A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Taylor was the founder of her own company, Nequai Cosmetics, before becoming Essence’s fashion and beauty editor and, in 1981, its editor-in-chief. She is the author of three books:  In the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor, Lessons in Living and Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives, the latter co-authored with her husband, Khephra Burns.  In 1999 Taylor became the first African-American woman to receive The Henry Johnson Fisher Award from the Magazine Publishers of America, the magazine industry’s highest honor.

In 2002, Taylor was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ (ASME) Hall of Fame, which celebrates the career-long records of excellence, creativity and impact of a select group of highly influential magazine journalists.  Taylor is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the American Society of Magazine Editors.  She is also an avid supporter of a host of organizations dedicated to moving the Black community forward, serving as a member of the Commission on Research in Black Education, among others.  She is personally committed to serving and empowering the poor and to working with disadvantaged women and teenagers to help them realize their strengths and take charge of their lives.  Taylor is currently co-chair of a capital campaign with Danny Glover to raise money to build housing in the rural areas of South Africa.

The balance and peace we seek for ourselves and our society won’t be achieved through mental effort alone.  Mind and spirit are meant to travel together, with spirit leading the way.  Until we make a conscious commitment to understand and embrace our spiritual nature, we will endure the ache of living without the awareness and guidance of the most essential part of ourselves.