Sheila Johnson, Entrepreneur (Drew Xeron/Courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa)
Women and Adversity:
Sheila Johnson, Entrepreneur
Co-founder,
Black Entertainment Television
August is Black Business Month
Besides being the first woman to have part ownership in three sports franchises, Sheila Johnson is the first Black woman to be a billionaire.
This entrepreneur proves the connection between math and music. She excelled as a violinist and was the first Black to win statewide violin competition in Illinois. Her father, George Crump, played the piano, which Johnson learned to play, but in fifth grade the violin was her instrument of choice. She played in the University of Illinois orchestra and was first chair in the Illinois All-state orchestra. She taught music at Sidwell Friends private school in Washington, D.C. and founded the Young Strings in Action youth orchestra in 1975.
She turned from music to media when her husband, Robert Johnson, investigated cable television and observed a lack of programming for Blacks. They co-founded Black Entertainment Television in 1980.
After their divorce in 2002, she bought a farm in Middleburg, Virginia and developed the 350-acres into Salamander Inn & Spa.
In 2005 she became part owner of the Washington Mystics WNBA, Washington Capitals NHL and the Washington Wizards NBA teams. She bought the Innisbrook Golf Resort near Tampa in 2007.
Her philanthropy runs from fighting poverty to supporting the arts and education.
Bio
- Born Sheila Crump on January 25, 1949 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
- Her father was a neurosurgeon at Veterans Administration hospitals; her mother was an accountant
- Family moved to Maywood, Illinois
- 1966 – Graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood
- 1969 – Married Robert Johnson; the couple has two children
- 1970 – Graduated from University of Illinois with a major in music
- 2002 – Divorced Robert
- 2005 – Married Arlington County, Virginia, Circuit Court Chief Judge William Newman
Career
- 1980 – Co-founder of Black Entertainment Television with husband Robert Johnson
- 1989 – Created Teen Summit, a one-hour live television program for teens
- 1999 – Left BET
- 2002 – Became head of Washington International Horse Show
- 2005 – Joined Lincoln Holdings LLC and became co-owner of Washington Mystics WMBA, Washington Wizards MBA and Washington Capitals NHL franchises.
- 2007 – Bought Innisbrook Golf Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida
- 2008 – Executive producer of the documentary A Powerful Noise
More Information
www.jermainebrown.org/posts/sheila-johnsons-life-of-struggle-and-success
www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/sheila-c-johnson-41
www.youtube.com/watch?v=auB_nCK7CgI
My ebooks available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com:
Honoring 23 Black Women, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists
