Just in time for Black History Month, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative Black Heritage stamp honoring publishing legend John H. Johnson.
Johnson, the founder of Johnson Publishing Company, died at age 87 in 2005. The publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines is the 35th honoree in the Black Heritage stamp series. Past honorees in the series, which debuted in 1978, include Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Madam C.J. Walker and Barbara Jordan.
"John Johnson's unyielding commitment to journalistic excellence and his unparalleled reporting on African-American culture have distinguished him as one of America's greatest publishers," USPS Chicago Senior Plant Manager Anthony Vaughan said in a statement announcing the release of the stamp.
A dedication ceremony was held Jan. 31 at Johnson Publishing Company's offices with Linda Johnson Rice, chairman, Johnson Publishing Co. and Johnson's daughter; Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Co.; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel; former Mayor Richard M. Daley; Illinois Rep. Danny Davis and the Rev. James Meeks of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago.
"I'm immensely proud that my father and his life's passion are being recognized in such a high honor as the Black Heritage Stamp," Johnson Rice said in the statement. "His legacy lives on in all whom he touched and in the work we continue to do daily."