[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 246 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 246

   Paying tribute to John Harold Johnson in recognition of his many 
                    achievements and contributions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2005

 Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Meek of Florida, Ms. Norton, 
 Mr. Butterfield, Ms. Carson, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. 
 Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, and Mrs. 
 Christensen) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Paying tribute to John Harold Johnson in recognition of his many 
                    achievements and contributions.

Whereas on August 9, 2005, the United States lost John Harold Johnson, who 
        contributed greatly to the Nation by using the power of the press to 
        open the doors of opportunity for African Americans and shatter 
        negative, racial stereotypes;
Whereas John Johnson was born to humble circumstances in 1918 in Arkansas City, 
        Arkansas, within the area of the United States known as the Delta 
        Region;
Whereas in 1918, the Arkansas race riots illuminated for the world the 
        circumstances into which John Johnson was born and under which African 
        Americans existed in the Delta Region;
Whereas at this time, African Americans living in the Delta Region were faced 
        with brutal conditions, exemplified by the common occurrence of 
        lynchings, a widespread system of debt peonage, a political system 
        entirely dominated by a small White minority, as well as a judicial 
        system completely denying the participation of African Americans, even 
        as jurors;
Whereas the Johnson family, seeking a better life, eventually became part of the 
        Great Migration, which brought them to Chicago in 1933, where a young 
        John Johnson attended DuSable High School with such classmates as Redd 
        Foxx and Nat King Cole;
Whereas in 1942, with a loan of $500 secured by his mother's furniture, John 
        Johnson launched Negro Digest, an endeavor which would eventually evolve 
        into a unique publishing and cosmetics empire that reached into the 
        homes of millions of African Americans and helped reshape the United 
        States;
Whereas John Johnson created Ebony magazine, which began in 1945 with a yearly 
        circulation of 25,000 and reached a monthly circulation exceeding 
        1,600,000 last year;
Whereas John Johnson also created Jet magazine, founded in 1951, with a current 
        weekly circulation of 900,000;
Whereas John Johnson's company, Johnson Publishing, expanded to create Fashion 
        Fair Cosmetics, as well as the JPC Book Division;
Whereas John Johnson's publications offered positive images and stories of 
        African American men and women, and inspired and motivated generations 
        of African Americans to excel in every walk of life, while discrediting 
        racist stereotypes, which remained too common;
Whereas John Johnson's publications energized the civil rights movement during 
        the 1950s and later decades with powerful images and stories of the 
        struggle for equality, including the shocking images of the murder of 
        Emmett Till;
Whereas John Johnson's publications helped create a powerful African American 
        marketplace, which permitted African Americans and other minorities to 
        participate in the United States economy in a new and more just manner, 
        and which made John Johnson one of the Nation's most successful 
        entrepreneurs and innovators;
Whereas John Johnson became one of the Nation's leading philanthropists, 
        donating millions of dollars to the civil rights movement, historically 
        Black colleges and universities, and other worthy causes; and
Whereas as a result of his good works, John Johnson was lauded with numerous 
        honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) notes with deep sorrow the death of John Harold 
        Johnson;
            (2) extends heartfelt sympathy to the wife and family of 
        John Johnson; and
            (3) commends John Johnson for his many accomplishments.
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