Deborah Willis compiles a book of photographs dating back a
hundred years, depicting African American history through ordinary lives. The
photos include musicians and painters, poets and scholars, and plain ordinary
working wage-earners. All the photos in the book are positive, no shirtless
tattooed gold-draped thugs or hopeless images. We see parents with their kids,
Elks Club gatherings, religion, farming, and learning.
One of the displays I found most unusual was the one of
Black College sports teams. There was a 1940 photo of the Howard University
women’s rifle team, which shocked me, because shooting sports are not a
stereotypically African American pastime. As for the era, I thought it even
more unusual to see a shooting team composed of women at the time. Then again,
WWII was approaching, so maybe this had to do with national defense? The Howard
University boxing team also has a photo here. No tattoos or funny piercings.
Altogether, I saw it’s good to see something positive here.
One of the photos was of a woman in New Jersey who had a backyard farm on her
property for decades, growing her own food and selling it in nearby
Philadelphia to make some extra money. The subject of African American farmers
has been lost on the media, usually ignored in favor of hip-hop and Hollywood.
But it’s good to see images of people prospering in their own way and enjoying
the proceeds.
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