ZEKE Magazine: Fall 2021, From Tulsa to Minneapolis: Documenting the Long Road to Justice
Photographs by 27 Black photographers documenting this extraordinary time in U.S. history.
Photographs by 27 Black photographers documenting this extraordinary time in U.S. history.
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<strong>ZEKE</strong>FALL <strong>2021</strong> VOL.7/NO.2 $15 US<br />
THE MAGAZINE OF GLOBAL DOCUMENTARY<br />
FEATURED ARTICLES<br />
AWAKE IN THE DESERT LAND<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Sofia Aldinio<br />
PATH AWAY<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Nicolò Filippo Rosso<br />
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by 27 Black pho<strong>to</strong>graphers documenting<br />
this extraordinary time in American his<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
THE EMPTYING OF THE ANDES<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Emiliano Pinnizzot<strong>to</strong><br />
Published by Social Documentary <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL Network <strong>2021</strong>/ 1
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong> by Joshua Rashaad<br />
McFadden<br />
After <strong>the</strong> last speech at <strong>the</strong><br />
Commitment March Rally on<br />
August 28, 2020, thousands<br />
of people flooded <strong>the</strong> streets of<br />
Washing<strong>to</strong>n, D.C., <strong>to</strong> protest<br />
police brutality in America.<br />
2 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>
PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 3
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS: PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
Several consistent <strong>the</strong>mes arise across<br />
<strong>the</strong> thousands of images documenting<br />
<strong>the</strong> last year of racial justice<br />
protests in <strong>the</strong> United States— <strong>the</strong><br />
raised Black power fist; a surge of<br />
civilian bodies facing off against<br />
a line of s<strong>to</strong>ny-faced police forces; eyes<br />
raised <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> camera in triumphant challenge<br />
of <strong>the</strong> powers that be. Each of <strong>the</strong>se<br />
poignant moments draw from long his<strong>to</strong>ries<br />
of pho<strong>to</strong>graphy on <strong>the</strong> American struggle<br />
for justice within a country whose deeply<br />
embedded racism spans centuries built of<br />
settler colonization and <strong>the</strong> enslavement of<br />
Black people.<br />
An especially horrific part of that long<br />
his<strong>to</strong>ry of racial terror and subjugation in<br />
America is <strong>the</strong> 1921 <strong>Tulsa</strong>, Oklahoma massacre<br />
of Black residents by a white mob.<br />
While many Black Americans have long<br />
held <strong>the</strong> memory of that deadly night and<br />
<strong>the</strong> several preceding years of white mob<br />
violence that erupted across <strong>the</strong> nation,<br />
few pho<strong>to</strong>graphs exist <strong>to</strong> bear ongoing<br />
witness <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> death and destruction. In <strong>the</strong><br />
decades since, however, Black Americans<br />
have utilized <strong>the</strong> camera’s evidentiary<br />
power as a <strong>to</strong>ol in <strong>the</strong> twin struggles <strong>to</strong><br />
humanize Black lives and depict racial<br />
injustice. The evisceration of <strong>Tulsa</strong>’s prosperous<br />
Black community and <strong>the</strong> 2020<br />
racial justice protests that represent <strong>the</strong><br />
largest social justice movement in U.S.<br />
his<strong>to</strong>ry are separated by nearly 100 years,<br />
serving as troubling markers of how little<br />
progress has been made on this long road<br />
<strong>to</strong> justice. Yet, <strong>the</strong> influx of visual s<strong>to</strong>rytelling<br />
by those whose lives are held in <strong>the</strong><br />
balance and social media’s access <strong>to</strong> a<br />
rapt global audience offers new hope that<br />
justice might yet be realized.<br />
Since Black Lives Matter’s 2013 beginnings<br />
as a hashtag following <strong>the</strong> 2013<br />
shooting death of Black teenager Trayvon<br />
Martin, <strong>the</strong> movement gained steam as<br />
both a social media campaign and a<br />
series of national protests in <strong>the</strong> wake of<br />
each Black person killed by police brutality.<br />
It’s vital <strong>to</strong> understand how much this<br />
movement (and many o<strong>the</strong>r contemporary<br />
social justice efforts) owes <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> wide<br />
circulation of visual evidence online. While<br />
such egregious acts of racial violence and<br />
police brutality have been rampant since<br />
<strong>the</strong> advent of American policing, it is <strong>the</strong><br />
increasing presence of digital cameras that<br />
have ushered in an era where racism can<br />
be documented and <strong>the</strong>refore demand fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
reckoning. As BLM builds on <strong>the</strong> visual<br />
rhe<strong>to</strong>ric of Civil Rights Movement pho<strong>to</strong>graphy,<br />
<strong>the</strong> relationship between street-level<br />
activism and <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>the</strong> camera is<br />
increasingly revealed.<br />
The collection of 23 pho<strong>to</strong>graphs on<br />
<strong>the</strong>se pages is drawn from over 500<br />
images submitted by pho<strong>to</strong>graphers who<br />
answered <strong>the</strong> call <strong>to</strong> share <strong>the</strong>ir visual<br />
interpretations of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Long</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Justice</strong>.<br />
Importantly, <strong>the</strong> work is primarily made<br />
by Black pho<strong>to</strong>graphers whose lived<br />
experiences of racial injustice and respect<br />
for Black lives is tangibly felt across <strong>the</strong><br />
pho<strong>to</strong> essay. <strong>From</strong> Brian Branch-Prices’s<br />
intimate look at Black musicians <strong>to</strong> Kenechi<br />
Unachukwu’s We Still Here, a picture of<br />
Black resilience emerges. Donald Black<br />
Jr.’s loving ode <strong>to</strong> Black childhood symbolizes<br />
exactly what we fight for: a future<br />
where <strong>the</strong> threat of police brutality against<br />
our children, our mo<strong>the</strong>rs, our fa<strong>the</strong>rs and<br />
bro<strong>the</strong>rs is a thing of <strong>the</strong> past.<br />
The work <strong>to</strong> realize that future, however,<br />
is far from over. Even as <strong>the</strong>se images of<br />
Black life compel <strong>the</strong> world <strong>to</strong> recognize<br />
<strong>the</strong> shared humanity of all people, <strong>the</strong>re<br />
remains a stark disconnect between <strong>the</strong><br />
realities visualized by our pho<strong>to</strong>graphy<br />
and <strong>the</strong> widespread realization of social,<br />
political, and economic reform. The<br />
struggle for racial justice continues and we<br />
lift our cameras as we steady our resolve,<br />
ready <strong>to</strong> meet <strong>the</strong> call wielding our choice<br />
of weapons.<br />
—Tara Pixley<br />
Program Credits<br />
Chair:<br />
Lisa DuBois<br />
Jurors:<br />
Laylah Amatullah Barrayn<br />
Lisa DuBois<br />
Anthony Barboza<br />
Eli Reed<br />
Jamel Shabazz<br />
4 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>
Best-of-Show Award<br />
Donald Black Jr.<br />
A Day No One Will Remember<br />
A collection of images created by Donald<br />
Black Jr. over <strong>the</strong> past 10 years. After returning<br />
home <strong>to</strong> Cleveland, Ohio, he started creating<br />
images that only an insider could see<br />
and began making images that represented<br />
his perception of his reality. Seeing himself<br />
and where he came from has influenced<br />
an obsession <strong>to</strong> pho<strong>to</strong>graph children in his<br />
community.<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 5
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS: PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Titus Brooks Heagins<br />
Exhibit Title: Where <strong>the</strong> Sidewalk Ends<br />
This project represents a visual dialog<br />
that interrogates <strong>the</strong> lives of those who<br />
live in <strong>the</strong> margins of society.<br />
Caption: Brittany and Brianna<br />
Right <strong>to</strong>p<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Brian Branch-Price<br />
Exhibit Title: Rhythm and Praise, an<br />
Epic Journey<br />
This project reflects <strong>the</strong> expressions,<br />
thoughts and actions of a people, of a<br />
culture and of a folk who love <strong>to</strong> sing,<br />
dance, shout, give, teach, preach, cut a<br />
step all in <strong>the</strong> name of gospel music.<br />
Caption: Percy Bady, Newark, New<br />
Jersey<br />
Right below<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Teanna Woods Okojie<br />
Exhibit Title: Black Boy Joy<br />
Black Boy Joy is a series of multiple<br />
images spanning from 2013 <strong>to</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
depicting young African youth and<br />
young men in various environments<br />
experiencing pure joy.<br />
6 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Brian Branch-Price<br />
Exhibit Title: BLM: The Third<br />
Expressing <strong>the</strong> frustrations of an oppressed<br />
community reacting <strong>to</strong> social injustices, economic<br />
apar<strong>the</strong>id, Jim Crow, over-policing,<br />
lynching, inhumanity, during peaceful and<br />
confrontational protest in New York, New<br />
Jersey, Philadelphia, Richmond, and D.C.<br />
Caption: Livia Rose Johnson, 20, march<br />
organizer during a <strong>Justice</strong> for George Floyd<br />
protest and rally in New York on June 4, 2020<br />
Left<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Raymond W. Holman, Jr.<br />
Exhibit Title: COVID-19 in Black America<br />
Environmental portraits of Black and brown<br />
skin people with first-hand experience of<br />
COVID-19 – having recovered, lost family<br />
members, been mentally challenged by<br />
social isolation, and figuring out how <strong>to</strong><br />
adjust and make a new pathway.<br />
Caption: A Prince<strong>to</strong>n University student<br />
experiencing a year of online classes and<br />
isolation due <strong>to</strong> COVID-19, but becoming a<br />
stronger human being through this challenge.<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 7
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS: PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Lisa DuBois<br />
Exhibit Title: MAAFA: The Great African<br />
Tragedy<br />
A term meaning “Great Disaster” in Swahili,<br />
MAAFA ceremonies honoring ances<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
became part of African-American culture<br />
at <strong>the</strong> onset of slavery — <strong>the</strong> African<br />
Holocaust — and continue <strong>to</strong>day, honoring<br />
<strong>the</strong> generations that lived and died as slaves<br />
and bringing catharsis.<br />
Caption: A woman prepares for a ritual<br />
using a bell. It is believed ances<strong>to</strong>rs can hear<br />
this sound.<br />
Right<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Imari DuSauzay<br />
Exhibit Title: We <strong>the</strong> People<br />
Started by Joe of Saint James Joy, <strong>the</strong>se<br />
Block Party sessions in <strong>the</strong> heart of Brooklyn’s<br />
Clin<strong>to</strong>n Hill celebrated <strong>the</strong> community<br />
without separations, embracing all who came<br />
<strong>to</strong> share <strong>the</strong>ir joy in collective dance free<br />
from imposed constructs of social stress and<br />
all “isms,” healing through a collective of We<br />
The People.<br />
Caption: FLIGHT<br />
8 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>
Left<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Cheryle Galloway<br />
Exhibit Title: Out of Many?<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphing as an archaeologist<br />
discovering things left behind by a lost<br />
civilization, removing social constructs<br />
used as <strong>to</strong>ols <strong>to</strong> divide us in <strong>the</strong> hope <strong>to</strong><br />
breakdown all walls <strong>to</strong> mutuality, Out of<br />
Many? asks, how does America heal <strong>to</strong><br />
become one nation?<br />
Caption: “How much time do you want<br />
for your ‘progress’”? James Baldwin. The<br />
White House, Washing<strong>to</strong>n, D.C.<br />
Lower Left<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: LeRoy W. Henderson<br />
Exhibit Title: Expressions Against Racism<br />
and Oppression in America<br />
These pho<strong>to</strong>graphs represent growing<br />
public expression against racial injustice<br />
and oppression in America. People of all<br />
ages are beginning <strong>to</strong> become more vocal.<br />
Significantly, young people in growing<br />
numbers are taking <strong>the</strong> leadership in this<br />
movement for change.<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Collette Fournier<br />
Exhibit Title: Taking <strong>the</strong> Struggle <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Streets—Black Lives Always Mattered<br />
After learning my people were once slaves<br />
as a youngster, I have been on a visual<br />
journey <strong>to</strong> document my people in <strong>the</strong><br />
Diaspora. Working on a series enables me<br />
<strong>to</strong> revisit and expand upon my ideas, knowing<br />
that <strong>the</strong> s<strong>to</strong>ry rarely ends.<br />
Caption: Suffern, NY; Die-In for Kimani<br />
Gray, 2013. Willie Trotman, President of<br />
NAACP Spring Valley, Community activist<br />
Ken Mercer and <strong>the</strong> student community at<br />
a Die-In protest in Rockland County, NY.<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 9
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS: PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Shoun Hill<br />
Exhibit Title: Protests 2020<br />
These are pho<strong>to</strong>graphs from 2020 of <strong>the</strong> protests<br />
surrounding <strong>the</strong> murders of unarmed African-<br />
Americans by police officers in <strong>the</strong> USA.<br />
Caption: A participant holds a sign during a vigil and<br />
coming <strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31,<br />
2020, in Inwood Park in Manhattan.<br />
Right<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Kevin Bernard Jones<br />
Exhibit Title: March on Washing<strong>to</strong>n 2020—A<br />
People’s Perspective<br />
The 2020 March on Washing<strong>to</strong>n for racial justice and<br />
police reform organized by Reverend Al Sharp<strong>to</strong>n and<br />
<strong>the</strong> National Action Network after <strong>the</strong> public murder<br />
of George Floyd just months before by a <strong>Minneapolis</strong><br />
police officer. Held fifty-seven years after Martin<br />
Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream.”<br />
Bot<strong>to</strong>m<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Khary Mason<br />
Exhibit Title: It is a Difficult Time <strong>to</strong> Convict a Hero<br />
In this series, Mason explores media’s influence upon<br />
society’s perceptions of law enforcement, and <strong>the</strong><br />
silence vs. duty of Black officers in America.<br />
Caption: Chasing freedom...<br />
10 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>
Left<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Deja Nycole<br />
Exhibit Title: Black & Dangerous<br />
A collaborative project utilizing poetry,<br />
portraiture, and reportage <strong>to</strong> redefine <strong>the</strong><br />
way Black people are perceived because of<br />
stereotypes.<br />
Caption: Ed Ross, 21, Accokeek, Maryland<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Thaddeus Miles<br />
Exhibit Title: It Took Me <strong>to</strong> My Knees!<br />
Caption: Tired & Ready<br />
Top:<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Burroughs Lamar<br />
Exhibit Title: National Action Network<br />
(NAN) March on Washing<strong>to</strong>n<br />
Rev. Al Sharp<strong>to</strong>n’s NAN organization<br />
brought <strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r masses of people of<br />
varying ethnicities in a peaceful march that<br />
included a speech by Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r King<br />
Jr.’s son MLK,III, leaving a spirit of hopefulness<br />
that <strong>the</strong> tragic deaths and injustices<br />
afflicting Africans Americans for centuries<br />
will cease <strong>the</strong> need for future marches.<br />
Caption: Martin Lu<strong>the</strong>r King, Jr. Memorial.<br />
Washing<strong>to</strong>n, D.C.<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 11
FROM TULSA TO MINNEAPOLIS: PHOTOGRAPHING THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE<br />
12 / <strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong><br />
Top<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Tara Pixley<br />
Exhibit Title: Our Streets<br />
Taken across multiple 2020 protests<br />
in Los Angeles, <strong>the</strong>se pho<strong>to</strong>s speak <strong>to</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> true spirit of <strong>the</strong> Black Lives Matter<br />
movement: peaceful showings of solidarity,<br />
community action, and expressions of<br />
democratic public assembly in <strong>the</strong> face of<br />
COVID-19 and racism’s twin pandemics.<br />
Caption: People stared with open admiration<br />
at a Black man on horseback who<br />
rode in circles carrying <strong>the</strong> Pan-African<br />
flag.<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Kenechi Unachukwu<br />
Exhibit Title: We Still Here<br />
People from all ages and ethnicities led by<br />
young Black men and women congregated<br />
at <strong>the</strong> capi<strong>to</strong>l <strong>to</strong> voice <strong>the</strong>ir frustrations<br />
about a system that has led <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> wrongful<br />
death of many Black citizens at <strong>the</strong><br />
hands of <strong>the</strong> police.<br />
Right<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Michael Young<br />
Exhibit Title: When Will it be Enough.<br />
2020—A Year of Resistance<br />
Caption: Black Issues 1619 -2019. Image<br />
taken at <strong>the</strong> Black Lives Matter Harlem<br />
Street Mural which had been vandalized<br />
and is under repair.
Top<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Sheila Pree<br />
Bright<br />
Exhibit Title: #1960Now: Jim<br />
Crow 2.0<br />
Growing up in <strong>the</strong> Jim Crow<br />
era, my parents never spoke of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir experiences until Trayvon<br />
Martin’s death by police brutality.<br />
My mo<strong>the</strong>r said, “I didn’t<br />
want you <strong>to</strong> hate white people. I<br />
can’t believe I would see <strong>the</strong> day<br />
that Black people’s oppression<br />
still exists.”<br />
Caption: Statue of Dr. Martin<br />
Lu<strong>the</strong>r King Jr. by Jamaican-born<br />
Basil Watson installed in <strong>2021</strong>,<br />
Atlanta, GA.<br />
Lower Left<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Eva Woolridge<br />
Exhibit Title: We are Not Free<br />
Until We are All Free<br />
An exhibition that discusses<br />
<strong>the</strong> relationship between all<br />
marginalized groups who are in<br />
<strong>the</strong> fight <strong>to</strong> live freely as <strong>the</strong>y<br />
are, with images from marches<br />
for Black Lives, Palestine, and<br />
Black Trans Lives. Because we<br />
all matter.<br />
Caption: True Patriot.<br />
Above<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>grapher: Reece T.<br />
Williams<br />
Exhibit Title: On <strong>the</strong><br />
Anniversary of My Profound<br />
Confusion<br />
My earnest attempt <strong>to</strong> not only<br />
chronicle <strong>the</strong> 2020 marches<br />
for Black lives and living, but<br />
<strong>to</strong> understand how and why<br />
this moment, out of all <strong>the</strong><br />
moments, was chosen as “a<br />
reckoning,” and how only now?<br />
<strong>ZEKE</strong> FALL <strong>2021</strong>/ 13
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Contents of <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> Issue<br />
Awake in <strong>the</strong> Desert Land<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Sofia Aldinio<br />
Path Away<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Nicolò Filippo Rosso<br />
<strong>From</strong> <strong>Tulsa</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Minneapolis</strong>: Pho<strong>to</strong>graphing <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Long</strong> <strong>Road</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Justice</strong><br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by 27 Black pho<strong>to</strong>graphers documenting this<br />
extraordinary time in American his<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
The Emptying of <strong>the</strong> Andes<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphs by Emiliano Pinnizzot<strong>to</strong><br />
Migration from <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Triangle<br />
by Daniela Cohen<br />
Interview with Joseph Rodriguez<br />
by Caterina Clerici<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>graphy & Social Change<br />
by Emily Schiffer<br />
Book Reviews<br />
Edited by Michelle Bogre