African-American stories were overlooked by mainstream media until John H. Johnson showed the world the value of black life. In his magazines EBONY and JET, the publisher and businessman presented never-before-told accounts and used captivating, memorable images to share stories of black people. In Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built (The Life & Legacy of Pioneering Publishing Magnate) , Margena A. Christian conducts extensive archival research, drawing upon rare sources and a personal decade-long relationship as an employee under the direct tutelage of Johnson. She meticulously constructs the complex story of what made the founder of these magazines become one of history's greatest publishers and businessmen. Johnson climbed over racial barriers and obstacles designed to deter his goals, but he succeeded against the odds anyway while holding true to his motif, "Failure is a word I don't accept." As founder of the Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), he quietly funded the Civil Rights Movement, providing a platform for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., to promote messages of freedom and equality for all. Johnson dared to show pictures of the battered body of Emmett Till on the pages of JET in 1955, sending a shockwave across the nation. When advertisers ignored black consumers, he showed Madison Avenue the power of profitably by including black models and themes appealing to his race. He advised presidents and became the first African American to construct a major building in Chicago's Loop. Hailed as "The Most Outstanding Black Publisher in History" and as "The Greatest Minority Entrepreneur in U.S. History," Johnson was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. The poor boy from Arkansas City, Arkansas, who picked cotton as a child, made more history as the first black person named to the Forbes 400 richest Americans and amassed an empire, ranging from publishing, cosmetics, travel, radio stations, TV shows, hair care products, and world's largest traveling fashion show. "In her moving and very personal account of publishing magnate John H. Johnson's journey from a childhood of poverty in Arkansas to his perch as one of the most iconic and influential business leaders in America, Dr. Margena Christian does more than chronicle an amazing success story. Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built is an intimate portrait of the man behind the mythology. It explores and unpacks the drive and magnetic personal appeal that enabled Johnson to create a barrier-shattering, internationally-acclaimed company that always maintained the feel of a close-knit family. This is the kind of account that only an insider could write." Charles Whitaker Dean, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University "Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built is meticulously researched and wonderfully readable. It is a gift to generations of readers, black and white, and all Americans. The amount of detail evidenced in Dr. Margena Christian's work is astonishing. In the years subsequent to Mr. Johnson's death, she documents the empire's decline with a dizzying list of facts laid out chronologically. Dr. Christian has written a singularly important book and written it well. She offers a compendium of black history as told in the works of the unstoppable and brilliant businessman John H. Johnson and his brain children: EBONY and JET." Angela Jackson Illinois Poet Laureate and author, A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun: The Life & Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks "Dr. Margena Christian's passionate and lyrical historical accounting of the life of Mr. Johnson and the empire he built is a brilliant tribute and lesson of fortitude, determination and drive. Mr. Johnson's life epitomizes the African-American plight to have real stake in the American Dream. He achieved that and more, putting our culture on full display. Christian was a meticulous student and one of his few, true protégés. Applause and praise for this beautifully told journey that allows us to have a front row seat at this institution that was indeed, as Mr. Johnson so eloquently instilled in his dedicated staff of journalists: 'It's more than a magazine. It's a movement.'" Lyah B. LeFlore-Ituen TV producer and co-author Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil: The Life, Legacy, and Love of My Son Michael Brown with Lezley McSpadden "In this remarkably revealing book about a larger-than-life figure, Dr. Margena Christian has brought the sharply critical eye of the scholar and the finely-honed narrative ability of the journalist together to provide an insightful and significant work of American history. We see in this work the unique insider's view of the complexity of John H. Johnson and the transformational power of his magazines and cosmetics company, in successfully promoting more positive images of African Americans in articles and advertising, while documenting the most