Archive of the People: The Johnson Publishing Company

The Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. (JPC) was an American publishing company founded in November 1942 by African American businessman John H. Johnson. Johnson Publishing was at one time the largest African American-owned publishing firm in the United States. In 1945, JPC launched Ebony (its flagship publication), and in 1951, Jet magazine. Against the backdrop of legal segregation (and forms of cultural exclusion therein), these publications challenged the often-stereotypical representations of African Americans in the mainstream media. The reporting, and accompanying images, from these JPC publications portrayed African Americans as they saw themselves, and the resulting photojournalism made history. This lecture will cover this intrepid history while providing a context for understanding the importance of JPC publications within American popular culture and the modern civil rights movement.

Additional Links

• Lecture Recording
• Soundcloud Audio File