If Susan Taylor can say nothing else, she can say her nearly four decades as one of America's most important black women was well spent.

In fact, between her, Oprah Winfrey and Condoleeza Rice, it's hard to think of any other sista that has been so influential in the last generation.

The New York Times reports that Taylor, 61, would be stepping down as the publication's editorial director to focus on the Essence Cares initiative, a mentoring project aimed at bringing adults and youths together. The move ends a 37-year tenure at the magazine that saw it become one of the largest African American-owned publications in the nation until it was purchased by Time-Warner in 2005.
Now, women who grew up with Essence will remember the mark she made not just starting out as a freelance beauty and fashion editor, but as a single mom trying to balance family and career at a time when many of her readers were experiencing the same thing.

But for younger readers, both male and female, her stewardship of the magazine came to represent a type of post-civil rights movement black empowerment. Thus the growth of Essence seemed to come right along with the growth of other mainstream black pubs like Black Enterprise and the now-defunct Emerge.

So what's next for Taylor? Well, worthy causes seem to strike a chord. Her emphasis on Essence Cares as she partners with the National Urban League, 100 Black Men of America, the Links, Inc., and the YWCA, will likely keep her busy but at the same time usher in lots more beneficial work for the community.

It would be interesting to hear what is coming up next in her admirable career.