The South, much like a developed negative, derives its image from the stark contrasts between black and white. The negative and perverted image of the South being fed into national and international conversations resulted from some of the 60’s most iconic photos of Klan activity and African American Civil Rights initiatives. Both groups utilized photography as a means of propaganda and visual conversation with those experiencing and observing the Civil Rights conflict of the South. The Ku Klux Klan promoted community that incorporated local businesses and women into their organization, whilst African Americans often had little say in their depiction in public media. These Civil Rights photos would become imperative in gaining outside support
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The role of the photographer expands from artistic to informative, but regardless of subject, every photo is aimed to convey a message or series of messages towards its viewers. The role of the photographer is to “… not live for this generation alone, but for the generation that would follow, so that they might see the habits and customs of their ancestors…” The Civil Rights movement was about promoting racial and civil justice, empowerment, and the right to fight back; photographers could not escape these aspects when photographing in the South. Conversation about equality and race permeated through photo paper and seeped into the final images that emerged out of the dark …show more content…
Emory Professor and writer, Mary Dudziak states that, “the president repeatedly emphasized the importance of civil rights to U.S. foreign affairs… ‘The United States in the world today’ made civil rights ‘especially urgent.’” This referred to the U.S.’ position within the United Nations, and as a n advocate for human rights. In order to retain her global position, the United States had to practice what it preached, focusing its resources on the Civil Rights Movement and the advancement of African Americans throughout the South as well as across the country. Urgency was magnified in the mind of international leaders and citizens through the photos consistently being exported out of the South by journalists and
The role of the photographer expands from artistic to informative, but regardless of subject, every photo is aimed to convey a message or series of messages towards its viewers. The role of the photographer is to “… not live for this generation alone, but for the generation that would follow, so that they might see the habits and customs of their ancestors…” The Civil Rights movement was about promoting racial and civil justice, empowerment, and the right to fight back; photographers could not escape these aspects when photographing in the South. Conversation about equality and race permeated through photo paper and seeped into the final images that emerged out of the dark …show more content…
Emory Professor and writer, Mary Dudziak states that, “the president repeatedly emphasized the importance of civil rights to U.S. foreign affairs… ‘The United States in the world today’ made civil rights ‘especially urgent.’” This referred to the U.S.’ position within the United Nations, and as a n advocate for human rights. In order to retain her global position, the United States had to practice what it preached, focusing its resources on the Civil Rights Movement and the advancement of African Americans throughout the South as well as across the country. Urgency was magnified in the mind of international leaders and citizens through the photos consistently being exported out of the South by journalists and