Black Business
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La Cade: The little hair care company that made some big waves.
La Cade Products was another of many Chicago-based black hair care firms (that I detail here) during the late 60s through the 1970s. Though not as well-known as Supreme Products (who created Duke and Raveen) or Johnson Products (who created Soft Sheen, Afro Sheen, and Ultra Sheen), La Cade left behind scant but fascinating evidence…
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Chicago: in all its fried, dyed, laid-to-the-side (or perhaps natural) glory.
I was watching my “Best of Soul Train” DVD box-set this weekend (of course), which includes tons of original TV spots for Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen (two black haircare lines manufactured by Chicago’s own Johnson Products). Iconic brands, to be sure. During the glory days of Black Haircare manufacture in Chicago (roughly the late…
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Ebony is Back…. and fly!
Oh. Goodness. To be clear, Ebony never left us, but it did sort of lose influence in the Black Community. But, wow, have they stepped up. And, I’m prouder than ever to pass by their headquarters here in Chicago (on South Michigan Avenue). To give a little background, Ebony (launched in the 1940s by the…
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Army and Lou’s: obituary of an icon.
(above, Common pictured at Army and Lou’s) How does a person write an obituary for a restaurant? Not just a restaurant, but a place with historical significance. The Sun-Times did a pretty good job: It was the late Mayor Harold Washington’s favorite restaurant — the booth where he always sat still bears his name. And…
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Eunice Johnson: Wrought a Roadshow of Dreams
Eunice Johnson (1916-2010), widow of Ebony/Jet Publisher John H. Johnson, was more than Black Media’s First Lady. As Creator and Director of the Ebony Fashion Fair (an all black roadshow of haute couture), she paved the way for generations of black models from Beverly Johnson and Naomi Sims to Naomi Campbell. In fact, Richard Roundtree (“Shaft”) was a…
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Dream Big.
It’s easy to feel disheartened in these staunch economic times, but consider a chair with a dozen layers of paint. It’s full potential is only evident once that paint is stripped away, allowing pure possibility. That said, one of my favorite television shows right now is nextTV, a local program produced by the Chicago Urban…
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Portraits of Black Chicago: The Beat Goes On
Black bongo player performs at the International Amphitheater in Chicago as part of the annual PUSH [People United to Save Humanity] ‘Black Expo’ in the fall of 1973. October 1973 Chicago’s PUSH Black Expo was a powerful tour de force for Black Businesses nationwide at the time this photo was shot. Time magazine stated in…
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Iconic Johnson Hair Products back in Black Hands….
Johnson Products started a half-century ago in Chicago as an innovator in black hair care. The black-owned business sold to a white company (Proctor & Gamble), but it’s now back in black hands…. from Chicago Public Radio’s Natalie Moore: click here for the rest of the story…
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