There have been many compelling features about image makers: Vivian Maier. Maybe the film medium truly excels when showcasing particularly vivid still images. Today comes another remarkable example, by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, exploring the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and African American activist who embodied a special politico-aesthetic perspective.
In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” in the 1960s by documenting the Grandassa Models in New York: emerging Black women who transformed into the sensational archetype for visual appeal, moving beyond conventional grooming practices and the established Caucasian standard of female beauty.
The Power of Three Words
Black Is Beautiful evolved into a radical unifying message, an brilliant three-word prose poem for change. Simply to assert that black people possessed beauty proved to be a liberating influence in society, politics and creative expression. Brathwaite became part of the social justice global Black movement by documenting the sports icon before his iconic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He was appointed the primary image creator for the musical group's African tour, and subsequently was named the resident artist for the legendary Apollo theatre, creating an amazing portfolio of African American artists. Alongside Elombe, he was the central figure behind securing the South African leader to speak in the community.
Historical Recognition
The photographer's offspring the younger Brathwaite shares the family's quest to secure proper recognition for his father's legacy after he was painfully excluded in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by Barack Obama in 2016.
The film additionally explores the deeply tragic origin of Brathwaite's passion for image making: the disturbing photographs of Emmett Till, the teenage African American lynching victim whose grieving mother defiantly requested an public viewing so the violent nature of bigoted brutality could not be concealed.
Amidst Sorrow to Empowerment
Through this representation of violence, Brathwaite found a type of profound understanding that directed him toward photographs of aspiration. His photographs were eloquent of community pride and frequently not overtly political: he established a innovative visual language of empowerment around which social causes could unite.
It is an exhilarating record of artistic vision that still empower through the years.
