Linda Johnson Rice

More black women are in the professional-managerial field, and they don't want to look like the guys sitting next to them in pinstriped suits.

The bitter might be just an initial reaction of, 'Oh my goodness, it's sold,' but not really understanding fully that I will be chairman emeritus of the new company, which is Ebony Media Operations. It is African-American led and owned, and I have a seat on the board, and I also have an equity position in the company, so I'm still there.

I am struck by the memories of all of the fantastic Links ladies who worked so hard to host the Ebony Fashion Fair shows.

I think you will find that a lot of young African-Americans are really searching for, 'Who am I?' and 'Where did I come from?' and 'What is my past?'

Almost 63 years ago, my father, John Johnson, named the publication 'Jet' because, as he said in the first issue, 'In the world today, everything is moving faster. There is more news and far less time to read it.' He could not have spoken truer words. We are not saying goodbye to 'Jet'; we are embracing the future as my father did in 1951.

We're the curator for the African-American experience for the past, present and future. That's my job.

I am delighted to resume the leadership of both companies.

The stories of accomplishments, achievements, challenges, problems, issues, concerns pass down through history, and those are things you take with you in your personal life wherever you go.

I think somebody's got to be cutting-edge. It just depends how you want to market your magazines and how big you want them to be. We look upon competition as what it is. It's there, you pay attention to it, but you don't live by it. You have to go on and grind it out day to day and do the best you can with your magazine every single day.

Yves Saint Laurent has a special place in my heart because he was my mother's favorite designer.

Fairness and equality means that what you are never limits who you can be. It means that a young African-American man like my father can start a business with $500 and a dream. It means that a young African-American woman like my mother can walk into European fashion houses with her head held high and be treated with respect.

We understand our audience. We write to the things that concern our audience. At one point, it was civil rights. You know, during the '50s and '60s, we were at the forefront.