on our audience as much as we can and just serving their needs as much as we can.
Nuee: I love that. That's amazing. And from what I've watched over the years, it's definitely doing that. So kudos to you. Earlier in our conversation, you mentioned that Girls United was born from the need to create a space for young people of color. How do you think that GU has impacted or shifted these conversations in spaces where they may have otherwise been overlooked?
Rechelle: Yeah, I think it's shifted the conversation. Also, we see where, you know, the state of journalism is right now. What we have been able to do is cater to this audience of even young writers, right? You know, having that and having, you know, these young writers come in right on our platforms and speak about the things that they're going through or the things that are happening on their college campuses or the things that are, you know, that are going on, you know, throughout. You know, I think that that has been very important for us, in making sure that they remain at that forefront. You know, making sure that we're catering to them. You know, also making sure that we're, even throughout the year, we're showing up for them. Like, we showed up at the festival and realized that a lot of this audience also wants to be creators and content creators. And they're so multifaceted that we wanted to make sure that we were speaking to them in, you know, at the biggest festival in the world, right, or in the country by per day attendance.
Right? A lot of those moms and aunts who are coming to Essence Festival are also bringing their daughters. So, you know, we were like, let's create something for them. Let's create a creator's house where they can create content, you know, listen to the music that they listen to, you know, be surrounded by the girls in the community that they need at this moment, at this pivotal moment. And, you know, again, it has just been focusing and seeing how we can serve them as they enter into their next era.
Nuee: I love that. I had the opportunity to cover Essence Fest this year, and I did stop by the creator’s house. Yeah, it was amazing. I enjoyed myself there and the conversations that we had on the panels and everything. Even though I'm a little older than, you know, the GU generation, it still resonates with me. Just coming from a family who just, you know, did entrepreneurship wasn't a big deal. It was more so go to school, get a job, you know what I mean? And we're doing something different.
Rechelle: Oh, I'm so happy. That's exactly, you know, what we want people to feel. And, you know, even with that, you know, what I think, you know, people forget about is that although there may be an age difference, there's a lot of things that we go through as Black women, as women, you know, that are no different, no matter what the age is.
Nuee: Yeah, I agree. I completely agree. One thing I can say about being at Essence Festival, I love the fact that there's something for every generation. Like there's something for everyone to do. The lineup for this year's kickbacks includes JT and Poor Minds. When you are curating this event, what do you look for when you're selecting the performers and the speakers?
Rechelle: Yeah, so I absolutely love that you asked that question. And the reason that I love that you asked that question is because any time we post our events, post Essence Festival, post-Girls United Summit, you're always seeing on Twitter or threads or whatever, the platform TikTok about people being upset that they weren't chosen as talent for our Summit or for, you know, whatever it is that we do. And, you know, I think what's very important is that we are a team and we try to do the best that we can. We're not always going to get it right. But we always try to do our best and we always try to make sure that whoever's on that stage is really a representative of what we want to convey. Or we feel like most importantly, brings value to our audience. And so, you know, with that, what we really look for is, first and foremost, there's so much talent that's out there.
There are so many speakers and so many content creators. And because of that saturation, sometimes it's really hard for us to sort through and get through to who's going to bring the most value to our audience. And so that being said, right, I think it's one thing that we look for is, one, are you going to bring value to our audience? Is our audience going to receive you? Is our audience going to show out for you? Are you going to also make sure that our audience leaves with something valuable once you get off that stage? Two is we are a platform that's running throughout the year.
People sometimes hit us up the day before, I kid you not, to see if they could get on a panel or if they could speak. And so it's also about engaging with us throughout the year, right? Like some, so many girls are in our comments that we build relationships with.
We have these little events, like we have our GU holiday party. And, you know, all the girls in the city come out and, you know, they were able to build those personal relationships with them, those in real life relationships with them. And then they keep up with us, whether it be through email or, you know, sometimes we'll have these girls also that we meet at Summit write for us on our site.
We also reach out to them or they reach out to us. So I think it's also about just engaging with us, you know, throughout the year and not just during these big moments. Because it's also like, you know, we're working these crazy hours trying to pull these things off and, you know, things also get missed, right? So one, it's value. Two, it's also engaging with us throughout the year. Three is also making sure that this is something that we both are, you know, that we're both at that value exchange. There's been a lot of times when people come to us like we'll put them on stages, you know, we'll do the whole nine for them.
And then we will never hear from them again. For us, the way that we like to look at it, it's like we like to build those relationships. We also like to make sure that our audience can build a relationship with all the people that we put on the stage. So those are definitely some of the things. And again, because of the saturation, it's like there's a lot of content creators. So what's your unique point of view? So I would say that's also the third thing is your unique point of view and your unique perspective.
What are you bringing to the table? What sets you apart from the rest of the talent that's out there? Are you having a major moment right now? Are you building on a moment? Is this for your rollout? Are you announcing something? Are you announcing something with us? Because, you know, we also like exclusives too. So, you know, that's really what it's all about, as well as, you know, that unique perspective, you know, and that point of view. And also it's like, please don't go online getting mad at us because we didn't answer an email. We're sorry. We have so many things that are going on. But, you know, we'll get to it.
Nuee: I think that's something that these Gen Z content creators struggle with is entitlement. There's entitlement. But at the end of the day, especially as a Black media outlet, why wouldn't we want to build a relationship?
Photo Credit: Essence GU
Rachelle: Exactly. Support us. It's like we do these articles, and we do all these roundups. And we'll include all these girls in it or include people in it and then it's like you don't repost the article. You're not tagging the writer. You're not tagging the brand. You know, so, again, it goes both ways. And we're happy to build the relationship and keep that going throughout the year.
Nuee: Speaking of that, what are some challenges that you have faced while building the Girls United platform? And how have you overcome them to keep pushing the brand forward?
Rechelle: I mean, challenges are challenges anytime you're building anything, anytime you're building anything of value. Challenges are expected, right? Challenges are always going to be there. Building the Girls United platform, you know, and speaking from the place of you have a legacy publication that has been catering to an audience, a specific audience for a very long time. You also have people who have worked on that for a very long time as well and are used to catering to just specific audiences. So, you know, just some of the challenges are, you know, as you're building something that has a different point of view, has a different frame of reference.
There's always going to be that challenge of, okay, what is our unique voice? How do we make sure that we're continuing to serve our audience in the way that she needs us to serve her, not the way that somebody else needs us to serve her? And then it's always about, right, making sure that the brand is always advocated for in every single meeting. You also have to train people's minds to understand and listen, Gen Z is an audience that we cannot ignore. We have to make sure that we're keeping them top of mind, and we have to make sure that we're speaking to them.
And what this is, this is the next generation of potential essence readers. You know, we need to speak to her now, and if we don't speak to her now, nobody's going to speak to her. So just making sure, you know, that we are addressing that, addressing the fact that this is an audience that we cannot ignore. So, in every meeting, right, and you have people that have been at companies for a very long time like I said, very used to a unique point of view or perspective. And sometimes it's being strong enough, especially when you're young in your career, and you're building something, to be able to challenge that in a very respectful way. You know, taking into account that their experiences are shaped by the experiences that they've had in life or the work that they've been doing.
And being very respectful of that, but also being able to challenge that, and being able to push the brand forward, and push it through, and making sure that it stays top of mind, almost to the point where you're annoying. But you just have to constantly do it, because you're also reframing a lot of people's minds as well. And some people won't always join you on that journey, and that's okay. But, you know, you have to keep pushing forward, because at the end of the day, you know what the goals are, and you know what your mission is, and vision is in serving your audience. And what I always do is just keep them top of mind as I'm going into these meetings and have to overcome those challenges.
Nuee: So you spoke about the legacy of Essence and it's always been deeply intergenerational. But how do you keep balance with the GU Innovative Initiative, and keep it fresh while also staying true to the legacy of Essence?
Rechelle: Yeah, I mean I think that's something that, you know, we fight every day. You know, and fight every day because this audience is so much different, right? We do things differently. We think differently. Even a lot of the challenges that we have are unique. The lens through which we see things is unique, whether it be on sexuality, whether it be on sex, whether it be on political views, climate change, you know, you name it. A conversation that happens a lot is, right, like what is the line between, you know, respectability, politics, you know, what and where do you draw the line? Especially because now everything seems so much more blurred. We have all these different platforms that are very fast-paced, very fast-moving. We have a generation of girls that also can be themselves, and are allowed to be themselves.
We have non-binary folks that are, you know, living their lives and living their truths. And that's something that, you know, I've always been a very big supporter of is letting people live life how they believe it or how they would want it to be or how they want it to be and being true to themselves. And so, you know, there's always that challenge and that's always going to be something that we always will struggle with. But I think what's great about it is that we have that tension, right? I think that's what also makes the best product. That's what makes Girls United the best that it can be: making sure that we are speaking to things that an Essence won't speak to. You know, catering to an audience that, you know, Essence is catering to now but maybe hasn't traditionally catered to in the past. I think that allows us to also just be very forward-thinking and allows us to also adapt to this world.
Photo Credit: Essence GU
Nuee: You spoke about just how everyone can be free in their sexuality. So I wanted to ask, how do you envision the next era of women, girls, and non-binary individuals that GU represents? What do you think sets them apart from the previous generations? Or do you think it's just like their freedom to be themselves overall?
Rechelle: Yeah, I think it's the freedom to be themselves overall. But I think most importantly, it's having the support to be themselves. And that's what Girls United is all about, right? It's giving you the tools, giving you the resources, giving you the community to be and live in your truth. And so that's what I see and what I envision, you know, in the next era. You know, the way that I like to think of it, the way that I live my life is not the way that somebody else lives their lives. They're shaped by their own set of experiences. And it's not for me to judge. It’s not for me to, you know, cast my thoughts or my opinions on it. And so that's kind of how, you know, I envision, I mean, everything in life.
Nuee: We would all be so much happier if everyone thought that way. I know, right? It's even over, you know, it's crazy. With over 3000 articles covering topics from politics to beauty. How do you prioritize which stories are most important for Girls United to amplify?
Rachelle: Yeah. So this is an interesting question. And the reason that I want to say that it's interesting is because this is something we always talk about in our meetings. You know, you see some of this conversation even on social media is right. At what point are people losing too much data or analytics to decide what to write or anything? The great thing about that, though, and the reason that I always encourage my team to use data and analytics is because, again, that's how you understand what your audience wants to see. And so, then there's a lot of surprises in that. There's a lot of times that I've been proven wrong and there's been a lot of times that the data has proven right.
That being as you look at what we're covering, right, like you said, 3000 articles, we can't cover everything that goes on in this world. And so, my focus is to cater to and write on and cover the topics that matter most to our audience based on what they're gravitating towards. And it's a combination of things, right? It's what they're looking at on social media, what they're looking at on our site. The data is usually an indicator of that. And from there, we're able to lean into that more and go even deeper to test what they like and understand, right? Like, what value are they taking away from this? Right. You know, again, everything that we do is to create value for our audience.
So it's been a focus of what they want to see? What are they getting the most value from? What are they walking away from? And that's really how we, you know, decide on the topics. Obviously, our audience is also very good at news and politics.
You know, understanding they want to understand the world around them or what's happening on their college campus. One of my favorite series is called Riot Pens and Riot Pens focuses on girls that are at these college campuses that are writing about whether it be, you know, protests, whether it be, you know, political movements, housing, you know, what's going on in their dorm. And from there, we're able to understand how they view life in a place such as a college campus where a lot of other young women are probably experiencing the same things. You know, it makes us be tapped into what's going on.
Nuee: That's amazing. You guys are doing such amazing work. And Essence, I have always been an avid, avid fan. Essence is one of the reasons why I became a journalist and aspiring host. So I thank you so much for your work. And like I said, answering your call, Rochelle, it is needed. It's making a positive impact, and we love to see it. I love it
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