Iconic Photography: On Activism

2020 is a very interesting year. We are experiencing times like never before, but we are also seeing many elements of our history resurface. The Civil Rights Movement had a new life breathed into it this Spring; one that was long overdue. My generation came alive and stepped up to the plate; battling racists, cops, and systemic racism in America. We could say it was a time like none other, but The Civil Rights Movement that lasted from 1954-1968.

The first image depicts a young man during the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950’s. He’s being threatened by a police officer with a stick, but he is not backing down. This image captures a very specific danger because the young man in the photo is black and the police officer is white. The binary is demonstrated side by side in the photo, which makes the message of the divide between races so powerful. The second image is from a BLM protest in Washington. The same story is being told; young people of color stand before a police officer, but this time they’re in solidarity. There is also a mask being worn in the photo, which is a telling sign of the times.

I think these two images capture the spirit of the times because they’re both depicting the fury and bravery of young adults. This is a very weird time to be coming of age. But, as I mentioned, I have seen my generation step up and take control of the situation, fighting harder than we ever have before for our peers, families, and communities. There is a time, I think, when we as young adults realize that the future is in our hands. We look around at what our parents and grandparents have created and realize that we can either enter into the environment that has been created for us, or we can create our own environment. The BLM Movement is an example of us creating our own environment; attempting to fix the problems that were created in the adulthood of previous generations. The Civil Rights Movement, though led primarily by adults, was an example of the same idea. Racism in America, which always exists in underlying, institutionalized ways, reaches a boiling point. Time and time again, we see the youth of America come out to fight, because they are the ones who have to shape the world they’re about to be adults in.

The difference between there being one young man against the police in the first photo and several young people in the second photo speaks volumes. The Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century was the first of its kind. There was unprecedented fear. There is fear today, too, but our generation is not afraid to stand up because this has been done before. We now have The Civil Rights Movement to look back on and reference, which makes todays protests even stronger. The young man in the first photo is fighting alone in a crowd of black people. They stand and look at him, but they do not seem to stand in solidarity. This is in direct contrast to the second photo, in which all of the black people in the photo stand together with their fists in the air.

Another notable difference between the two photos is the fact that one is in black and white and one is in color. The lack of color ages the first photo, making it seem like more of an artifact. The color of the second photo adds contrast between the police officer and the young protestors.

These two photos suggest that over the last 50 years, not much has changed in terms of the visual representation of activism. In times of crisis and activism, as both of these photos depict, we as Americans are not afraid to put our cameras in the middle of the battle, and protestors are not afraid to continue their fight in front of a camera. The fact that there are more people standing together instead of just looking at the young protestor in the second photo shows that our fears have actually withered, and we are now more able to stand up against injustice in a public way.

I don’t think this example of documentation of activism has changed over the last 50 years because the issues that are being documented are not much different. The protestors are standing up for the same cause 50 years apart. Of course the images are going to be similar. And of course the second one is going to include more solidarity; because the cause has only grown and the fight has only gotten more fierce.

The solidarity also shows progress. It shows that we have gained momentum and we have banded together as a community. It also says a lot about what comes with being a young adult in a time of oppression and crisis. Again, we recognize that this is our time to create the world we’re going to rise into adulthood in.

As Americans, we recognize our ability. As young Americans, we recognize our power. Even 50 years apart, we as young Americans take matters into our own hands. We fight inequality and injustice.