About this Book

The headquarters of the Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, publishers of Ebony and Jet, is a tribute to African American achievement. Designed, built, and owned by African Americans, it houses the empire of John Harold Johnson, who rose from grinding poverty to achieve the success that both he and his mother believed was possible through hard work, education, and determination. Over and over, when he was told no, Johnson simply found another way to get what he wanted. From the time he arrived in Chicago from rural Arkansas, Johnson was entranced by newspapers and magazines and became determined to provide the African American community publications of their very, own -- publications that respected the African American, his dreams, and his realities.