[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 605 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 605

 Honoring John H. Johnson, a renowned and loved figure not only around 
  the world but in the 7th Congressional District and Chicago, whose 
      astonishing life and contributions have a lasting influence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 24, 2021

  Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois submitted the following resolution; 
      which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring John H. Johnson, a renowned and loved figure not only around 
  the world but in the 7th Congressional District and Chicago, whose 
      astonishing life and contributions have a lasting influence.

Whereas, on November 1, 2019, the Friends of John H. Johnson, the curators of 
        the John H. Johnson Day and the John H. Johnson Museum, led the effort 
        to establish a special holiday to honor John Harold Johnson in the State 
        of Arkansas for his accomplishments in the publishing industry in spite 
        of tremendous challenges for African Americans;
Whereas John Harold Johnson, born Johnny Johnson on January 19, 1918, in 
        Arkansas City, Arkansas, to Gertrude and Leroy Johnson, was a direct 
        descendent of slaves and rose to international acclaim as owner and 
        publishing icon of Chicago's Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of 
        Ebony and Jet magazine, in the 7th Congressional District of Illinois;
Whereas Johnson was born into poverty, and he lost his father at a young age to 
        a sawmill accident and was forced to start working;
Whereas Johnson's mother remarried James Williams, who became an important 
        figure in Johnson's life;
Whereas Arkansas City had no opportunities for education beyond the eighth grade 
        for African Americans, and schools were overcrowded and segregated;
Whereas these were difficult times for African Americans in rural Arkansas, and 
        Johnson's passion to overcome disadvantages and for learning laid the 
        foundation for his eventual rise as the founder of the largest African-
        American publishing company in the world;
Whereas after a trip to Chicago to attend the World's Fair, the Johnson family 
        realized opportunities for African Americans were far greater in the 
        North than they had experienced in the South, and they stayed in 
        Chicago;
Whereas Johnson was more determined than ever to excel, and even though he was 
        teased by his classmates at DuSable High School on the South Side of 
        Chicago for his ragged clothes and Southern manner, he was empowered by 
        the knowledge of the existence of an African-American middle class, 
        something he had never experienced;
Whereas Johnson excelled at DuSable High School, was elected class president, 
        and graduated in 1936;
Whereas Johnson spoke at the Urban League that same year and started courses at 
        the University of Chicago, while also working at Supreme Liberty Life 
        Insurance as editor of the company magazine;
Whereas the owner of Supreme Liberty Life Insurance was impressed with Johnson 
        after hearing him speak at the Urban League and gave him a job and money 
        for college tuition;
Whereas at 24, Johnson became inspired while working at Supreme Liberty and came 
        up with the idea for his first magazine, Negro Digest, published in 
        November 1942;
Whereas, in 1941, John H. Johnson married Eunice Walker, from Selma, Alabama, 
        who, along with his mother, was his constant support, and she later 
        helped him run other business pursuits, most notably Fashion Fair 
        Cosmetics, and they adopted two children, Linda and John, Jr.;
Whereas John H. Johnson was a man of exemplary character and extraordinary will 
        with a powerful determination to succeed;
Whereas Johnson was in the inaugural class of inductees into the Arkansas Black 
        Hall of Fame, and he was the first African American to receive the Young 
        Man of the Year award by the United States Chamber of Commerce;
Whereas Johnson received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the Presidential 
        Medal of Freedom, and he was the first African American to be on the 
        Forbes 400 and the first to own a building on Michigan Avenue in 
        Chicago; and
Whereas Johnson's legacy will be treasured through the positive influence he had 
        on his community and his commitment to covering race relations: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors John H. Johnson, 
a renowned and loved figure not only around the world but in the 7th 
Congressional District and Chicago, whose astonishing life and 
contributions have a lasting influence.
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