Black History Magazines: Ebony Jr!
Ebony Jr! was founded in 1973 by the publishers of Ebony and Jet as a magazine for African-American kids. The executive art director was Herbert Temple; art directors were Cecil L. Ferguson and Norman L. Hunter. Many of the covers featured striking illustrations; later editions featured celebrities, including O.J. Simpson, Gary Coleman, and Bill Cosby. At its peak Ebony Jr! had a circulation of 100,000. It folded in 1985, although it was resurrected online in 2007. Ebony Jr! The Rise, Fall and Return of a Black Children’s Magazine, by Laretta Henderson, chronicles the history of the magazine. You can read two chapters of the book here. And a special shout out to one of the all-time great magazine logos!
(Above): July 1973.
Bill Cosby and the Cosby Kids, February 1976.
November 1982, illustration by Buck Brown.
June/July 1977, illustration by Michael G. Davis.
Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges, April 1979.
June/July 1974. Illustration by Musilu Brimah.
O.J. Simpson and kids, November 1974. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr.
May 1973.
The Jacksons, December 1973. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr.
March 1974.
