The Greatest Magazine Covers Ever To Celebrate Black History

Black History Month is, among other things, a media event. And believe it or not, there was a time when the cover of a magazine was considered an unparalleled promotional powerhouse. Following is a collection of covers that feature an artist, personality, historical event, or publication of significance in black history. This series is co-produced by Linda Rubes of Fortune magazine. View the full list here. (Cover at left: Time, April 6, 1970, painting of Jesse Jackson by Jacob Lawrence, for a special issue on “Black America 1970.”)

Life magazine, October 17, 1969, featuring model Naomi Sims. “Black Models Take Center Stage.”

Jet, June 23, 1966, attempted assassination of civil rights leader James Meredith. During the 1960s, Jet’s covers rotated between black celebrities, attractive young women, and gritty coverage of the civil rights movement. Meredith was shot while leading a March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi. This AP photo by Jack R. Thornell later won the Pulitzer Prize.

The New Yorker, April 29, 1996, Black in America special issue. Cover illustration by Michael Roberts.

Ebony magazine, February 1969, featuring Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr., longtime photographer for Jet and Ebony, and the first black person to win the Pulitzer Prize (for a photograph of Coretta Scott King, in 1969). Read more on Moneta Sleet Jr. here.

Fortune, January 1968, illustration by Romare Bearden, for “A special issue on business and the urban crisis.”

For even more covers celebrating Black History, check out a more complete list here

Robert Newman has served as the design director of several magazines, including Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, and New York. His Facebook page can be found here.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.