First Black female editor in chief of major mainstream magazine visits UH – The Cougar

The air in the room is light and anticipatory. Underneath the buzz of chatter, there’s a low hum of excitement for the keynote speaker of the day: a trailblazer in the media industry.

Amy DuBois Barnett, the first African American female editor in chief of a major mainstream magazine in the U.S., came to UH for a signing and discussion centered on her debut novel, “If I Ruled the World.” The event was hosted by the African American Studies department on Feb. 2 and served to kickstart Black History Month.

“People know about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but Black History Month gives us an opportunity to shed light on those that are not so in the limelight,” said African American Studies department Program Manager II Erin Fleeks. “So we get a chance to talk about Amy Barnett, who people might not necessarily know but who has done some extraordinary things in our community.”

In a Q&A with Joy Sewing, the first African American news columnist for the Houston Chronicle, Barnett described “If I Ruled the World” as a “juicy page-turner that addresses serious themes.” The novel, set in late 1990s New York City, centers on African American editor Nikki Rose’s journey to becoming editor in chief of a magazine.

“It was a rather perilous time to be a woman,” Barnett said. “I thought it was really important to write about this era from a woman’s perspective. My protagonist is in her mid-20s when we meet her and I was excited to write about the way that women come into their power and find their voice.”

Themes emphasized in the novel include racism and misogyny in the media industry as well as the price of ambition and what it takes to grow comfortable in one’s own skin.

“I have spent 20-plus years working in media and I’ve been able to represent communities that I care about and tell stories about the people who may not have had the power to have a voice,” Barnett said. “I definitely wanted there to be moments in the book that were relatable so my readers could see themselves.”

African American Studies freshman London O’Neal said her favorite part of the event was a reading that Barnett did of an excerpt from “If I Ruled the World.”

“I was looking forward to hearing from an author that looked like I did and the reading allowed us to hear the author recite her book with the proper tone and cadence she intended for her body of work,” O’Neal said.

Fleeks said she was excited to see students, faculty and community members alike engaging and asking questions. Fleeks herself resonated with Barnett’s personal story.

“Her being the chief editor of Honey Magazine and then her working for Essence Magazine kind of gives us a glimpse of what we’re able to do,” Fleeks said. “There’s no limit. She got a lot of pushback when she started her own magazine, but she still was able to maintain it. I think that’s really admirable.”

Amy DuBois Barnett presents her new book “If I Ruled the World,” with Joy Sewing on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

Interview with Barnett

Below, Barnett shares more about her personal journey, including grieving her mother’s death, learning to love herself and the worst career advice she’s ever received.

Why was coming here and speaking to students and the UH community about your book important to you?

It’s a full-circle moment. My mom was the first Black woman to be president of a major research university in the country: UH. When my mom was president of the University, she was so emotionally invested in the campus and in the student body and in the future of the school in general, and she conveyed so much of her feeling to me. So just the idea that I’d be able to circle back and give back to the community in a way that felt meaningful was very significant for me.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the influence that your mom had on you?

My mom was an incredible human being. She was brilliant and loving and funny and kind and driven by purpose. And I was just incredibly fortunate to have grown up with her example. She shaped so much of the way that I moved through the world. She shaped so much of how I treat my career. She shaped so much of how I am as a mom to my own son. I only wish I had her longer.

Your mother passed away when you were 22. How did grief play a role in your later journey?

Losing my mom remains the most devastating thing that has ever happened to me in my life. It completely changed everything about how I think about myself and my life and the way that I look at my dreams and my goals.

Even though it was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, because of the way it changed me, I don’t know who I would be if she hadn’t died when I was 22. I think that grief, if you allow it, can really inform you as a person and can give you greater insight, which is what it did for me.

After she died, I had this moment that was very revelatory for me, where I was looking at a picture of her and me when I was about five years old. I was so used to her presence in my life, and it just sort of came to me in that moment that she wasn’t coming to save me.

In the same moment that I had this terrifying feeling, I also had this feeling of deep empowerment. I was like, well, wait a minute. If no one’s coming to save me, then I have to save myself. This is my life and my life alone. And I own it.

It was in that moment that I had an absolute 180 in terms of my perspective. And I changed everything. I decided that I was going to live the life that I wanted to live, not the life that other people thought that I should be living. I would pursue my own dreams, not the dreams other people thought I should be pursuing. I’ve lived my life in that way ever since.

You talked about becoming more comfortable in your own skin. Can you speak more about that process?

I got really comfortable in my own skin around the age of 30. When I hit 30, I all of a sudden realized that if I was going to love myself, I had to love all of myself. It’s not just enough to love the parts of yourself that you really like. You have to love all of yourself: the flaws and the things that are less definitively lovable. I had to realize that you can’t partially love yourself. You have to just really love and accept and be cool with the entire package. This is all I got. I better love it.

Do you have a motto?

I do. I published a nonfiction advice book for women that outlines a personal philosophy that I live by and a lot of it has to do with independent thinking or the notion that fear is growth. I find it really important to step outside of my comfort zone. You can’t possibly evolve into everything that you can be in this life if you stay within your comfort zone.

Do you see ambition as something that helped you or hindered you?

I’m unabashedly ambitious. I set huge goals for myself all the time. If that is something that you aspire to, if you aspire to be at the top of your field, then as a woman, it’s absolutely important that you go for it. There will inevitably be a field where there are not enough women represented.

What’s the worst piece of career advice that you ever received?

Make sure you’re fully qualified for every job you apply for. My advice to counter that is to absolutely look for professional opportunities that are outside your current scope of experience and go for them with the knowledge that you absolutely can learn how to do the job.

Do you think the issues discussed in “If I Ruled the World” are still relevant and pertinent now?

I think that the novel is more relevant than ever. We are seeing a renewed sense of accountability around the way in which women were treated in certain industries, and the novel addresses a lot of that. Women and our independence, our professional aspirations, the way in which we’re able to move through the world, all of that is under attack right now. So to be able to write about a woman who is determined to go her own way, who is ambitious but has to find her footing and become confident over a very messy but fun journey in the book, I think that all of that is important and also inspiring for women to read right now.

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