Black History
Ebony and JET: Cultural Gems from One of the First Media Entrepreneurs
For the millions of African Americans who grew up reading Ebony and JET magazines, news that Johnson Publishing filed for bankruptcy in April signals the loss of a generational touchstone. Now, with employees at both magazines, which were purchased by a private equity firm in 2016, saying they have been fired and not paid, there is concern about the legacy of the late John H. Johnson who built a media empire that celebrated and chronicled a vibrant culture overlooked by white media.
In the town where Johnson spent the first 15 years of his life before he and his mother moved to Chicago, there is a museum to honor his legacy. Arkansas City, Arkansas is a tiny town right on the Arkansas-Mississippi state line. The one store residents frequent is owned by one of Johnson’s cousins.
Family Pride
“I hate to see his legacy go,” said David Lison who says his grandmother and Johnson’s mother were sisters. “He was a character. He and his daughter came down for the celebration when they opened the house.”
As Lison explains, the museum is built of lumber salvaged from the home where Johnson was born in 1918.
“They tried to move the house he was born in, but it crumbled…so they took what lumber they could and built a new house,” Lison adds.
The county and The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a Historically Black College and University, are the stewards of the John H. Johnson Cultural and Educational Museum.
Adapting to the New Media
Dr. Sekou Franklin, an African American Studies professor at Middle Tennessee State University, says, “The loss of Ebony and JET is a loss for the Black community.”
Franklin points out that the demise of Johnson Publishing Company coincides with a technological revolution which continues to change the way Americans consume news and entertainment. Media publications are rife with the obituaries of legacy publications. Earlier this week Black Press mainstay, The Chicago Defender, announced its plans to end its print edition and publish only digitally.
“This could limit the ability to generate autonomous and rich perspectives of African Americans,” Franklin says. “While younger African Americans have adapted to the 21st century media, seniors and some rural residents, who live in areas where internet service is unstable, may be the most harmed. Print media, including newspapers, have been an important resource for African Americans.”
With a court-supervised sale of Johnson Publishing’s assets expected, in Arkansas City, there is still immense pride in Johnson’s personal story of tenacity and smarts connecting with opportunity in Chicago where he began his company in 1942. His cousin and millions of others will always remember the magazines he created and their place in the cultural archives.
“They used to send JET to me free,” Lison says. “We would get them weekly. Ebony, I always bought it to see the Beautiful People.”
In Arkansas a formerly all-Black school, Ouachita County Training School, has launched a national fundraising effort to restore the campus following its designation as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first corporate donations to OCTS, located in Bearden, Arkansas, came from the Katherine Anthony Foundation.
Anthony’s nephew, Steve, and CEO of Anthony Timberlands, presented a $10,000 check to the historic committee.
“We are happy to support the work of the Greater Bradley District Association and the Ouachita County Training School committee in their efforts to maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the training school, which is such an important part of the Bearden community,” Anthony said.
The National Park Service listed OCTS on the prestigious register in 2023.
“Since we received the news, we have been excited and motivated to raise the fund necessary to preserve this part of our history!” Virginia Ashley, committee president said. “We recognize the pivotal role OCTS played in educating several generations of young people who started right here and went on to contribute greatly to the Black middle class and the world.”
The gift of education
For education advocates, December holds a special place in American history. During the Christmas Season in 1952, the Supreme Court first heard arguments to eliminate segregation in the nation’s public schools. But, it took two more years before the Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation unconstitutional.
During the 1950s, OCTS educated Black students in the small southern town south of Little Rock, which became known internationally for The Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. In Bearden, several Rosenwald Schools had consolidated to create the larger OCTS campus that educated students from the first through the 12th grades.
“I have such wonderful memories of my days as a student at OCTS,” recalled Pearlie Newton, a retired educator and executive director of the OCTS historic committee. “My dad helped pour concrete at the campus, my husband and I met there and it was in one of the classrooms that my goal to become an educator took shape.”
Despite the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision eliminating “separate but equal” schools, OCTS remained segregated until 1971 when it merged with the white school district in the area. An association of Black Baptist churches known as the Greater Bradley District Association purchased the campus for use as its headquarters.
Pastor and Association Moderator, Verna Thompson, said, “We are excited about the renovation and look forward to holding our church services and meetings in a modernized facility that holds so much historic significance.”
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