I remember when Jet, Essence, and Ebony magazines were must haves.  Really happy to see that they are still available and still black owned.  
 

I used to sit on the floor and study each page of Essence and Ebony. And if jJet magazine said it, it was the truth. Lol!

did you know that Essence Magazine was founded by four bruthas in 1970?  I didn’t. I assumed females were the creatives.

 

oh the good ol’days!  I just subscribed to Essence.  Can’t wait!!!

 

Did you know that the nations first  black magazine, called  FREEDOM’S JOURNAL and was published (1827-1829)? 
 

then the Negro Digest was launched in 1942

what are fondest memories of these magazines?  Do your ancestors recall or have they past down memories of Freedoms Journal or Negro Digest?

 

When I was a kid Ebony and Jet were ubiquitous. 🙂

 

I learned about Freedom's Journal and Negro Digest after starting this site.

 

For the publication of Black Arts creative literature, no magazine was more important than the Chicago-based Johnson publication Negro Digest / Black World. Johnson published America’s most popular Black magazines, Jet and Ebony. Hoyt Fuller, who became the editor in 1961, was a Black intellectual with near-encyclopedic knowledge of Black literature and seemingly inexhaustible contacts. Because Negro Digest, a monthly, ninety-eight-page journal, was a Johnson publication, it was sold on newsstands nationwide. Originally patterned on Reader’s Digest, Negro Digest changed its name to Black World in 1970, indicative of Fuller’s view that the magazine ought to be a voice for Black people everywhere. The name change also reflected the widespread rejection of "Negro" and the adoption of "Black" as the designation of choice for people of African descent and to indicate identification with both the diaspora and Africa. The legitimation of "Black" and "African" is another enduring legacy of the Black Arts movement.  Read More about Negro Diget in this article ▶

 

 

I shared information about an article "Negro in Literature Today" in Ebony that I thought was a great issue for a magazine designed for the masses.

 

@Dee Miller it is always cool when looking for something on the web to be pointed back here.

In 1957, I was 17 and worked at Del Farm supermarket, on South Park Avenue, as a stockboy. When the store got super busy, a call from the manager over the loudspeaker went out: “All stockboys front.” I would break my neck if Judy Davis was a cashier that day to assist her by bagging groceries. It was well known that she modeled for Ebony Magazine and she was the prettiest girl that had ever spoken to me. She called me skinny, so affectionately. With her, I learned that I was capable of opening my mouth and letting words come out that made sense and sometimes made her laugh or smile sweetly. Thus fortified, I joined the Marines a year later.

I neglected to mention the store was on the Southside of Chicago.

Great story. "...prettiest girl that had ever spoken to me." I love that line in this context 70 years later. Glad it was not followed up with something like. "...and we've been married 65 years." "Thus fortified, I joined the Marines a year later." was a surprising follow-up :-)