JOHNSON PUBLISHING COMPANY
Building on Black Legacy
“Ebony and Jet showed Black people going places they had never been, doing things they had never done. The magazines covered the dreams and the dreamers. It covered the struggles and became the struggle. The company was the manifestation of ideas whose time had come.” - John H. Johnson
HISTORY
Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) was founded in 1942 by John H. Johnson with a $500 loan,
using his mother’s furniture as collateral.
John H. Johnson created his first publication, Negro Digest.
1942
The first issue of Ebony Magazine was published.
1945
JPC’s weekly publication, JET, was created
1951
Eunice W. Johnson, the wife of John H. Johnson created the Ebony Fashion Fair. A charitable traveling fashion show featuring black modelswearing the best emerging Black designers and best couture pieces from the United States and Europe.
1958
1973
During the Ebony Fashion Fair tour, Eunice W. Johnson noticed a gap in the beauty market for Black women and decided to start Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Fashion Fair became the leader in Black beauty products for decades.
During its peak from the 1960s until the early 2000s, Johnson Publishing Company was the largest Black-owned public company.
Due to the changing media landscape, JPC filed for liquidation to allow for the reinvention of the historic brand.
2019
Under Linda Johnson Rice’s leadership, JPC re-emerges as a multimedia and production company.
2021
ABOUT
Through the vision of CEO and Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, daughter of Eunice W. and John H. Johnson, Johnson Publishing Company has reinvented itself to create television, film, and other projects, with a nod to its historic past. Linda has served on corporate boards ranging from Tesla to Kimberly-Clark to Omnicom Group and is a prominent business leader, producer, speaker, and a singular voice in the Black community.
In addition to her deep connection to the company, Linda has worked hard to reimagine Johnson Publishing Company. Over the years, JPC maintains the rights to its extensive list of books. Linda is currently adapting one of these book properties into a docu-series and will be the Executive Producer on the project.
Linda welcomes new opportunities and is currently developing new projects. Learn more about Linda, here.