Black Photojournalism - by Charlene Foggie-Barnett & Dan Leers (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A landmark survey of Black American photojournalism spanning 1945 to 1984, chronicling a critical period in the civil rights movements in the United States

This volume presents work by 57 Black photographers and contributions from scholars such as Joy Bivins, Tina M. Campt and Gerald Horne, chronicling historic events and daily life in the United States from the conclusion of World War II in 1945 to the presidential campaigns of 1984, including the civil rights movements through the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Drawn from archives and collections in the care of journalists, libraries, museums, newspapers, photographers and universities, the photographs in the catalog were circulated and reviewed in publishing offices across the country.
Responding to a dearth of stories about Black lives told from the perspectives of Black people, Black publishers and their staff created groundbreaking editorial and photojournalistic methods and news networks. During a period of urgent social change and civil rights advocacy, newspapers and magazines, including the Afro American News, Atlanta Daily World, Pittsburgh Courier, Chicago Defender and Ebony, transformed how people were able to access seeing themselves and their communities. Their impact on the media landscape continues into the digital present.
The catalog is published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name at Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibition and catalog are both designed by artist David Hartt, and organized and edited by Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Charles ""Teenie"" Harris, community archivist, and Dan Leers, curator of photography, in dialogue with an expanded network of archivists, curators, historians and scholars.
Photographers include: Harry Adams, Anthony Barboza, Kwame Brathwaite, Don Hogan Charles, Adger Cowans, Guy Crowder, Roy DeCarava, Doris Derby, Bob Douglas, Louis Draper, Theodore Gaffney, Charles "Teenie" Harris, Chester Higgins, Kojo Kamau, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Marilyn Nance, Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, Bruce Talamon, Deborah Willis-Ryan.

Review Quotes

Black Photojournalism' distils iconic moments and revisits them with fresh eyes, a vital reminder that history is ours to write.--Miss Rosen "Huck magazine"

From pivotal junctures in the civil rights movement to poignant moments from everyday life, this catalog, published in conjunction with an exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art, elevates a vital slice of history.--Hannah Argo "Inside Hook"

This volume proves that Black photojournalism and its impact reverberates through the centuries.--Eva Baron "My Modern Met"

Through exhaustive and admirable research by Carnegie Museum curator Dan Leers and community archivist Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Black Photojournalism is a garrulous exhibition encompassing three soaring galleries and of exuberant staging.... And the photographic archive--of which much activity and consideration is currently made--proves to be an inexhaustible repository of pictorial and cultural information.--Stephen Frailey "The Brooklyn Rail"

[This exhibition] highlights the work of black photographers, both well-known and unidentified, who captured the life of their community and beyond.--William Meyers "The Wall Street Journal"