February 10, 2008
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Profile America for the 10th day of Black History Month. Clipping newspaper and magazine articles about African-Americans gave John Johnson an idea one that not only made him wealthy and honored but changed the self-perception of the black community. The idea was to publish a magazine about African-Americans. Borrowing $500 from his mother, Johnson brought out Ebony magazine in 1945, profiling rising African-American figures in business, politics and the arts. Later, he added the weekly magazine Jet. Both proved to be widely read and influential. Now, there are 1.2 million black-owned businesses in the U.S., generating nearly $89 billion in annual revenue. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.