John H. Johnson became the leading publisher of African American news magazines in the 20th century. When no one else catered to our people, how did he do it?
In 1942, Johnson published the Negro Digest inspired by the popular Reader’s Digest. He mortgaged his mother’s furniture for the $500 he needed to fund it. Just three years later he would create his most famous publication, Ebony magazine.
Ebony was modeled after Life magazine. Ebony would center on Black life in America on a large scale. A few years later, in 1951, Johnson published Jet magazine as a Black weekly news outlet. Johnson had a foothold on media but where else did he help our people with his power?
Johnson knew that his media power could help push the message of the civil rights movement. He supported Martin Luther King, Jr. early in the civil rights fight and routinely published reports on civil rights efforts in his magazines. Our political position in this country had to be discussed and he used his platform to push the conversation forward.
Johnson’s hustle gave us the ultimate blueprint to keep Black media alive and well for years to come. We don’t have to wait for anyone’s approval. So whatever your dream may be, lean into it and make it a reality.