John Johnson

· John Johnson was born on January 19, 1918, to Leroy Johnson and Gertrude Jenkins in Arkansas City, Ark. His father was killed in a sawmill accident when he was 8 years old. His mother, who later became the central force in his life, remarried to James Williams.

· Mr. Johnson went to Chicago's DuSable High School and graduated in 1936.

· He then worked at Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company, while he studied part-time at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. It was his job at Supreme Liberty Life Insurance that gave him the idea for his first magazine Negro Digest.

· He was refused a loan to start his business form banks, so he borrowed $500 on his mothers furniture to publish his first issue. Negro Digest was published on November of 1942, and it was a big hit. Negro Digest turned into Ebony magazine, post- World War II. The first issue of Ebony sold 25,000 copies, making it the largest-circulated black magazine. Today EBONY is still one of the top selling magazines with a circulation of 1.6 million. In 1951, Johnson started JET, which became the No. 1 Black newsweekly. Johnson also started Ebony Fashion Fair, the worlds largest traveling fashion show, which is produced and directed by Johnson’s wife. Since the 1958, the fashion show has raised $51 million for the UNCF and other community scholarship groups. In 1973, the media entrepreneur created of Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Fashion Fair cosmetics company was designed to meet the needs of African-American women. Fashion Fair Cosmetics, includes a large variety of skin care products in a variety of skin tones as well as  fragrance lines for both men and women, is sold in more than 2, 500 upscale stores in the United States, Africa, Europe and Canada and the Caribbean. Johnson died on August 8, 2005.

 

Accomplishments

· Member of the Publishing Hall of Fame

· Member of the National Business Hall of Fame

· Member of the Advising Hall fo Fame

· Johnson received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor from the NAACP

· Received the Salute to Greatness Award, the Higest award of the Martin Luther Kind Jr.

By: Novita Baldeo, Bomattie Ragubar, Kenya Moore, Aalim Faulkner, Michelle Johnson