There have been many compelling films focusing on photographers: Tish Murtha. Maybe the film medium naturally comes alive when displaying particularly vivid still images. Now we have one more exceptional instance, by creator Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, artist and civil rights advocate who exemplified a distinct artistic-political perspective.
In partnership with his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the slogan “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the mid-century era by photographing the Harlem models in the cultural epicenter: youthful Black women who transformed into the groundbreaking template for visual appeal, rejecting traditional grooming practices and the established white standard of female beauty.
The Power of Three Words
Black Is Beautiful transformed into a powerful rallying cry, an brilliant three-word manifesto for change. Simply declaring that people of color possessed beauty became a liberating force in art, social movements and creative expression. The artist emerged as integral to the Black power global Black movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
He served as the exclusive visual documentarian for the Jackson 5's international performances, and subsequently assumed the role of the house photographer for the legendary Apollo theatre, creating an extraordinary portfolio of African American artists. In collaboration with Elombe, he emerged as the key organizer behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to appear in New York.
Family Legacy
His son Kwame Jr is interviewed the personal mission to achieve due acknowledgment for his family heritage after he was unjustly overlooked in the nation's capital's National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by Barack Obama in 2016.
The feature also recounts the inexpressibly painful origin of the photographer's interest in photography: the shocking images of Emmett Till, the adolescent African American murder victim whose grieving mother courageously demanded an public viewing so the violent nature of racist violence would not be concealed.
From Tragedy to Hope
Through this representation of tragedy, the artist found a type of profound understanding that guided him toward visual representations of community. His work were eloquent of community pride and typically not overtly political: he developed a fresh iconography of empowerment upon which activist groups could unite.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating record of artistic vision that still resonate across generations.
