* His Dreams Live On *

John H. Johnson is a name that many of us are not familiar with while others have heard of him often. Mr. Johnson rose from poverty to create an unparalleled international media empire that fueled the dreams of many Americans and died August 8th in Chicago at the age of 87.

Born on January 19, 1918, in Arkansas City, Arkansas, Johnson's early life was shaped by overcoming. His father was killed in a sawmill accident when he was 8 years old, and his mother became the central force in his life.

"She believed in me and taught me to believe in myself," Johnson later said. "She taught me to dream, to dare and to never give up." 

It was Johnson's mother who decided that the Jim Crow South was not a good place to raise a Black child from whom she expected greatness. There was no Black high school in the town of Johnson's birth. He repeated the eighth grade just to keep learning. To give her only son an opportunity for a better life, Johnson's mother worked as a camp cook on a levee for two years to save money for the train trip to Chicago, where Johnson and his mother lived with a friend and he went to high school. 

Johnson graduated from Chicago's DuSable High School in 1936 and worked at Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company, where he would later become chairman of the board, while studying part-time at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. One of his duties at Supreme was to prepare a digest for company President Harry Pace of Black oriented stories in the American press--a duty that gave him the idea for his first magazine, Negro Digest.

When he was refused a business loan from banks and other financial institutions, Johnson financed the first issue by borrowing $500 on his mother's furniture. Published for the first time in November 1942, Negro Digest was an instant success and led to the post-World War II founding of EBONY magazine in November 1945. The first issue of EBONY sold 25,000 copies, instantly making it the largest-circulated Black magazine. Today, 60 years later, EBONY is still at the top, with a circulation of 1.6 million. 

In 1951 Johnson started JET, which became the No. 1 Black newsweekly. The company continued to expand its media interests, and Johnson eventually published books, bought radio stations and produced television shows. 

Johnson's business acumen and commitment to the community won him directorship of major American corporations. He served first on the board of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and later on the boards of companies such as VIAD, Chrysler, Zenith, Conrail, Bell & Howell, Continental Bank, and Dillard Department Stores. He served as a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, the UNCF and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Johnson is credited as one of the trailblazers in business and international media and is acknowledged as the first entrepreneur to recognize the colossal buying power of Black America. 

"He virtually invented the Black Consumer Market," says historian Lerone Bennett Jr., EBONY executive editor emeritus. "And he almost single-handedly created the foundations -- the stratum of Black writers, photographers advertising and circulation specialists -- for the Black magazines and Black media stars of today."

The secret of his success, by most accounts, was his indomitable spirit and his refusal to take no for an answer. He always found a way. When he was refused permission to buy a lot in downtown Chicago because of his race, he hired a White lawyer who bought the land in trust. With that purchase, Johnson became the first African-American to build a major building in downtown Chicago. 

Defying the odds was his passion--the great theme of his life. "Failure," he said, "is a word I don't accept." In his best-selling autobiography, Succeeding Against the Odds , he said that the message of his life to "Blacks, to Hispanics, to Asians, to Whites, to dreamers everywhere , was that long shots do come in and that hard work, dedication and perseverance will overcome almost any prejudice and open almost any door." 

Prior to his death Johnson named his daughter, Linda Johnson Rice -- then serving as president and chief operating officer - -the CEO of the company, but retained the title of chairman and publisher. He was active in company affairs until his death. 

"He was in his office every day until his last illness and was alert and active until the end," Rice said. "He was the greatest salesman and CEO I have ever known, but he was also a father, friend and mentor with a great sense of humor who never stopped climbing mountains and dreaming dreams."

Johnson may have climbed his last mountain, but his dreams live on in those whose lives he has and will continue to touch.

"I would tell young people to start where they are with what they have and that the secret of a big success is starting with a small success and dreaming bigger and bigger dreams," he said in his last major interview. "I would tell them also that a young Black woman or a young Black man can't dream too much today or dare too much if he or she works hard, perseveres and dedicates themselves to excellence."

        ~ From an article in Ebony Magazine ~ 

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