Cleveland Johnson, Jr: The Weekly Challenger

Few individuals make a major impact on others during their lifetime. Even less accomplish things that remain in memory after they pass. Mr. Cleveland Johnson is an exception to both. His philosophy was clear and simple. One could not argue about his focus and how it was the catalyst that influenced the vision of countless people who met him.

Mr. Johnson was an entrepreneur in the truest sense. He created a successful newspaper, The Weekly Challenger, out of virtually nothing, and in doing so he controlled his destiny, and helped others do the same. That is what he preached incessantly; be in control of your own destiny. To achieve that sort of freedom, one must sell, and even more importantly, sell what belongs to them, not someone else’s product or service. In other words, find yourself a business, work it, be successful at it, and thus dramatically reduce your dependence upon others for support.

Working for someone else, and having them control your income, has relegated many African-Americans to a beggar race, in some cases more severely than others. Nevertheless, as Mr. Johnson experienced it, working for someone else, and buying and spending more than selling has perpetuated some level of subjugation.

An often-repeated story from those who tried as they could to write stories for him was his response to essentially ”go sell an ad, and keep your story.” He promoted the participation in commercial enterprise, controlling your destiny. In addition, he backed up what initially seemed like a harsh request by taking so many under his wings and training them to ”sell.” This town is filled with people who took his advice, and are forever indebted to Mr. Johnson for the success they’ve achieved.For those of us who were not privileged to meet Mr. Johnson and fully understand his philosophy, it does us well to understand the import of the words, ”Black People Must Sell As Well As Buy, Else Remain A ‘Beggar Race.”’ This is critically important when we look at this equation from the buying side. For example, the National Urban League reported that during the decade of the 90s, ”African-American buying power increased almost 73 percent.” The challenge we face with that increase in disposable income is the problem with too much spending.

Moreover, a 1997 U.S. Census Bureau report showed that Blacks spent from .5 – 15% more money, on average, than all American consumers for necessities like Food, Telephone, Utilities, Clothing, and Major Appliances. Another study by the National Tour Association showed that the Black family median income was 54% – 65% of white families in the four age groups 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65+. Conversely, the same study reported that a Black family earning $30,000 a year spends as much as a white family earning $50,000. No wonder that Mr. Johnson stressed ”Selling” over ”Buying.” The net result: a negative net worth for a significant majority of African-Americans when compared to white Americans with comparable incomes. ”Cleve,” as many affectionately called him, is no longer here, but the stark reality of our plight remains.

It thus does us all well to reflect heavily on what motivated him, his legacy: ”Black People Must Sell As Well As Buy, Else Remain A ‘Beggar Race’,” lest we find ourselves failing to heed Mr. Johnson’s warning issued out of love and respect for all of us!