Mass media has always been used as a tool of control and influence. This includes radio, television, books and magazines. Magazines in particular have been a tool for sharing with the American public what is new and cool in society. An example is Vogue magazine, founded in 1892 (CBS News). Since then, Vogue has been a fashion magazine dedicated to teaching society how to dress, do their hair and do their makeup. They have been the reporters of all things hip for over 120 years now. But the magazine hasn't always been inclusive. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayIn fact, a common feature of 19th and early 20th century magazines was the celebration of whiteness and Eurocentric characteristics. African Americans were excluded from this form of mass media until 1892. That was the year John H. Johnson published the first issue of The Negro Digest, one of the very first magazines devoted to sharing stories about African Americans. He then created Ebony Magazine, which also specifically highlighted the lives of African Americans. With the creation of The Negro Digest and Ebony, John H. Johnson used mass media to shine a light on African American culture during a time of racism and repression, humanizing African Americans and changing the perception of what means being black to white and black people. John H. Johnson was born in January 1918 and raised in Arkansas City, Arkansas. It was from there that he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, because there was no public high school for African American students in Arkansas City. He prospered in Chicago, becoming president of his high school's Junior and Senior classes and also becoming editor of his school newspaper. There, he explored his interest in journalism and, after graduating, went to work for the Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company where he worked. as a publisher of articles related to African Americans. This job opportunity fulfilled both his passion for journalism and his voice for his fellow African Americans. After working there, he decided to strike out on his own and start his own publishing company, which of course was not without its challenges. First, Johnson had financial difficulties starting his business because banks were more hesitant to lend money to African Americans. A small business loan that would have been easy for any white man to obtain turned out to be almost unattainable for a black man. Johnson ended up having to use his mother's furniture as collateral to borrow $500 to start the Johnson Publishing Company (Biography. com). In November 1942, the Johnson Publishing Company printed the first issue of its first publication, The Negro Digest. But before that step could be taken, Johnson had to get help from the black community. In addition to using his mother's furniture as collateral, in order to earn enough money for the publications, Johnson wrote letters requesting a two-dollar subscription and sent them to everyone on a mailing list of 'an African-American community insurance company. The result was 3,000 responses, which made his goal of publishing The Negro Digest much more achievable (Portland State University). But of course, Johnson faced other challenges before publishing. Most of the magazine distributors he spoke to initially refused to distribute the magazine because they doubted it would sell. In response, Johnson turned to the community againblack for help. He and his friends went from newsstand to request that copies of The Negro Digest be sold there (Portland State University). This method proved effective as it helped Johnson find a magazine distributor who would publish his magazine as well as help market it to other cities. This first issue ultimately enjoyed great success, selling 3,000 copies and within a year, acquiring a monthly circulation of 50,000 copies (Encyclopedia Britanicca). The impact of the Negro Digest was that no one could predict. He became a voice for African Americans at a time of racial tension and a means of exposing black issues and concerns to whites. A column that became very well known in the magazine was entitled “If I Were a Negro.” This column highlighted unresolved black issues and encouraged famous white citizens, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to give their views (Portland State University). Just as the magazine grew out of support from the black community, it continued to reciprocate by still highlighting black issues, even after it ceased publication. In 1951, The Negro Digest published its final issue, but in 1961 Johnson relaunched the publication under a new name, The Black World, and a new editor, the famous black intellectual Hoyt Fuller. Fuller went on to state that the magazine would aim to "regularly publish articles that would investigate and report on the conditions of people and their struggles throughout the black world", with a new goal of "guarding against opportunists and charlatans who would exploit black art.” and literature for their own gain and the spiritual and artistic colonization of black people” (University of Chicago). It addressed controversial topics like Black Power, celebrated activism like that of Martin Luther King Jr., and featured black literature like Frantz Fanon's Black Skin White Masks. Although it emphasized activism and Black Power, the magazine had no particular political affiliation, but rather encouraged debate among its black readers. This magazine highlighted the many, many perspectives and points of view that black people could have, giving them more of an identity in racist post-World War II America. The Black World highlighted how diverse black people can be even after sharing so many life experiences. The sense of individuality made possible by the different viewpoints shared in the magazine contributed to black liberation, starting with the black mind. Black intellectuals were able to publish their articles in the magazine and influence the black masses. For example, in the August 1973 issue, June Jordan introduced readers to the importance of "black" English with "White English: The Politics of Language" (University of Chicago). Articles like these were so important because they were examples of black people influencing other black people, for the common good of black people nationwide. Before Johnson's publications in The Negro Digest and The Black World, black people were not represented in magazines and continued to be influenced by white people. Johnson finally published the final issue of The Black World in 1976, but then continued to publish African-American magazines that had a great impact. John H. Johnson went ahead and launched Ebony magazine in November 1945. Just as The Negro Digest was considered the black version of Reader's Digest, Ebony was the black version of Life magazine. Its initial goal was to highlight African-American artists and sports figures (Encyclopedia Britanicca). Instead of celebratingsolely the achievements of white people, as most magazines of the time did, Ebony made it a priority to put black people and black success in their pages. In the late 1950s, the magazine published a column written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "Advice for Living According." This column was a way for Dr. King to communicate with Ebony readers by answering their questions and offering life advice. An advertisement for the column read: “Let the man who led the Montgomery boycott lead you to a happier life” (Holmes). In this column, King answered questions and gave advice not only on racism, black issues and society, but also on marriage and family issues. . His responses were mostly modest and of Christian values, because he had a healthy image to maintain in the media so that his comments on civil rights would be held in high esteem. In the 1960s, Ebony focused more on the civil rights movement, which really took off. The magazine published articles in support of civil rights and even provided extensive coverage of the movement in order to keep readers informed and engaged in the fight for their rights. The magazine also began explicitly encouraging racial pride and explaining how readers could overcome various obstacles. The words that were continually emphasized in the magazine were “respect, dignity, pride, recognition, understanding, hope and inspiration” (Glasrud). This focus on black power and black pride that Johnson chose was both necessary and a major influence in this era of struggle for civil rights. Since its genesis, Ebony magazine has influenced society by humanizing black people in the media, thereby changing the mindset of both black and white people. By focusing on sharing the accomplishments of African-American artists and sports figures, Ebony has debunked stereotypes while achieving great success. The very first issue sold 25,000 copies and by the end of the early 2000s its circulation was 1.7 million. Images of black people in the media are no longer just loud, uneducated, and lazy. This magazine took control of the black narrative in the media and celebrated black success – something that white media conveniently ignored. With this, white America was forced to view black people as more than second-class citizens. They were forced to watch black people make money and prosper among them. Ebony's African-American readership was also affected, but with inspiration. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Now they saw people who looked like them thriving and being celebrated in droves. media, just like white celebrities. With this image, black people were encouraged to work to overcome the racial barriers that hinder their success, thereby allowing them to live to their full human potential (Glasrud). Dr. King's column, "Advice for Living," also helped humanize black people in the media. With this column, Ebony integrated the black experience. According to Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, "'Advice for Living' functioned as a kind of Kinsey Report, laying out both the particulars and the points common features of a population - in this case, the black population. middle class” (Holmes). The column allowed conversations between black people from all walks of life. Black people were no longer the same, “Advice for..