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Ebony (magazine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ebony magazine is a monthly entertainment publication. Its focus is on the African-American community, covering the movements, trends and culture of the times. It was founded by John H. Johnson in Chicago and has published continuously since November of 1945. A digest-sized sister magazine, Jet, was founded by the Johnson Publishing Company in 1951. After 71 years, in June 2016, Johnson Publishing sold the publications to private equity firm Clear View Group. The new publisher is known as Ebony Media Corporation.
History
Founding-1963
Ebony was founded by John H. Johnson in 1945. The name of the magazine was created by Johnson's wife, Eunice W. Johnson, in reference to the dark wood.[1]The magazine's initial 25,000 copy press run in November of that year sold out completely.[2] Ebony's content initially focused on black sports and entertainment figures, but eventually began including black achievers and celebrities of many different facets.[3] During the 1960s, the magazine became increasingly involved in the Civil Rights Movement, covering civil rights events across the country, discussing the increasing number of opportunities in American for black people, and suggesting ways for African Americans to overcome racial obstacles. It also covered historically significant events to African Americans, as seen in a 1963 issue commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation[4]
1963-Present
Because of the declining popularity of the publication after which the magazine was originally modeled, Life magazine, Ebony's content and design began to shift in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This change also came about because of the emergence of new African-American oriented magazines, like Essence, creating a new level of competition for subscribers and readers. In the 1970's, Ebony also began to cover more of the political achievements in the black community. This can be seen on the magazine's February 1971 cover, on which 13 black congressmen and women are featured. This coverage of politics continued when, in 1977, Ebony highlighted the blacks serving in Jimmy Carter's administration.[5]
The magazine reached unprecedented levels of popularity, with marketers estimating that Ebony was reaching over 40% of the black adults in the United States during the 1980s, a feat unmatched by any other general-interest magazine at the time.[6] For decades, advertisers created ads specifically for Ebony, which featured black models using their products.[7] In the 21st century, many ads in widespread publications already feature black people; Ebony contributes to diversity by also running ads that feature non-black models.The magazine has evolved over the years; in 1985 Ebony Man was started.
In August 2008, the magazine had published a special eight-cover edition featuring the "25 Coolest Brothers of All Time". The lineup featured Jay-Z, Barack Obama, Prince, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali and Billy Dee Williams. In 2010, it began a redesign process to update its longtime brand. In the past, the magazine was persistently upbeat, much like its postwar contemporary Life. Ebony, edited by John H. Johnson, has striven always to address African-American issues, personalities and interests in a positive and self-affirming manner. Its cover photography has focused on prominent African American public figures, including actors and entertainers, and politicians, such as Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, U.S. First lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé Knowles, Tyrese Gibson, and Tyler Perry.
In the 21st century, Ebony frequently makes headlines in the blogosphere and in the mainstream press. The November 2011 cover featured a pregnant Nia Long, reminiscent of the iconic image of actress Demi Moore featured naked while pregnant on a magazine cover two decades before. Some of Ebony′s more conservative readers disagreed with the cover choice, stating it inappropriate to feature an unwed, pregnant woman on the cover. The cover was featured in US Weekly and in a five-minute segment on CNN. Recent issues questioned whether President Obama was still right for black America and whether biracial Americans need more acknowledgement in today's society.
In December 2008, Google announced that it was scanning back issues for Google Book Search; all issues from November 1959 to December 2008 are available for free. In 2010, the Johnson Publishing Company sold its historic building to Columbia College Chicago. It moved into a new building in 2011. In 2016, the company sold Ebony and Jet to private equity firm Clear View Group, but retained its Fashion Fair Cosmetics business and its historic Ebony and Jet photo archives. In July 2019, three months after Johnson Publishing filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy liquidation, it sold its historic Ebony and Jet photo archives (prints and negatives) to a consortium of foundations to be made available to the public.
65th Anniversary Addition
In November 2010, the magazine featured a special 65th-anniversary edition cover featuring Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Usher and Mary J. Blige. A second cover showcased Nia Long atop a birthday cake – Marilyn Monroe-style. The issue included eight cover recreations from historic and iconic previous covers of Ebony. Blair Underwood posed inside, as did Omar Epps and Jurnee Smollett. Mary J. Blige used her 1940s-style image from Ebony to update her Twitter profile picture.
National Public Radio marked this anniversary edition as the beginning of redesign of Ebony. Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, of the Obama administration, had become the CEO of the magazine.
"100 Most Influential Blacks"
One of the most infamous aspects of the magazine was its list of "100 Most Influential Blacks." This list, which began in 1963, took a hiatus until 1971, and has continued on ever since, lists those who have made the greatest impact in the black community during the year. Most of those listed were well-educated, with 55 percent having completed a graduate degree.[8] In spite of this, many black figures in academia and scholarship were not included on the list, with much of its focus being on entertainment figures, politicians, and businessmen.[9]
See also
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (2010-01-09). "Eunice Johnson Dies at 93; Gave Ebony Its Name". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
- ^ "John H. Johnson | American publisher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ "Ebony | American magazine". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Glasrud, Bruce (2007-09-18). "Ebony Magazine • BlackPast". BlackPast. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Anderson, Mia L. (2015-12-01). ""I Dig You, Chocolate City": Ebony and Sepia Magazines' Coverage of Black Political Progress, 1971–1977". Journal of African American Studies. 19 (4): 398–409. doi:10.1007/s12111-015-9309-x. ISSN 1936-4741.
- ^ Staples, Brent (2019-08-11). "Opinion | The Radical Blackness of Ebony Magazine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Pollay, Richard W.; Lee, Jung S.; M.B.A, David Carter-Whitney (1992-03-01). "Separate, but Not Equal: Racial Segmentation in Cigarette Advertising". Journal of Advertising. 21 (1): 45–57. doi:10.1080/00913367.1992.10673359. ISSN 0091-3367.
- ^ Henry, Charles P. (1981). "Ebony Elite: America's Most Influential Blacks". Phylon (1960-). 42 (2): 120–132. doi:10.2307/274717. ISSN 0031-8906.
- ^ "No Interest in Black Scholars: The Tweedledum and Tweedledee of African-American Publishing". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (37): 53–54. 2002. doi:10.2307/3134282. ISSN 1077-3711.