George E. Johnson Sr., Black hair care pioneer, dies at 99

George E. Johnson Sr., who built the first Black-owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange, died on Monday at his Chicago home. He was 99. No cause was given.

In 1954, Johnson and his wife, Joan, launched Johnson Products with a US$250 loan. The brand – home to Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen – became a cultural cornerstone of the “Black is Beautiful” movement. Its “Watu Wazuri” commercials aired nationally on Soul Train, which Johnson also sponsored and briefly owned.

A Mississippi native, Johnson moved to Chicago during the Great Migration. He later worked at Fuller Products before reformulating a hair-straightening product that would anchor his empire. His company offered profit-sharing and health benefits, rare at the time, and sold in 1993 for over US$60 million.

Johnson also founded Independence Bank, served on Commonwealth Edison’s board, and funded more than 1,000 college scholarships. His memoir, Afro Sheen, was published in 2024.

He is survived by four children. His eldest, Eric, noted that Johnson recently stood with Barack Obama at the presidential library – “a wonderful life to celebrate.” The Johnson family business now operates under third-generation leadership at Baldwin Richardson Foods.