There have been countless compelling features focusing on image makers: Martin Parr. Maybe the film medium particularly shines when presenting remarkably striking still images. Now arrives another outstanding example, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, performer and social justice champion who embodied a unique cultural-activist vision.
In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he pioneered the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the mid-century era by documenting the African American women in New York: emerging women of color who transformed into the sensational template for aesthetics, moving beyond conventional cosmetic products and the established white model of femininity.
The Power of a Revolutionary Slogan
The iconic phrase evolved into a powerful call to action, an inspired concise manifesto for progress. Just declaring that people of color possessed beauty proved to be a empowering power in art, social movements and the arts. The artist became part of the social justice pan-Africanist struggle by photographing the legendary boxer leading up to his legendary Rumble in the Jungle in that era.
He was appointed the official visual documentarian for the Jackson 5's African tour, and eventually assumed the role of the resident artist for the legendary Apollo theatre, building an amazing collection of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his brother, he became the central figure behind arranging for the South African leader to address the public in Harlem.
Historical Recognition
His son his namesake recounts the personal mission to ensure due acknowledgment for his family heritage after he was hurtfully overlooked in the prestigious cultural museum, inaugurated by the former president in recent years.
The feature also recounts the profoundly sorrowful inspiration of the photographer's passion for photography: the horrendous pictures of Emmett Till, the young African American lynching victim whose grieving mother boldly demanded an open coffin so the brutal truth of racial hatred could not be hidden.
From Tragedy to Beauty
From this representation of horror, the visionary discovered a form of transformative realization that directed him toward visual representations of aspiration. His images beautifully expressed empowering beauty and typically nuanced in approach: he established a new iconography of empowerment upon which social causes could unite.
It is an inspiring record of cultural impact that continues to empower decades later.
