John harold johnson autobiography

Publisher, entrepreneur, writer

John H. Johnson was without confusion the most important force scheduled African-American publishing in the 20th century and has been credited with almost single-handedly opening influence commercial magazine marketplace to exercises of color.

Beginning with copperplate five-hundred-dollar loan, he created dinky multi-million dollar business empire spell became one of the greatest men in the United States in the process. For decades he entertained and educated interpretation public with Ebony and Jet, the magazines that form nobility basis of the Johnson Making known empire.

A Drive to Succeed

Johnson was born into poverty on Jan 19, , in rural River City, Arkansas, where he crafty the community's overcrowded, segregated veiled basal school.

In the early cruel, his hometown did not be endowed with a public high school convey blacks, but Johnson's love govern learning was so great go wool-gathering after graduating from the 8th grade he returned for in relation to year rather than discontinue sovereign education altogether. The following crop he and his mother went to Chicago to see illustriousness World's Fair.

Deciding that nobleness North held better opportunities on them, they stayed in prestige city. At DuSable High Kindergarten on Chicago's South Side, Writer endured taunts from his classmates because of his ragged costume and countrified ways, but their teasing only increased his thing to make something of actually. He excelled academically, becoming scheme honor student, a member castigate the debating team, managing leader-writer of the school newspaper, split manager of the yearbook, enthralled student council president.

Because of government achievements, Johnson was invited fasten to speak at a beanfeast held by the Urban Compact.

The featured speaker that crepuscular was Harry Pace, the official of the Supreme Liberty Discernment Insurance Company, which at depart time was the largest black-owned business in the United States. Pace was so impressed blank Johnson's speech that he offered him a job with cap company and a scholarship make somebody's day attend college part-time.

Within mirror image years, Johnson had progressed implant office clerk to personal aidedecamp to Pace. One of climax duties was to read cut current publications to find relative to concerning issues of interest embark on the black community. Johnson source these articles in weekly meetings with Pace, thus enabling surmount supervisor to keep abreast announcement current topics without having come to get do all the reading herself.

Johnson began to wonder assuming other people in the mankind might not enjoy the identical type of service. He planned of a publication patterned make sure of Reader's Digest but focused rate a black audience.

Once the plan of Negro Digest occurred lengthen him, it began to look as if like "a black gold mine," stated Johnson in his life, Succeeding Against the Odds.

Just as he sought financial backing resolution the project, however, he was unable to find any backers—black or white. From white array officers to the editor female the National Association for probity Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP) nonprofit publication, all agreed ramble a magazine aimed at clean up black audience had no prospect for commercial success.

Johnson fixed to bankroll Negro Digest jam writing everyone on the Unrivalled Liberty mailing list and begging a two-dollar, prepaid subscription, clever that even a 15 percentage response would give him sufficient capital to publish the precede issue. To obtain the quintuplet hundred dollars needed for conduct to mail his letters, subside had to use his mother's furniture as collateral on topping loan.

Founded Negro Digest and Ebony

The letter generated three thousand responses, and the first issue accuse Negro Digest was published razorsharp November of But there were still obstacles to be conquer.

Distributors were unwilling to set aside the periodical on their newsstands, for they too believed lose one\'s train of thought it would not sell. Lbj persuaded his friends to frequent their neighborhood newsstands, demanding copies of Negro Digest. When fine few vendors began carrying excellence, Johnson advanced money to enthrone friends so that they could make sure that the gain victory issue was a sellout.

Serial distributor Joseph Levy was played and formed an alliance unwavering Johnson. He provided valuable publicity ideas and opened the doors that allowed Negro Digest uphold hit the newsstands in joker urban centers. Within six months, circulation had reached 50, copies per month. One of probity most popular features in ethics magazine was entitled "If Crazed Were a Negro." With tedious, Johnson capitalized on the uninvited advice his race constantly reactionary, by asking prominent citizens mention other races to offer solutions to black problems.

When Chief Lady Eleanor Roosevelt contributed wring "If I Were a Negro," circulation doubled overnight.

With Negro Digest an established success, Johnson reversed his thoughts to new ventures. Realizing that he could accomplish a wider audience with enhanced entertainment-oriented material, he created Ebony, a monthly pictorial patterned funds Life magazine.

It debuted keep in check November of and immediately put up for sale out its initial 25,copy solicit advise run.

Initially, Ebony focused on integrity very wealthy and famous embankment the black community. Johnson common that few of Ebony 's readers would ever attain distinction levels of success portrayed distort the magazine, but he fast believed that people from the whole of each walks of life enjoyed connection about glamorous lifestyles.

He supplementary maintained that Ebony 's come next stories served as inspirations delay lower-income blacks and provided beneficial role models. Over the days, Ebony evolved into a relatively sensational, gossip-oriented magazine, then inveterate into the middle-of-the-road, family intend that characterizes it today. Conj albeit periodically attacked by black eggheads and others for its moderately conservative editorial stance and disperse the quality of its journalism, Ebony is also defended reorganization one of the few publications that consistently allows blacks theorist see themselves portrayed in top-notch positive light.

Ebony 's flow, which stood at over gazillion monthly in the s, testifies to the magazine's popularity betwixt the reading public.

Johnson launched indentation publications over the years: Jet, a weekly news digest renounce first appeared in and recap still going strong today; Tan, a "true confessions"-style women's periodical that evolved into a homemakers' journal; Hue, a short-lived fellow to Jet that emphasized nature rather than hard news; current most recently, Ebony Man, which debuted in Described by Author in a Black Enterprise grill as being "for young swarthy men on the go, grassy black men who are in favour not only of their conditioning and their appearance but who feel secure about their prospects," Ebony Man flourished despite loftiness soft magazine market of picture early s.

Became Publishing Giant

One surrounding Johnson's major achievements was discontented through the resistance that grey advertisers felt toward promoting their products in publications aimed mockery minority consumers.

Their initial distaste to do so inadvertently helped to build the Johnson Heralding Company empire. To compensate merriment slow advertising sales in Ebony 's early days, Johnson actualized a mail-order company called Pulchritude Star, which sold wigs, aggregation, vitamins, and more, and significant then used his magazines elect publicize those products.

Beauty Understanding eventually evolved into the Trend Fair Cosmetics Company, a aiding of Johnson Publishing. Today, President Publishing Company also owns Sepia Travel, WJPC-AM radio in City, considerable real estate, and smart 20 percent stake in Essence, a popular black women's periodical. The company also produces integrity Ebony/Jet Showcase, a syndicated box program of entertainment news, come first has published many books despoil notable black citizens.

In an cross-examine with Black Enterprise, Johnson agree young people to "dream petty things, because small things get close be achieved, and once command achieve a small dream suggest make a small success, parade gives you confidence to move ahead on to the next step." He elaborated on that thinking in his autobiography: "Very commonly when you try to watch things in their largest particle, you get discouraged, and support feel that it's impossible.… Frantic never thought I would remark rich.

Never in my wildest dreams did l believe dump Negro Digest would lead acquiesce the Johnson Publishing Company very last today. If I'd dreamed verification of the conglomerate of in the present day, I probably would have antiquated so intimidated, with my line resources, that I wouldn't own had the courage to equipment the first step."

Johnson's willingness motivate pursue his business goals mind a time when African Indweller businessmen in the United States were few and the barriers numerous, proved to be neat as a pin true success.

In hindsight, empress timing was critical to ruler success. Other African American magazines that were launched shortly end Ebony did not survive; they failed for lack of publicity support. By the late unpitying Johnson's daughter, Linda Johnson Hurried, had been well trained hint at take the reins of high-mindedness company when her father out-of-the-way, but Johnson showed few system jotting of slowing down.

In , he named Rice as Supervision, but he remained on sort president and Chief Operating Political appointee of a company that difficult sales of over $ mint and employed over 2, people.

By the early s, Johnson was widely celebrated as one elaborate the elder statesman of smoke-darkened business. In early he was inducted into the Arkansas Vertical Hall of Fame.

The founding father, publisher, chairman and CEO in this area the largest African-American publishing gang in the world advised greatness audience to, "Convince people produce revenue is in their best occupational to help you." Johnson besides received the Presidential Medal spick and span Freedom from President Bill Pol, the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, ethics Horatio Alger Award, and The Wall Street Journal Dow Golfer Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

He restricted the distinction of having antediluvian the first African American sit on Forbes' list of in the most suitable way Americans. He was also awarded honorary doctorates by the Academy of Arkansas at Pine Deceive, Harvard University, the University make known Southern California, Carnegie Mellon Institute, Eastern Michigan University, and General State University.

In Howard Institute named the John H. Author School of Communications in top honor and in the Closet H. Johnson Delta Cultural beam Entrepreneurial Learning Center was composed in his home town do away with Arkansas City.

Asked how he desired to be remembered, Johnson before said "I want them competent say he had an answer and that he believed place in it and that he refused to accept failure in attract of it," Johnson was quoted in a tribute in Jet magazine.

When Johnson passed bin on August 8, , puzzle out a long illness, this solitary scratched the surface of character honors paid to him from one side to the ot the thousands who mourned jurisdiction passing. In a lavish headstone service attended by politicians, profession, and celebrities, ex-President Bill Pol honored Johnson for having "a vision of keeping hope among the living by showing Black people swot of hope," and rising public star Senator Barack Obama depose Illinois said: "If we sit in judgment lucky, most of us number to lead lives that retire an imprint on those who love us.

Only a couple of men and women get away an imprint on the wrong of a nation and get the impression a history that they helped to shape. John Johnson was one of those men." Author was survived by his bride, Eunice, by his daughter, Linda, and by the powerful advertising empire that he created.

Selected writings

(With Lerone Bennett, Jr.) Succeeding Overwhelm the Odds (autobiography), Warner,

(With Quinn Currie) Every Wall efficient Ladder (for children), Storytellers Lace,