Sonari Glinton

Now, this was a low moment in the civil rights movement for King and his organization.

He cried when we gave him the check.

The Johnsons were underwriting the civil rights movement.

And now, with their new headquarters and new product in place, they wanted to reach a new audience, specifically young Black consumers.

And that's when they took their marketing to a whole new level.

Now, George first saw Soul Train live in a studio.

But it was only airing in black and white on local television in Chicago.

That's viral marketing.

Yeah.

They had an undeniable hit.

You attribute that to Soul Train?

Oh, absolutely.

Throughout its growth, the company's success also attracted attention from people outside the Black community.

Joan was not doing the books anymore.

She was flying to Paris to shop.

And she became a staple at all the top designer shops in Chicago.

Right away.

That's after the break.

George was thinking about the Black consumer and the board.

George says they were thinking about the shareholder.