Walk Through Fire

July 15, 2023
An entrepreneur and philanthropist tells the story of how she fought sexism and racism to become America's first Black female billionaire. In 1965, Johnson learned how unforgiving society could be to women when her family suddenly collapsed. At the time, divorce laws did not obligate her philandering father to offer financial support, and her accountant mother--who suffered a nervous breakdown after the split--could not get a loan or credit card without her husband's signature. Johnson fought back by excelling in school and working multiple jobs to help the family. A music scholarship to the University of Illinois freed her to pursue dreams of a career in the arts. However, university life also brought her into contact with Bob, the husband-to-be who would help shape her life, for better and often for worse, over more than 30 years. Jealous and sometimes cruel, Bob developed an interest in media that Johnson tirelessly supported through successful arts ventures like Youth Strings in Action. In 1980, the pair founded Black Entertainment Television, yet the more she helped and supported Bob, the harsher he became. His disregard for her emerged with later revelations that he was having affairs with female BET executives like company president Debra Lee. An eventual divorce exacerbated the author's lifelong feelings of being "unloved" and "never good enough." Despite earning billionaire status with the 2000 sale of BET to Viacom, Johnson still faced racism along her new path as hospitality industry entrepreneur and distinguished patron of the arts. Yet the strength and perseverance she forged during the "toxic part of my life" became the foundations on which she built hard-won happiness. This highly readable book will appeal not only to BET fans, but to all women seeking entrepreneurial fulfillment in a male-dominated world. A warmly candid memoir from a successful business icon.

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