John H. Johnson
Obama Presidential Center Honoree
Space Name: John H. Johnson Plaza Overlook | Museum | Mezzanine Level
John H. Johnson was a visionary publisher and entrepreneur who transformed the American media landscape. As the founder of Ebony and Jet magazines, he documented and celebrated Black culture at a time when mainstream media largely ignored it. Johnson’s publications shaped public opinion by documenting fashion, music, and civil rights milestones in real time. Johnson built one of the most influential Black-owned businesses in the country, creating a legacy of cultural pride and representation.
With gratitude to The M5 Rodriguez Foundation by Melvin and Monique Rodriguez
Legacy on Campus
Obama Presidential Center Museum
Built where the Obamas’ story began—Chicago’s South Side—the Museum presents the remarkable story of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, America’s first Black president and First Lady and the luminaries across time that helped shape their legacy.
Art on Campus
Explore 28 commissioned public art installations across the Center. The John H. Johnson Overlook offers striking interior views of Mark Bradford’s three-story artwork, City of the Big Shoulders and exterior views of Martin Puryear's sculpture, Bending the Arc , located in the John Lewis Plaza.
Meet More Honorees
Through the honoree naming initiative at the Obama Presidential Center, we are partnering with our donors to celebrate a part of the history in which the Obama story is so deeply rooted by associating a named space with a hero, moment, or person "on whose shoulders we stand"—an honoree who made the Obamas’ story possible.
Meet More Honorees