Description
Book SynopsisPhotographers shot millions of pictures of the black civil rights struggle between the close of World War II and the early 1970s, yet most Americans today can recall just a handful of images that look remarkably similar. In the popular imagination, the civil rights movement is remembered in dramatic photographs of protestors attacked with police dogs and fire hoses, firebombs and shotguns, tear gas and billy clubs. The most famous images of the era show black activists victimized by violent Southern whites. But there are other stories to be told. Blacks changed America through their action, not their suffering. In this groundbreaking catalogue, Martin Berger presents a collection of forgotten photographs that illustrate the action, heroism, and strength of black activists in driving social and legislative change. Freedom Now! highlights the power wielded by black men, women, and children in courthouses, community centers, department stores, political conventions, schools, and stree
Trade Review"This is a beautiful and moving book that anyone remotely interested in the topic will want to read." * Peace News *
"Highly Recommended." * CHOICE *
"An important augmentation, one that is essential in understanding the movement from multiple perspectives." * Southern Spaces *
"A very important resource in American studies and human rights studies,
Freedom Now!: Forgotten Photographs of the Civil Rights Struggle is the kind of book that should be found in all public libraries in the U.S.; this way, new generations can understand that widespread expressions of racism did not only exist in Germany and South Africa." * Journal of American Culture *
Table of ContentsContents
Director’s Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Case for a New Canon
The Photographs
Selected Photographer Biographies
Selected Bibliography
Index
