Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street

The inspiring and resilient story of George E. Johnson, creator of the iconic Afro Sheen and the first Black-owned company to be traded on Wall Street

You might already be familiar with Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, but have you heard of the man behind the company that produced these products? In Afro Sheen, George Ellis Johnson, the acclaimed self-made businessman, reveals his inspiring and captivating rise from humble beginnings to the top of the haircare industry.

At just twenty-seven years old, Johnson created the Johnson Products Company. JPC was the first Black-owned company to trade on a major stock exchange, became the financial sponsor of Soul Train, and was once considered the largest Black-owned manufacturing company in the world. At the height of its success, JPC was worth $37 million (over $225 million today).

In this coming-of-age story, Johnson uses the life skills and strong character built from working odd jobs as a teenager and practicing the Golden Rule to create a business that both nurtures and advances the Black community. Without a formal education, he filled a gap in the Black haircare industry and created a high-quality formula for straightening hair and the iconic Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen products that supported Black people in expressing their authentic beauty. For decades, Johnson has been an inspiration to Black entrepreneurs, setting an example of Black wealth and providing a safe space for Black people to work.

Afro Sheen is a timely, impassioned look at both an industry and cultural moment. Johnson's impact is finally on full display, as he brilliantly highlights how having perseverance and a daring vision can create both change and a lasting legacy.

Author: George E. Johnson
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 02/04/2025
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780316577342


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2025
Booklist 02/01/2025 pg. 6

About the Author
George Ellis Johnson is the founder of the Johnson Products Company, the maker of Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, the first Black-owned company to trade on a major stock exchange, the financial sponsor of Soul Train, and once likely the largest Black-owned manufacturing company in the world. Known for his generosity around Chicago and nationally, Johnson has received numerous honors for the philanthropic contributions of the George E. Johnson Foundation and the George E. Johnson Educational Fund, which awarded more than 1000 college scholarships. In 1964, he co-founded Independence Bank, the first Black-owned financial institution to operate in Chicago in more than 30 years after the Great Depression, and became its chairman. He served on the boards of the Chicago Urban League, Commonwealth Edison, Lyric Opera of Chicago, MetLife, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, and Operation PUSH. The recipient of nine honorary doctorate degrees, including several from HBCUs, Johnson received the Harvard Medal, Stanford Graduate School of Business's Marketing Man of the Year recognition, and Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1999, the Wall Street Journal included him in its Special Report "10 Who Made a Difference: The minds that transformed entrepreneurship in the 20th century."

Hilary Beard has been a book collaboration specialist helping leaders, visionaries, creatives and gamechangers amplify their voice to empower humanity, for more than 20 years. The author of 20 books and published by each of the Big Five publishers, Hilary's clients have included Venus and Serena Williams, Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, NASA's Katherine Johnson, and Johnson Products' George E. Johnson. She will also consult creatively on a Hollywood A-list actor's rendition of Mr. Johnson's story. Well versed in African American health, life, history and culture, Hilary has won two NAACP Image Awards--for Health First: The Black Woman's Wellness Guide and Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life. Her award-winning young adult books include The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, and We're in This Together by political organizer Linda Sarsour. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Hilary graduated from Princeton University and lives in Philadelphia.