Publisher of Ebony Magazine Addresses Harvard Faculty

Ebony, the black-oriented magazine, observes its 30th anniversary with this month's issue, and to commemorate the occasion its publisher, John H. Johnson, addressed a meeting of Harvard faculty and administrators yesterday at the Faculty Club.

Walter J. Leonard, special assistant to President Bok, said Johnson was invited because "Harvard observes outstanding achievements by individuals."

"Over the course of the years we've seen Life fall, along with the Saturday Evening Post, Look, and Colliers, yet Ebony continues to grow. We think this is an outstanding achievement," Leonard said.

Johnson said Ebony has drawn much criticism for being "a black version" of Life. Johnson admitted that Ebony was styled after Life, but added, "Magazines like Life and the New Republic take themselves too seriously, and provide too much text. We draw attention by providing entertainment, and once we get the readers we try to educate them."

Johnson also responded to criticisms that Ebony is too concerned with the entertainment aspect of journalism, and that the publication is not militant enough.

"We are as militant as we know how to be short of burning down a city or shooting an individual. It is important to have positive images because it lets you know that somebody like you can do this, and once you know it is possible then you can aspire to it," Johnson said.

In his speech, Johnson recounted how Ebony came to be, and the obstacles he faced in getting the publication started.

Shortly after high school, Johnson went to work for an insurance company, where one of his duties was to prepare a news digest about the black community.

Johnson said he soon perceived the probability of a market for such a publication, and in 1942 he used his mother's furniture for collateral to borrow $500 and form Negro Digest (now Black World). Three years later he started Ebony, which now has a circulation of 1.3 million.

Along with Ebony, Johnson now publishes Jet, a weekly magazine; Ebony Jr., aimed at children ages 6-12; Black Stars, which deals with the entertainment industry; and Black World, all of which, he said, "have not reached their full potential.