[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S10720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JOHN H. JOHNSON

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, today, I pay tribute to the life and 
legacy of John H. Johnson. John was a pioneer whose monumental works in 
publishing and generous acts of philanthropy have had profound 
influence on the lives of millions, both inside and outside Arkansas.
  John's life story is one we can all learn from and admire. Raising 
himself up from poverty to the top of the business world, he is proof 
that hard work and determination can create success. Born the grandson 
of slaves in a one-room house in Arkansas City in 1918, John went on to 
become the first African American to be named to Forbes' list of the 
400 wealthiest Americans.
  The founder, publisher and chairman of Johnson Publishing company--
the largest African-American owned publishing company in the world--
John's magazines, Ebony and Jet, are the number one African-American 
magazine and newsweekly respectively. Ebony currently has a circulation 
of 1.7 million and a monthly readership of over 11 million, while Jet 
has a readership of over 8 million weekly, and both publications 
continue to lead the way in African-American journalism. Linda Johnson 
Rice, John's daughter, currently serves as President and CEO of her 
father's company and I wish her the best in building on her father's 
success.
  Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996--the highest honor 
this Nation bestows on civilians--John's life was full of 
accomplishments and accolades. John was recognized with the Magazine 
Publisher's Association publisher of the year award, the Black 
Journalists' Lifetime Achievement Award and the Wall Street Journal/Dow 
Jones Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. He has been inducted into the 
Advertising Hall of Fame, the National Business Hall of Fame and, in 
2001, he became the first African American inducted into the Arkansas 
Business Hall of Fame. During his life, John was also appointed to 
various posts by Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon and served on 
the boards of corporations ranging from Dillard Department Stores to 
the Chrysler Corporation to Twentieth Century Fox Film.
  But John's influence extends beyond the business world. He helped 
change race relations in this country, both with his publications and 
activism. In 1955, John made history when he published the unedited 
photographs of the mutilated body of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old 
murder victim who was viciously beaten, shot and then drowned in 
Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The pictures, 
intended to show the reality of the Jim Crow South, helped spark the 
Civil Rights Movement.
  As far as John went in life, he was not one to forget his roots. 
Raised in poverty in Arkansas by his mother, John has spent much of 
life giving back to his community and state. John's dedication to 
education and improving the lives of children has been one of his 
greatest passions and the results of his work will be felt in Arkansas 
for decades to come. In May, Arkansas City and the University of 
Arkansas at Pine Bluff dedicated the John H. Johnson Cultural and 
Educational Museum. The museum contains memorabilia, printed materials 
and videos about John's life, which will serve as an inspiration to our 
children as they strive to succeed. There are also plans in the works 
for the John H. Johnson Delta Cultural and Entrepreneurial Learning 
Center in Arkansas City, as well as a related academic complex in Pine 
Bluff. These facilities will undoubtedly be an asset to the university 
and provide valuable education opportunities for the students of 
Arkansas.
  John H. Johnson's legacy will live on and continue to influence the 
State of Arkansas, and the Nation, for many years. Through his 
publications, activism and generosity, John has left an indelible mark 
on society. He was a trailblazer and his contributions to our Nation 
are immeasurable. I join all of Arkansas in saluting the memory of John 
H. Johnson.

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