IL HR1450

Illinois House of Representatives honors Ebony magazine on its 65th anniversary of publication.

Ebony was founded in November 1945 by John H. Johnson, who previously published Negro Digest starting in November 1942.

John H. Johnson was named Publisher of the Year in 1972, "The Most Outstanding Black Publisher in History" in 1974, and "The Greatest Minority Entrepreneur in U.S. History" in 2003; he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the Salute to Greatness Award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center.

John H. Johnson passed away on August 8, 2005, during the 60th anniversary year of Ebony magazine's first publication.

Current leadership includes Linda Johnson Rice as Chairman, Desiree Rogers as Chief Executive Officer, and Rodrigo Sierra as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Johnson Publishing Company.