They couldn't have a little kid occupying an important spot on the front row, so I sat in the back where all the models changed clothes. I remember vividly the rustling and the rush of the fabrics of the clothes and the swoosh of textures and color as they went by. I was in the back, but I had a front-row seat, in my opinion.

Linda Johnson Rice

Categorized in : Remember Color Opinion Clothes

My playground was our company. That's really where I grew up.

Linda Johnson Rice

playground where up company

Almost 63 years ago, my father, John Johnson, named the publication 'Jet' because, as he said in the first issue, 'In the world today, everything is moving faster. There is more news and far less time to read it.' He could not have spoken truer words. We are not saying goodbye to 'Jet'; we are embracing the future as my father did in 1951.

Linda Johnson Rice

future time today father

The stories of accomplishments, achievements, challenges, problems, issues, concerns pass down through history, and those are things you take with you in your personal life wherever you go.

Linda Johnson Rice

you challenges life history

The magazines were born out of a need that my parents saw: that there were no magazines that really spoke to black people. 'Ebony' wrote about architects and artists, the share cropper who sent his nine kids to college, real African Americans at a time when everyone else only covered them as entertainers and athletes.

Linda Johnson Rice

parents black time people

The key is to service a market that has not been serviced to its full potential.

Linda Johnson Rice

potential market key service

We're in the media business. We're in the beauty business.

Linda Johnson Rice

media business beauty

We're the curator for the African-American experience for the past, present and future. That's my job.

Linda Johnson Rice

job future experience past

There's a sense of authenticity that comes with 'Ebony.' There are very few national media outlets that are majority-African-American owned and really speak to our community with a sense of pride, authority, and ownership. That's what we do.

Linda Johnson Rice

media community pride speak

We have to tell our story at 'Ebony' and 'Jet' like no one else can. We have the authenticity; we have the believability. And I think that's what we have to own.

Linda Johnson Rice

own story like think

You have to stay current to compete.

Linda Johnson Rice

current compete stay you

My father is the CEO, and there's no question he is my boss. But we work very much in tandem.

Linda Johnson Rice

question boss work father

I would describe my mother as a steel magnolia. She was very intelligent, very persuasive.

Linda Johnson Rice

she intelligent steel mother

We have to reach out to younger audiences. They need to see how they can see themselves as black women.

Linda Johnson Rice

need see women black

We're not trying to push the real provocative edge.

Linda Johnson Rice

edge push real trying

There was never a push for us to become more practical... Fantasy is what our audience has come to expect.

Linda Johnson Rice

expect push never fantasy

I'm not so sure we've influenced the general market. But I'm not sure we're trying to do that.

Linda Johnson Rice

market general sure trying

There's nothing you can't wear. There's nothing you can't do.

Linda Johnson Rice

wear nothing you

We kept everything: every major event that's happened to African-Americans since 1945, with 'Ebony' as a repository for all those photographs and as a voice for all that happened.

Linda Johnson Rice

event everything happened voice

We've been here so long. The history and richness runs so deep within the community. We own this. It's personal. It's very personal.

Linda Johnson Rice

deep community long history

'Ebony' is very inspirational and aspirational to its readers.

Linda Johnson Rice

readers very inspirational