U.S. Postal Service Honors Johnson With 2012 Forever Stamp

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The U.S. Postal Service is honoring John H. Johnson, founder of preeminent media company Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of EBONY and JET magazines, and owner of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a global prestige cosmetics brand for women of color, by featuring the legendary publisher and distinguished business leader on a 2012 Forever Stamp as part of its Black Heritage stamp series.

A preview of the stamp, is available to view at Beyond the Perfat www.beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, and on Twitter at @USPSstamps as part of the USPS' effort to harness social media to bring the message of its honorary stamps to a broader audience. The stamps can also be viewed on johnsonpublishing.com, ebony.com, and jetmag.com.

Since 1978 the Black Heritage series has honored Black Americans whose contributions to the civil rights movement, politics, business, art, and culture have had a substantial and lasting impact on the Black American community and on American culture. Past honorees include Harriet Tubman (1978), Martin Luther King (1979), W.E.B. Du Bois (1992), Langston Hughes (2002), and Thurgood Marshall (2003).

Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman of Johnson Publishing Company and daughter of John H. Johnson, said, "I am honored and pleased that the U.S. Postal Service has chosen to recognize the extraordinary and revolutionary work my father did in giving a voice and a platform to Black Americans in a time when so few sources recognized our achievements. We are committed to carrying on his legacy and to continue producing products that portray the best of Black America and represent the community with the same level of pride and authenticity."

"We are proud to immortalize John H. Johnson as our latest inductee into our Black Heritage stamp series," said Stephen Kearney, manager, stamp services, USPS. "As the trailblazing publisher of EBONY, JET, and other magazines, and as an entrepreneur, he became the first African American listed by Forbes magazine in 1982 as one of the 400 wealthiest people in America. Johnson overcame poverty and racism to build a business empire embracing magazines, radio stations, cosmetics, and more. His magazines portrayed Black people positively at a time when such representation was rare, and played an important role in the civil rights movement."

The stamp was designed by USPS art director Howard Paine featuring a color photograph of John H. Johnson by David McCann for Bachrach Studios.

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