Making Headlines

Growing up in Henderson, Texas, a tiny town of approximately 10,000, Means never thought she'd someday be the editor of her own magazine, and writing wasn't something she pursued. But if there were any clues to her future career, it was that she was habitually on the receiving end of writing. "Reading was my escape. I was reading early on," says Means. "By reading, I could be anywhere, I could be anybody, and I could do anything. It was my way of seeing the broader world."

And now she has, and she's helping her readers see it, too. Means has been to Europe and back, and spends some of her time in Washington, DC, when the call arises, but mostly she's in Los Angeles, where Turning Point is based, still toiling 60 or so hours per week.

With every issue, Means has met, either personally or through the words of her writers, African Americans with inspiring tales to tell, from Dr. Kenneth L. Black, a prominent neurosurgeon who told readers, "I view life as being a real balance; you get what you give," to actor/director/writer/producer Miguel A. Nunez, whom Turning Point quoted in a profile as saying, "Even when I was eating out of trash cans, I knew 100 percent then that I would be where I am today."

Means has also befriended Congressman and civil-rights activist John Lewis, and she's had Rosa Parks over for Easter dinner. "I get goose bumps when I think of them," Means says.

For both Means and her readers, the African American community has become a little smaller, a little tighter, a little closer--and that's just what she wants. Something else has also happened over the years, something you wouldn't expect the editor of a young magazine to say: "I am indeed rich. Richer than I could ever imagine." These were her words in a letter to her readers, and Means wasn't talking about money. "I am rich," she observed, "because Turning Point has helped me grow tremendously as a human being. I am rich because I have the dream job."

Contact Source

Turning Point, (310) 821-6910, turningp@aol.com

Elaine W. Teague contributed to this article.

This article was originally published in the September 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Making Headlines.