Feb 13, 2017

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.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-46-14-amBill Cosby and the Cosby Kids, February 1976.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-58-48-amNovember 1982, illustration by Buck Brown.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-48-25-amJune/July 1977, illustration by Michael G. Davis.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-52-03-amGary Coleman and Todd Bridges, April 1979.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-41-53-amJune/July 1974. Illustration by Musilu Brimah.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-43-14-amO.J. Simpson and kids, November 1974. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-30-14-amMay 1973.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-38-13-amThe Jacksons, December 1973. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr.

screen-shot-2013-02-07-at-6-40-12-amMarch 1974.

More Black History Magazines

Jet, 1950s

Jet, 1960s

The Black Panther newspaper