Connect with us

Black History

Ebony and JET: Cultural Gems from One of the First Media Entrepreneurs

Published

on

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.”

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

Published

on

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

Continue Reading

Black History

President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

Published

on

President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

Continue Reading

Black History

The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

Published

on

The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Love Black History, powered by WordPress.