Ebony Founder John H. Johnson Gets US Postal Stamp Honor

*Ebony/Jet founder John H. Johnson is making history once again.

The U.S. Postal Service’s black heritage stamp for 2012 is honoring the deceased publisher.

After moving to Chicago with his family, the visionary started Johnson Publishing Co. in 1951 with a $500 loan using his mother’s furniture as collateral.

From the beginning, Johnson understood the power of the Black dollar, as he gained an understanding of the concept while working at a Black-owned life insurance company.

The Johnson stamp joins the ranks of other honorees like U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordon, singer Ella Fitzgerald, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, poet Langston Hughes and baseball player Jackie Robinson.

John H. Johnson died in 2005.