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 interesting in society. An example of this 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 apply makeup. They've been the reporters of all things trendy for over 120 years now. But one thing the magazine hasn't always been is inclusive. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Indeed, a common feature of magazines in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 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 first magazines ever dedicated to sharing stories about African Americans. He later 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 highlight African American culture in times of racism and repression, humanizing African Americans and changing the perception of what it means to be black for both whites and black. 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, as there were no public high schools for African American students in Arkansas City. He thrived 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 graduation, he went to work for Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company where he worked. as an editor of articles relating to African Americans. This job opportunity fulfilled both his passion for journalism and being a voice for his fellow African Americans. After working there, he decided to strike out on his own and start his own publishing company, which obviously wasn't without its challenges. First, Johnson had financial difficulty starting his business, as banks were more reluctant to lend money to African Americans. A small business loan that would have been easy for any white man to obtain, proved nearly unattainable for a black man. Johnson ended up having to use his mother's furniture as collateral to borrow $500 to start Johnson Publishing Company (Biography.com). In November 1942, Johnson Publishing Company printed the first issue of its first publication, The Negro Digest. Before this goal could be achieved, Johnson had to enlist the help of the black community. In addition to using his mother's furniture as collateral, to earn enough money for publications, Johnson wrote letters asking for a two-dollar subscription and sent them to everyone signed up to a mailing list for an African-American insurance company in the community. The result was 3,000 responses, making his goal of publishing The Negro Digest much more attainable (Portland State University). But of course Johnson faced further challenges before publication. Most of the magazine distributors he approached initially refused to even distribute the magazine because they doubted it would sell. In response, Johnson once again turned to the black community to askhelp. He and his friends went from newsstand to newsstand requesting copies of The Negro Digest to sell at places (Portland State University). This method proved effective as it helped Johnson find a magazine distributor who would publish his magazine and help market it in other cities. This first issue ended up being a great success, selling 3,000 copies and over a year, acquiring a monthly circulation of 50,000 copies (Encyclopedia Britanicca). The impact of The Negro Digest was such that no one could have predicted it. It became a voice for African Americans in a time of racial tension and a means of exposing black problems and concerns to whites. One column that became very famous in the magazine was titled “If I Were a Negro.” This column highlighted the unresolved problems of blacks and encouraged famous white citizens, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to provide their perspectives (Portland State University). Just as the magazine was born from the support of the black community, it has continued to reciprocate that support by always bringing black issues to light, even after it ceased publication. In 1951, The Negro Digest had its final issue, but in 1961 Johnson revived the publication under a new name The Black World and a new editor, the celebrated black intellectual Hoyt Fuller. Fuller went on to state that the magazine will aim to "regularly publish articles that will investigate and report on the conditions of peoples and their struggles throughout the black world", with the new goal of "protecting itself from opportunists and charlatans who would exploit black art ". and literature for its own gain and the spiritual and artistic colonization of blacks" (University of Chicago). He discussed controversial topics such as Black Power, celebrated activism such as that of Martin Luther King Jr., and showcased black literature such as Black Skin White Masks by Frantz Fanon. Although it highlighted activism and Black Power, the magazine had no political affiliation, but instead encouraged debate among its black readers. This magazine highlighted the many perspectives and points of view that blacks could have, giving them more of an identity in post-war racist America underlined how different blacks can be even after sharing so many senses of individuality made possible by different points of view shared throughout the magazine worked to help black liberation, starting from the minds of blacks Black intellectuals were able to place their articles in the magazine and influence the black masses. For example, in the August 1973 issue, June Jordan discusses with readers 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. Prior to Johnson's publications of The Negro Digest and The Black World, blacks were not represented in magazines and continued to be influenced by whites. Johnson finally published the final issue of The Black World in 1976, but thereafter continued to publish African-American magazines that had a great impact. John H. Johnson continued and founded Ebony magazine in November 1945. Just as The Negro Digest was seen as the black version of Reader's Digest, Ebony was the black version of Life magazine. Its initial purpose was to highlight African American entertainers and sports figures (Encyclopedia Britanicca). Instead of exclusively celebrating the successes of white people, as most magazines of the time did, Ebony made it a priority to feature black people and black success in their pages. At theIn the late 1950s, the magazine published a column written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. titled “Advice for Living.” This column was a way for Dr. King to communicate with Ebony readers by answering their questions and offering them 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 problems. . His answers were mostly modest and of Christian values, as he had a wholesome image to maintain in the media so that his words on civil rights would be held in high regard. In the 1960s, Ebony focused more on the civil rights movement as it really took off. The magazine published pro-civil rights articles and also provided extensive coverage of the movement to keep readers informed and involved in the fight for their rights. The magazine also began to explicitly encourage racial pride and discussed how readers could overcome various obstacles. The words 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 to have was necessary and very influential in this time of battle for civil rights. Since its genesis, Ebony magazine has influenced society by humanizing blacks in the media, changing the minds of both whites and blacks. By focusing on sharing the accomplishments of African American entertainers and sports figures, Ebony has disproved stereotypes while being very successful. The first issue sold 25,000 copies, and by the end of the early 2000s its circulation was 1.7 million. The images of black people in the media were no longer just loud, ignorant, and lazy. This magazine took control of the black narrative in mass media and celebrated black success, something that white mass media conveniently ignored. With this, white America was forced to see that blacks are more than second-class citizens. They were forced to watch black people make money and prosper among themselves. Ebony's African-American readers were also affected, but with inspiration. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Now, they saw people who looked like them thriving and being celebrated in mass media, just like white celebrities. With this image, blacks were encouraged to work to overcome racial barriers to their success, allowing them to live life to their fullest human potential (Glasrud). Dr. King's column, “Advice for Living,” also worked to humanize blacks in the mass media. With that 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, exposing both the peculiarities and commonalities of a population - in this case , the blacks". middle class” (Holmes). The column allowed for conversation between people of color from all different walks of life. Black people were no longer all the same, “Advice for Living” popularized black people with different opinions and different life experiences, which in turn went a long way in humanizing them in society. This was not only a message to whites but to other blacks as well. Similar to whites, the black middle class viewed poorer blacks as stereotypes. But once this column became popular, all parts of society were.