Photography is one of the most powerful tools Black people have to reclaim their stories in a world that often refuses to see them. Black people struggle to express themselves in a society where discrimination still exists. Finding ways to communicate their experiences, emotions, and identity is important for Black empowerment.
At Long Beach City College, photography classes offer a platform for Black students to express themselves creatively and share their own perspective and experience with the world through art.
Many face police brutality, judgment by others, and harmful stereotypes. These experiences are based solely on the color of their skin. Too often, people see them through assumptions rather than for who they truly are as individuals.
Therefore, many Black people can feel invisible or misunderstood. Photography offers a way to push back against that feeling. Through photography, artists can control the narrative and show the world how they see themselves, their communities, and their culture.
When you look at the way African Americans dance, move their hips, the type of music they create, or the way they paint and use visual media, you can see how impactful art is in Black culture. Art has long been used not only for creativity but also for identity and healing.
In black culture, the Black Art Movement, which took place roughly from the 1960s through the 1970s, celebrates Black resilience, beauty, and culture while also challenging racism and inequality. During this time, black photographers and artists used their work to document Black life.
Some Black photographers you can look at from this movement are Billy Abernathy, Kwame Brathwaite, Roy DeCarava and Doris Derby, to name a few.
Another artist who reflects the vulnerability and strength of the Black body is Donald Rodney in his poignant photograph, In the House of My Father.
It is a close-up of a small, tiny house sculpture, built from his own skin, which was removed during treatment for sickle cell anemia. At first glance, the sculpture may seem fragile or even insignificant, but it carries a deeper meaning.
The project dedicated to his dad, who passed away in 1995, embodies the fragility and vulnerability of the body from the disease, but it can also represent the fragility of Black lives in a society shaped by discrimination and violence.
Rodney’s image encapsulates the broken body of the African people and reflects how systemic racism, prejudiced mindsets, and physical violence can cause profound harm.
His artwork addresses how something so small and fragile can still carry a powerful meaning of discrimination against black people and the complexity of their lives.
This is why photography is important. A single image can communicate emotions and experiences that words sometimes cannot fully capture. Photography gives people the chance to tell their stories.
Black people, both at LBCC and other spaces, should consider taking photography classes, as it has proven to be a powerful outlet to express themselves using all the creativity that is in their culture.
