Summary
Black folks have come a long way since 1945. Then, more than two-thirds of us lived in poverty, but now just a quarter of us do (compared to 12 percent of whites). Then, most of us worked in menial jobs, and just 2 or 3 percent had college educations. Now, nearly half work in white-collar jobs, and more than 10 percent of us over age 25 have graduated from college. Despite all of that, we are barraged by negative images -- of the thugs, hustlers and half-nude sisters that seem to grate their way through cable television videos. Ebony magazine often offers a respite from that swarm of swirling negative images, reporting, simply, on a promotion, a book published, a record produced, or the opulent lifestyle of someone successful. If a young Black man or woman can't get solace from the numbers -- and buries themselves in statistics -- they can get solace from the notion that a little Black boy or girl who grew up without much managed to find some measure of success by making it into the pages of Ebony.
[John H. Johnson]'s death reminds me, though, that as far as African American folks have come, we have so much further to go. Where in the world will we be so celebrated as in the pages of Ebony and in the Black press? Who else in the world invests in us -- Black folks -- but us? When a magazine like Time, GQ or Vogue is as unabashedly gleeful about our success as Ebony has been, then we may not need a Black press anymore. Until then, John Johnson lit a path that we must follow if only because young Black people deserve to appreciate us with our good news, in our glory.See the full content of this document
Extract
Johnson's Vision Is His Legacy
When the news on minority business growth was released last week, news touting the 45 percent growth in African American-owned business, 31 percent growth in Hispanic-owned business, and 22 percent growth in Asian-owned business, several forces could be credited for this s...
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