新澳门开奖结果

Ebony magazine cover in December 1945. Photo from

Top 10 Facts about Entrepreneur John H. Johnson

鈥淲hen I see a barrier, I cry and curse before grabbing a ladder and climbing over it.鈥� This famous quote emphasizes Johnson’s mental fortitude. A necessary characteristic for overseeing the expansion of an empire.

John H. Johnson rose from poverty to become one of the world’s most influential media pioneers by founding the largest black-owned publishing agency in the United States.

More importantly, via the groundbreaking magazines he founded, Ebony and Jet, Johnson gave African-Americans a voice and a face, in addition to, in his phrases, “a brand-new feel of someone-ness,” of who they were and what they could do at a time while blacks had been genuinely invisible in the mainstream American subculture.

Johnson Publishing Company’s founder was born in a tin-roofed house near the river levees in Arkansas City, Arkansas. Born in the final year of World War I, the creator of EBONY, JET, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, and a slew of other publications and works has left an indelible legacy.

1. He added the “H” to his name

Mr. Johnson was born Johnny Johnson, but on the eve of his high school graduation from DuSable High School in Chicago, he changed his name to John H. Johnson.

He added a speech titled “The Task That Lies Before Us” to his commencement address.

“The venture, I stated, changed into excellence in provider,” he explained.

On the recommendation of his teacher, Miss Herrick, he chose the centre call “Harold,” and thus a legend was born.

2. His empire began with a $500 investment

As a young man, working at a Black insurance company, he gathered stories from the Negro press and became one of the most knowledgeable people in Black Chicago. During his time at the company, he had the idea to launch a commercial Black magazine that addressed the issues facing Black people at the time.

He ran the Speedaumat, an addressing machine that kept the names and addresses of the 20,000 people who paid their insurance premiums to the company during the day.

He decided to write to everyone on the list and request a two-dollar prepaid subscription to a new Black magazine.

 His employer permitted him to use the names and the machine, but he was responsible for mailing the letters.

What is the cost of postage?

$500, you guessed it!

3. John was the first black person to own property on Michigan Avenue

Johnson Publishing Company. Photo by John H. White. Wikimedia

John was the first black person to own property on Michigan Avenue. Mr. Johnson relocated JPC headquarters to the high-profile location.

The all-electric building was the first Chicago loop building exclusively designed and constructed by a Black owned corporation. Mayor Richard Daley emphasized the significance of a company led by a Black man constructing a building near the site where a Black man founded Chicago.

Gwendolyn Brooks read a poem she wrote at the opening ceremony, and Michigan Avenue was closed for the occasion.

The 11-story structure even had a driveway from Michigan Avenue that allowed him to drive into the basement car park. This special feature had to be granted by the Mayor of Chicago himself.

4. He was Michael Jackson鈥檚 financial advisor

Michael Jackson, Madame Tussauds, London. Photo by Abi Skipp.

His business acumen allowed him to work and move in exclusive circles.

He was a member of Michael’s financial committee, which included the “King of Pop” and his accountant, Marshall Gelfand, as well as Michael’s attorney, John Branca, and two outsiders, producer David Geffen and himself.

“I’m on the committee because Michael called one day and asked for advice, saying he didn’t want to end up broke like so many athletes and entertainers,” Mr. Johnson shared in his autobiography.

5. Johnson made a historic appearance on the Forbes 400 list

A man reading a Forbes magazine. Photo by David Suarez.

Mr. Johnson’s major accomplishment was just one of many during his lifetime: in 1987, Black Enterprise named him “Entrepreneur of the Decade,” the Better Boys Club of Chicago named him Chicagoan of the Year, the first Black person honoured, and he was inducted into the Publishing Hall of Fame.

6. His first magazine was Negro Digest

Johnson persuaded 30 coworkers and friends to ask for Negro Digest at news-stands on Chicago’s South Side in order to persuade a distributor to take on the magazine.

He also reimbursed friends who purchased the majority of the copies, convincing dealers that the magazine was in high demand.

He then resold the copies he had made.

Johnson then began publishing a series of articles titled “If I Were A Negro,” in which prominent whites imagined themselves as black.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was among those who contributed to the series, which caused a dramatic jump in circulation.

Within a year, Negro Digest was selling 50,000 copies per month.

7. He started Ebony magazine in 1945

Ebony magazine cover in December 1945. Photo from

Inspired by his success, Johnson started his second magazine, Ebony, in 1945.

Ebony and Johnson demonstrated that blacks could live successful middle-class lives, which played a significant role in convincing white corporations to advertise in black media and to use black models.

Using meticulous market research, Johnson and his staff showed white advertisers that it was in their best interest to reach out to black consumers, and they proved that ads featuring black models had a greater response rate than ads featuring white models.

8. Johnson played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement

In fact, the first issue of Negro Digest featured contributions by Langston Hughes and early Civil Rights leader Walter White.

And many agree that the Civil Rights Movement itself would not have been as broadly understood by the masses in this country if it weren’t for Ebony and Jet.

Writers for the magazines attended Civil Rights Movement meetings in churches across the South and gave readers an insider’s view of the struggle.

As former Johnson Publishing advertising executive Ronald Sampson explained in an interview in Chicago magazine, “The general news media was covering it as a confrontation. Ebony and Jet were inside the churches and were able to tell what went on in the meetings.”

9. John鈥檚 empire has interests in the cosmetic industry

John H. Johnson, like many other entrepreneurs, built a multimillion-dollar empire by identifying and filling a demand.

It was a strategy that would propel him not only to success in publishing, but also in the cosmetics industry.

Johnson began sponsoring the Ebony Fashion Fair, the world’s largest touring fashion show, in 1958, and it has donated over $46 million to black charities.

Early on, he had difficulty finding cosmetics shades that were dark enough for his models.

After failing to persuade Est茅e Lauder and Revlon to produce cosmetics specifically for black women (both companies now do), Johnson founded Fashion Fair and promoted it through direct mailings to Ebony and Jet subscribers.

Fashion Fair is now the world leader in cosmetics for women of colour.

10. He received numerous awards and national recognition from the state

Johnson was also the recipient of numerous awards spanning decades, including the Spingarn Medal and the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Most Outstanding Black Publisher in History Award.

Johnson Publishing has also been named the number one black business four times by Black Enterprise.