Besides Black newspapers in cities across the nation, few media outlets dedicated resources to cover events and people connected to African American lifestyle and news as Ebony and Jet magazines.

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Ebony began publishing regularly just after the end of World War II while the smaller-sized Jet began in 1951 when Black Americans in many regions still lived under racial segregation.

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https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-H-Johnson

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10johnson.html

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John H. Johnson | American publisher

John H. Johnson, in full John Harold Johnson, (born January 19, 1918, Arkansas City, Arkansas, U.S.—died August 8, 2005, Chicago, Illinois), magazine and book publisher, the first African American to attain major success in those fields. Johnson and his family settled in Chicago after visiting that city during the 1933 World’s Fair. He later became an honour student at Du Sable High School in Chicago, where he was managing editor of the school paper and business manager of the yearbook. Those experiences influenced his choice of journalism as a career. While studying at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University,

Encyclopedia Britannica

Ebony and Jet captured the environment that Black Americans were forced to endure over the years. In their 4 million images, the magazines chronicled the civil rights movement and the lives of prominent figures such as Miles Davis, Muhammad Ali, Nina Simone, and Coretta Scott King at her husband’s funeral.

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https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ebony-magazine/

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Ebony Magazine •

Ebony, a pictorial news magazine published by Chicago, Illinois-based Johnson Publishing Company, first appeared in November 1945. Created by John H. Johnson, who modeled his publication after Life magazine, Ebony celebrated African American life and culture by depicting the achievements of black Americans. It honored … Read MoreEbony Magazine

Jet and Ebony remained dear to the hearts of many Black Americans because their images connected to key moments in American history—like the 1955 groundbreaking coverage of Emmett Till’s murder.

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https://www.ebony.com/president-biden-commends-jet-magazine-historic-emmett-till-coverage-screening-till/

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President Biden Commends JET for Historic Emmett Till Coverage at White House Screening of 'Till'

The White House hosts special screening of TILL, based on the true story of educator-turned-activist Mamie Till-Bradley for her murdered son.

Ebony

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ebony and Jet were found in every Black American home. In addition to Black celebrities and elites, Ebony and Jet revealed everyday black life — from children playing in city parks to elders praying at rural churches. A particular favorite was Jet’s “The Beauty of the Week’.”

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https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/summer-2019/the-world-class-photography-of-emebony/em-and-emjet/em-is-priceless-history-its-still-up-for-sale

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The World-Class Photography of Ebony and Jet Is Priceless History. It’s Still Up for Sale. | Perspectives on History | AHA

In April 2019, Chicago-based Johnson Publishing, the owner of the photo archives and former publisher of the magazines, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. This set off a wave of fear that the collection would be separated and purchased by private collectors, thereby walled off from the public.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebony-and-jet-magazine-photo-archive/

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Rare look inside the Ebony and Jet magazine photo archive that just sold for $30M

The images represent 70 years of American history, immortalized on glossy paper

CBS News

To the relief of many, the Ford, McArthur, and Mellon Foundations as well as The Getty Trust bought the archive for $30 million as part of an auction to pay off creditors of Johnson Publishing Company. The foundations donated the 4 million prints and negatives to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and the Getty Research Institute.

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https://www.getty.edu/news/ford-getty-trust-macarthur-and-mellon-transfer-ebony-and-jet-photo-archive-to-getty-and-smithsonian/

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The Ebony and Jet photo archive chronicled American history. The sale of their archive generated relief among some who worried the historic images might have been lost. But it also caused many to mourn that the images won’t fully be in the hands of a Black American-owned entity. This is because for more than half a century, Ebony and Jet stood as the epitome of a Black-owned business.

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https://youtu.be/ybihmVViHpw

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A look back at the Chicago history behind Ebony and Jet magazines

YouTube
@Deglassco this is one of the reasons we need to work so hard to build a mass of diverse people in #libraries and #archives. Folks like me care a lot about these issues, but I'm not nearly as embedded into that history as a black or indigenous archivist. If the #smithsonian staff reflected the entire US, things like https://youtu.be/qufNIgaCQC8 would be much less likely.
This Photo Isn’t What It Looks Like | The Bigger Picture with Vincent Brown | PBS

YouTube
@ndporter Thank you so much. I’m checking this episode out right now! Appreciate it,
@Deglassco Past term I brought in old magazine covers for students to practice analyzing 'semiotics'--I was shocked they had no idea Jet or Ebony were Black produced and focused magazines (and that changed their understanding)--this is American history!