Ebony Magazine ~ August 2009 ~ Marvin Gaye* Collector's Edition* Single Issue

Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945. A digest-sized sister magazine, Jet, is also published by Johnson Publishing Company.[3] In the past, the magazine was persistently upbeat, much like its generic contemporary Life. Ebony, edited by John H. Johnson, has striven always to address African-American issues, personalities and interests in a positive and self-affirming manner. Advertisers have for decades created ads specifically for the pages of Ebony that featured black models using their products.[citation needed] However, nowadays, many ads already feature black people - no matter the publication; and Ebony frequently runs ads that feature non-black models. In November 2010, the magazine featured a special 65th anniversary edition cover featuring Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Usher and Mary J. Blige. A second cover showcased Nia Long atop a birthday cake - Marilyn Monroe-style. Inside that issue were eight cover recreations from historic and iconic old covers of Ebony. Blair Underwood posed inside, as did Omar Epps and Jurnee Smollett. Mary J. Blige even made her 1940s-style recreation image her Twitter profile picture. This was the beginning, according to National Public Radio, of the obvious changes at Ebony. Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers became the CEO, becoming the latest in a string of management changes in the past five years. In August 2008 the magazine published a special 8-cover edition featuring the "25 Coolest Brothers of All Time". The lineup featured Jay-Z, Barack Obama, Prince, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali and Billy Dee Williams.[4]