The Urban History Seminar series feature a scholarly presentation followed by lively discussion. Ann C. Saunders, artist, educator, and creative consultant, formerly an Associate Professor at the School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, presents “Selling Ebony Magazine: Doris E. Saunders and the Marketing of Black America.”

Chicago Bronzeville librarian and trailblazer Doris E. Saunders was critical to the early financial success of Ebony magazine. Saunders’ untold efforts in marketing research, as early as 1949, on behalf of Chicago-based Ebony “introduced advertisers to an “untapped $16 billion market.” This made Ebony the most significant medium of African American culture and experience, transforming the American media landscape. Public historian Ann C. Saunders shares the process and research used for asserting and proving Saunders’s overlooked critical role.

The Zoom session will open at 6:45 p.m. with the program starting at 7:00 p.m. and concluding by 8:15 p.m. RSVP is required.

This session is free of charge; we would greatly appreciate a donation to the Museum in any amount. A Zoom link will be provided after registration.

The Urban History Seminars have been generously underwritten by the Chicago History Museum since 1983.