Clockwise from left: the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, Andrew Young and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, all members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, at Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s church in Atlanta. Photo by Platon for The New Yorker magazine.Continuing the theme of this month, I'd like to direct you to the multimedia portfolio at The New Yorker, titled The Promise, which features photographs of the civil rights movement's (willing and not so much) icons. The photos, also in the most recent issue of the magazine, are unforgettable, and so are the stories of their subjects.
As a bonus, watch Charlie Rose's interview with Platon, the photographer who took the pictures. A fascinating person himself -- talented, sensitive, and humble -- he describes his creative approach and how this particular project has changed his life.
Worth your time.
This is great. I lived through much of this history. Brown vs. the Board of Ed had particular importance to me. There were no black children at my elementary school, and even though I lived closer to the school which the black community attended, I went to the all white school. Those boundary lines were changed the year after I moved to jr. high school thanks to Brown v. Bd of Ed.
ReplyDeleteAfter my cousin moved, I had only three friends close enough to play with, so my parents arranged a "play date" with a black child who lived a block from my house and went to the other school. That was the gift of a lifetime, because along with other things that happened in my home, I learned that multiculturalism is a wonderful thing.
The other two girls were of minority groups as well. One was half native American and the other was the daughter of two holocaust survivors. So, I was blessed.
7:48 AM, February 19, 2010
Elizabeth: This is so fantastic. Each time I want a break, I'm going to look at one or two of these. Just looking at the collage brings back powerful memories.
ReplyDeleteI did click on Belafonte (still hot). There's a photo of him and Marlon Brando, and with of all people the former head of the NRA, Charleton Heston. CH was actually very active in Civil Rights but then became a rabid conservative. I guess he thought he was Moses.
Until all the history books are rewritten to include the powerful stories of all those who have contributed to the development of America, we must not be complacent. We cannot accept the credo, "That was then and isn't relevant now." It does a huge disservice to all those who sacrificed so much in the fight for equality among all Americans. If nothing else, recent events here at the Swash Zone show just how far we still have to go.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Elizabeth, I've bookmarked it so I can go back to listen and watch often. There are so many layers of information and history.
Rocky: School board righties are already trying to re-write history. Such districts have proposed only Christian based social studies, no mention of Chavez and no mention of MLK and the Civil Rights movement. The Texas state board will vote on this in March.
ReplyDeleteWhat I noticed about Platon's camera work, he uses wider than normal lenses which exaggerates foreshortening and allows for greater depth of field on the subject. The effect is pleasing and intimate in detail without creating undue spatial distortion. Very nice!
ReplyDeletetnlib - which is why there will always have to be some sort of federal oversight in regard to education. While I would like to see more activities being handled on a state and local level, movements like these simply won't allow for it if we are to uphold the constitution and bill of rights. For a bunch of people who so loudly proclaim the patriotism, they sure spend a lot of time spitting in the faces of this country's founders.
ReplyDeleteIf not for federal law upholding the bill of rights, there would have been no justice for civil rights workers tortured and murdered in the 60s. Their killers would have walked away if the feds had not charged them with civil rights violations.
I certainly hope the Texas Board has enough grit to stand up to these traitors of the constitution.
Rocky: Sadly it's the members of the Texas State Board of Education who want to rewrite history. They only make class content revisions every 10 years!
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