Historic pictures from the heyday of the Black press

Now Foggie-Barnett groups up with co-curator Dan Leers for the latest exhibition and new book, Black Photojournalism, which brings collectively the work of 57 artists together with Anthony Barboza, Ming Smith, Adger Cowans, Coreen Simpson, and Deborah Willis. Organised chronologically, Black Photojournalism spans the mid-20^th century, starting on the finish of World War II, via the Civil Rights Movement, and closes with Reverend Jesse Jackson’s historic 1984 Presidential marketing campaign. 

Black Photojournalism distils iconic moments and revisits them with recent eyes, a very important reminder that historical past is ours to put in writing. Foggie-Barnett factors to one among her favorite pictures by Irving A. Williamson Sr., that includes a Black lady on the 1963 March on Washington, her smile as brilliant because the legion of medals that adorn her uniform. It is barely on nearer inspection that we study this heroine is none aside from the legendary performer and resistance chief, Josephine Baker. 

Every {photograph} is a discovery of topic, artist, and writer, woven right into a majestic tapestry of Black historical past. ​“We wanted to highlight the work of women who were photographers but also ran newspapers, like the Baltimore Afro American, now in its fifth generation of women ownership,” Foggie-Barnett says. ​“In a lot of cases, people behind the scenes were wearing many hats as editors, reporters, and photographers. We also wanted to talk about major publications like Ebony and Jet, as well as Muhammad Speaks, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam.”