OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
October 31, 2018
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Austin, Beale, Brookins Jr., Burnett Jr., Cochran, Curtis, Dowell, Ervin, Foulkes, Hairston, Harris, King, Mitchell, Mitts, David Moore, Sawyer, Scott Jr. and Taliaferro, a congratulatory resolution concerning the Johnson Family and Ebony Magazine.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Johnson Family has had a tremendous impact in Chicago through their immensely successful business, Johnson Publishing Company, and generosity to charitable causes; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed ofthe Johnson Family's contributions by Alderman Sophia King and Mayor Rahm Emanuel; and
WHEREAS, John H. Johnson was the founder and head ofthe Johnson Publishing Company. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential African-American business leaders in the United States; and
WHEREAS, John Johnson relocated to Chicago with his mother, Gertrude, after his father, Leroy, was killed in a sawmill accident when Johnson was just six years old. After graduating from DuSable High School and the University of Chicago in 1942, Johnson took out a $500 loan using his mother's furniture as collateral to open the doors of Johnson Publishing Company; and
WHEREAS, Johnson Publishing Company produced the groundbreaking Ebony and Jet magazines, which were an integral part of the civil rights movement, sharing African American culture with readers all over the world; and
WHEREAS, Fashion Fair is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson Publishing Company and was created for women of color by the late Eunice W. Johnson, the creator of the Ebony Fashion Fair Show. As a pioneering businesswoman, Johnson took the risk that most major cosmetic companies refused to take by entering the untapped market of makeup for women of color; and
WHEREAS, Johnson Publishing Company produces the Ebony Fashion Fair (the world's largest traveling fashion show), which has donated over $47 million to charity; and
WHEREAS, For six decades John Johnson remained at the helm of Johnson Publishing, growing it into a multi-million-dollar business that, in addition to publishing, branched out into fashion, cosmetics, radio and television; and
WHEREAS, Johnson Publishing Company is currently led by John Johnson's daughter, Chairman and CEO Linda Johnson Rice; and
WHEREAS, Johnson Publishing helped shape the civil rights movement through its magazines by sharing positive stories and imagery of African Americans that changed the attitudes of all Americans; and
WHEREAS, On January 31, 2012, the United States Postal Service honored John H. Johnson with a commemorative stamp as an addition to its Black Heritage Series; and \
WHEREAS, In 2017, the Johnson Publishing Company Building was designated a historic landmark. It is the only high rise office building in downtown Chicago designed by an African American, John Warren Moutoussamy; and
WHEREAS, The Johnson Family has made valuable contributions to the history ofthe
City of Chicago and created a legacy that will be strong for years to come; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this thirty-first day of October, 2018, do hereby extend our heartfelt best wishes to the Johnson Family; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies ofthis resolution are presented to the Johnson Family as a sign of our honor, gratitude, and respect.