Rhonesha Byng Forges A New Path, Advocating For Black-Owned Media

Despite the pressures of public leadership, Byng maintains a philosophy of self-care and professional rhythms.

From a precocious 16-year-old journalist in Brooklyn to a visionary media executive, Rhonesha Byng has spent her career building platforms to empower women and champion independent media. The founder and CEO of Her Agenda and co-founder of the Black-Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI), Byng operates at the vanguard of an industry grappling with issues of equity, authenticity, and survival. Her work, she says, is a matter of democracy.

The multihyphenate spoke with Black Enterprise about her endeavors.

Byng’s journey began in high school, driven by what she describes as an “aha moment” that led her to realize media was her calling. This resolve intensified during a college women’s studies class in 2008, where she realized the media’s power to dismantle systemic barriers. This led her to found Her Agenda, a digital media platform dedicated to closing the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women.

The site has since evolved, moving from a relentless “ambition at any cost” mindset to promoting a concept of “wholistic success,” which emphasizes professional and personal well-being.

The impetus for BOMESI arrived in 2020. With over a decade of experience as a publisher, Byng observed a seismic shift in the media landscape. Amid national pledges to support Black-owned businesses, she and BOMESI founder and CEO DéVon Christopher Johnson recognized an urgent need for a unified voice.

“We needed to be united as one voice versus individually trying to fight for a small slice of the pie,” she said.

BOMESI’s first initiative, a database of over 300 verified independent Black-owned media companies, went viral, revealing a critical disconnect between brands seeking diverse audiences and the platforms that served them. The database, which Byng individually vets for journalistic integrity, became a crucial resource for the industry.

This infrastructure-building work recently received a significant boost. BOMESI was awarded a $750,000 grant from Press Forward, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to local news. The funding, announced last month, will enable BOMESI to expand its Accelerator Program, which boasts a remarkable record of helping every participating company remain in business. The grant will also support the development of a proprietary technology, BOMESI Scale, a new equitable payout model for publishers.

Byng measures her platforms’ success not merely by page views or revenue, but by the tangible impact on people’s lives. She recalls the emotional gratitude of an accelerator alumni member who said her company “wouldn’t exist today if it wasn’t for BOMESI,” as well as the “full circle moments” with Her Agenda readers who grew up with the publication and now lead major companies themselves.

Despite the pressures of public leadership, Byng maintains a philosophy of self-care and professional rhythms.

She is guided by the most challenging piece of advice she ever received from a mentor, “You are equipped.” She believes this simple affirmation is what has allowed her to pursue her calling without overextending herself.

On Sept. 25, Byng appeared on Good Night, New York to discuss her latest collaboration with Hatchette US.

“Her Agenda founder/CEO Rhonesha Byng appeared on @fox5ny show ‘Good Night, New York’ to chat about our partnership with @hachetteus and upcoming panel event!

🗓 Thursday, September 25, 2025 – 5:30 p.m. EST. While all the in-person seats have been filled, you can sign up for the livestream below!”

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In a climate marked by rising censorship and political polarization, Byng said the single most important message is to “stay on mission.” She sees the fight for equitable resources as a fight for the fourth estate itself.

“This is democracy that’s on the line,” Byng said. “If we can’t get it together as an industry to make sure that these independent media platforms have the resources to hire investigative reporters and to do in-depth reporting and to give light to the information that our communities need, that is the beginning of the end.”