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 un...
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