Photos from Birmingham

This weeks lesson has reminded me of the power photography embodies. Its ability to capture a single moment and turn it into something that will last forever. Photography can keep records for us, it can speak to us on a personal level and it serves its purpose of reminding us what used to be.

A striking image by Charles Moore - Birmingham 1963 during the Civil Right Movement.

The importance of these series of photos stands withing the fact that these images allowed white America to pay attention to what was really happening in the south. To say “Don’t turn the other way, look at this”. The images exposed the physical brutality and emotional distress Blacks were experiencing at the time, unraveling a harsh reality. A perfect way to document how characteristics of assertive dominance embody every white man depicted, while characteristics of inferiority and fear flood Blacks. Though pain can be shown through these images, resilience peaks through.

What do these photos mean today?

That question is up to you to answer. For me, these photos bring me to a time, only less than 2 years ago, where police brutality interrupted BLM protest in cities across the country. Where protesters were shoved, beat and arrested for supporting BLM and enacting their natural rights.