It was a celebration of firsts at this year’s ADCOLOR conference and Johnson Publishing Company was honored with one of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement awards.

The ceremony, which took place Sept. 19, celebrated those who have broken down barriers for creatives of all races, genders and sexual orientations.

Johnson Publishing Company Founder John H. Johnson (1918-2005) was the first Black man to make the Forbes 400 list, with the launch of the iconic EBONY and JET magazines.

The publications are the oldest African-American works made for and by Black people and have a history that spans more than 70 years.

“We hire them for their magic, and then we suck the magic out of them,” Daisy M. Auger-Domínguez, senior vice president of talent acquisition at Viacom, said in reference to the pressures faced by trailblazers. “And that is something we cannot do.”

Johnson’s legacy will forever live on, and this award, as well as many others since his departure from this earth, prove it.

Read more on the event at Campaign Live.